Tim Parker a.k.a. Gift of Gab
We recently caught up with Tim Parker a.k.a. Gift of Gab to talk about his music, his work with Blackalicous, and his latest project, Escape 2 Mars, which is due to be released in November of this year. Tim has been involved with a handful of projects over the years outside of his solo projects and work with DJ/Producer Chief Xcel. We wish that we had been able to continue the conversation but time was limited.
L.F. – What would you say is different about this album than any of the other projects you’ve been involved in?
G.G. – I would say it’s a whole different sound tan any thing else I’ve worked on. It’s definitely where I’m at as far as an artist and being a lyricist, and someone who considers myself a songwriter as well. I think it’s more electronic sounding things on this I definitely wanted to venture off into some more unexplored territories. That’s what you saw throughout there its more of an electronic vibe. Its all hip hop but there’s more electronic type vibe as well. I would describe it as funky I would describe it as cosmic thus the title “Escape to Mars.” Those would be the two words I would use to describe this project.
L.F. – How has your approach to making music different in relations to solo project compared your work with Blackalicious?
G.G. – I think that its all about chemistry. Blackalicious is a chemistry me and X have. It’s like an over twenty year chemistry that we’ve grown into and developed over the years. I would equate it to traveling. You might live in a great state but it’s always good to get out there and see that we live in a world. So my solo records I like to be able to work with other people as well as X does and to see what the chemistry is like with other producers and be able to vibe off they’re creative process as well because Dnae is going to do it in his way obviously X is gone do it in his way. We’re obviously all big motivational rocket ships Jake One and Vitamin D had they’re style and how they approached doing music so its always cool to interact with other producers and you learn something different from each one of them and each one of them has their take on how they do music. Their talent, their charms.
L.F. – What other Producer s and artists are involved in this project?
G.G. – Dnae produced the bulk of the record. Headnodic from my other group the Mighty Underdogs did three songs on there. As far as guests I have Lateef and Joyo on a hook, I have Bart Davenport from Honeycut singing on the record as well. Also I have a song on the record called “Dreamin” with Del and Brother Ali which is probably one of my favorite songs. One of my favorite personal stand-outs Just because I admired him so much it was a cool experience to be able to work with him on one song.
L.F. – What were you listening to for your own enjoyment during the process of making this record besides production and beats?
G.G. – Going into a record I always like to listen to classic hip hop records. I’m always listening to a lot of the Roots’ records, I was listening to the Low End Theory, I was listening to you know Braggin’, All-4-One albums. I go back and I always like to study the records that I consider classic hip hop records because to me those records are the bar those records to me even more so than this stuff those records that even though they may have came out a while ago they still stand the test of time I can still put those records in and they’re still dope albums. Those are for me the bar that I measure the records that I’m doing by. The classics a lot of classic hip hop albums.
L.F. – Is there anything that you would like the people to think about as they listen to this record?
G.G. – I want people to feel like they’ve been on a voyage. I want people to feel like they have been taken out of their self somewhat, as well as brought into themselves. I would like for people to feel like they’ve gone on somewhat of a sonic journey. There are many things and many topics that are brought up I don’t want to go in on those topics and seem like I’m preaching or any thing. The main song is about global warming the actual song Escape 2 Mars. Its all just based on things that I’ve encountered in the past, that song as well as Electric Waterfalls touches on a few things from how there’s a lot of natural cures to a lot of different things. It doesn’t necessarily get promoted the same way that western medicine gets promoted. There are a lot of different things I don’t want that to be the whole focus of what the people take away when they listen to the record. It’s completely different topics being touched upon. At the end of the day I want the people to take the music in and take the words in and feel like they got something that moves them musically and something that they can think about.
L.F. – How did Blackalicious come together?
G.G. – Blackalicious came together in about eighty seven or eighty eight. We met in high school. We just had a mutual love for hip hop and a mutual passion for the type of music that we like and the type of music that we envisioned ourselves creating and we kind of just clicked on that level and started doing music.
L.F. – What makes music amazing to you?
G.G – Music to me is the reflection of life everything is music. This conversation is music. A song. This conversation right now may be different for you because my visual where I’m at is different but wherever you’re at wherever you’re sitting or standing we’re having this conversation and that can be transformed into music. Music is like the backdrop for life. Music is like a natural drug because if you’re feeling a certain way it can alter that. Its one of the natural things other than doing drugs that can alter your state of being you could be in a bad mood and put on a song and be in a good mood or you can be mellow and put on some aggressive music and be in an aggressive mood. Music is emotions expressed and I think the emotions expressed by the artist kind of sink into the person that is listening. Music is a very powerful thing a very powerful tool.
L.F. – when you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
G.G. – before I wanted to do music I wanted to be an artist I was into graffiti I was into drawing and if I hadn’t started rapping I would have been doing something artistic. I would have been a painter or I would have been an animator or doing cartoons or something of that nature.
L.F. – Any last words?
G.G. – Escape 2 Mars November 2nd thank everyone for supporting me. Go out and check out Escape 2 Mars and check me out I will definitely be touring following the release of the record relentlessly. So holler at me.
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