In 2012, Gift of Gab, the MC half of this veteran hip-hop duo, suffered kidney failure during the recording of the group’s comeback record. His convalescence was lengthy and necessitated daily dialysis. Three years later, the record arrives, and it’s suffused with a sense of gratitude. Inspired By describes a journey from youthful aspiration to a career “guiding spirits to the truth”. Escape contrasts a life of rhyme with a life of project-dwelling delinquency; Love’s Gonna Save the Day is a nostalgic paean to love and solidarity. It all comes from a perspective of middle-aged experience – an interesting contrast to most voices in hip-hop. But all that unalloyed positivity doesn’t always make for compelling listening, while a series of mid-tempo, light-jazz beats feel too much like throwbacks to 90s backpacker hip-hop. Twist of Time and Blacka raise the tempo and inject some funk though – the latter showcasing Gab’s abilities as a speedy, dextrous rapper to exhilarating effect.
