Nia (album)

Nia is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released in Europe by Mo' Wax on August 30, 1999, and later re-released in the United States by Quannum Projects on February 29, 2000, with a slightly altered track listing.

Nia
Studio album by
Blackalicious
ReleasedAugust 30, 1999 (1999-08-30)
GenreProgressive rap[1]
Length70:01
LabelMo' Wax, Quannum Projects
ProducerChief Xcel, Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow
Blackalicious chronology
A2G
(1999)		 Nia
(1999)		 Blazing Arrow
(2002)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press4/5[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
Muzik[5]
NME6/10[6]
Pitchfork7.3/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Spin8/10[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

John Bush of AllMusic called Nia "an album that stakes the claim of Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab as not only the best pair of rappers in the underground, but also the best pair of producers."[2] Patrick Jones of PopMatters commented that it "renews your faith in the power and potential of hip-hop."[12] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said, "Blackalicious' work will strike some listeners as hopelessly naïve and New Age-ish, but Nia is nevertheless an audacious, uncompromised, enormously promising album by a group with the courage to disregard hip-hop's codes and unwritten rules to create music that is vitally, distinctly its own."[13] Exclaim!'s Del F. Cowie praised the album's "superior conceptual execution and soulful statement".[14]

NME placed it at number 45 on the "101 Albums to Hear Before You Die" list.[15]

Track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Searching" (featuring Erinn Anova)Chief Xcel1:50
2."The Fabulous Ones"Chief Xcel3:00
3."Do This My Way" (featuring Lyrics Born)Lyrics Born4:49
4."Deception"Chief Xcel5:19
5."A to G"Chief Xcel2:24
6."Cliff Hanger"DJ Shadow6:21
7."Shallow Days"Chief Xcel4:20
8."Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni" (featuring Nikki Giovanni and Erinn Anova)Chief Xcel1:44
9."You Didn't Know That Though"Chief Xcel4:35
10."If I May" (featuring Erinn Anova and Lateef)Chief Xcel3:45
11."Dream Seasons"Chief Xcel4:49
12."Trouble (Eve of Destruction)"Chief Xcel4:28
13."Smithzonian Institute of Rhyme" (featuring Lateef)Chief Xcel4:25
14."As the World Turns" (featuring Erinn Anova)Chief Xcel5:42
15."Reanimation"Chief Xcel3:39
16."Beyonder"Chief Xcel4:05
17."Making Progress"Chief Xcel3:11
18."Sleep"Chief Xcel3:54
19."Finding" (featuring Erinn Anova)Chief Xcel1:50
Total length:70:01

Charts
Chart Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 50
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 29

References
  1. Pappademas, Alex (February 2000). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 18.
  2. Bush, John. "Nia – Blackalicious". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  3. "Blackalicious: Nia". Alternative Press (141): 80. April 2000.
  4. "Blackalicious: Nia". Entertainment Weekly: 86. February 18, 2000.
  5. Crysell, Andy (December 1999). "Blackalicious: Nia (Mo' Wax)". Muzik (55): 94.
  6. "Nia". NME. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  7. Clark, Taylor M. "Blackalicious: Nia". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  8. Chonin, Neva (April 27, 2000). "Blackalicious: Nia". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  9. Hull, Tom (2004). "Blackalicious". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 75. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. Tompkins, Dave (March 2000). "Blackalicious: Nia". Spin. 16 (3): 151. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  11. Christgau, Robert (June 27, 2000). "Consumer Guide: Shufferng and Shmiling". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  12. Jones, Patrick. "Blackalicious: Nia". PopMatters. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  13. Rabin, Nathan (February 8, 2000). "Blackalicious: Nia". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  14. Cowie, Del F. (February 1, 2000). "Blackalicious – Nia". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  15. Pizzorno, Serge. "101 Albums To Hear Before You Die – #45". NME. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  16. "Blackalicious: Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  17. "Blackalicious: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
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