Blackalicious rapper Gift of Gab had stashed away dozens of unreleased tracks prior to his untimely death in June at the age of 50, some of which will appear on his upcoming posthumous album, Finding Inspiration Somehow. The project will arrive next month and today, fans get to hear the first preview, titled “Vice Grip.” Stream it below.
Produced by Nick Andre, “Vice Grip” puts Gift of Gab’s lyrical dexterity on display, as he lets loose a barrage of internal rhymes to bully the off-kilter beat into submission. “Lyrically I’m pumping iron/ Come with fire,” he raps. “I don’t suck and jive/ I steal the truck and drive.”
In a statement, Andre revealed how “Vice Grip” came together. He explained,
“‘Vice Grip’ isn’t the type of beat that I would normally send Gab, but I’m glad I did because he absolutely destroyed it in my opinion. I remember him hitting me back on the phone shortly after I shared the beat with him saying that he was about halfway done writing to it and asked if he could come over the following day after dialysis to record it. I’ve never met anyone that had that same kind of drive and passion for what he did as Gab did.”
After working on it for several years, Gab completed Finding Inspiration Somehow prior to his death. Fully produced by Andre, the album was originally slated for release this summer, but it was delayed to September 10th due to his passing.
