Gift of Gab, the Bay Area underground rapper known as one half of the duo Blackalicious, has died from natural causes. The artist, born Timothy Jerome Parker, was 50 years old. “Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021,” his Quannum collective said in a statement. “He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother.”

Gift of Gab formed Blackalicious with the DJ and producer Chief Xcel in 1992. The duo released its debut EP, Melodica, in 1994 via Solesides, a label and collective that also featured DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, and others. By the late ’90s, Solesides morphed into Quannum, which made the notable compilation Spectrum in 1999; contributors to Spectrum included Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, El-P, Souls of Mischief, and Jurassic 5.

Shortly after the release of Spectrum, Blackalicious issued their full-length debut Nia. The album helped Blackalicious land a deal with Universal Music’s MCA Records, which released 2002’s Blazing Arrow. The duo returned to the indiesphere for 2005’s The Craft, released via ANTI-, and later shared just one more full-length, 2015’s Imani Vol. 1.

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