The Gift Of Gab

Gift of Gab (born Tim Parker) was an American rapper, best known as the lead MC of the California hip-hop duo Blackalicious, as well as a member of Quannum Projects (along with Chief Xcel, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef). The name seemingly is taken from the personal quality one is said to attain upon kissing the Blarney Stone. This is also interpreted as someone who can talk the talk and is streetwise and can get through life by the way they speak. This would be associated with bargaining a deal etc. After a series of Blackalicious projects, he also released a solo debut 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up in 2004. One of the album's songs 'Rat Race' from 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up was at one point frequently used on the Sky Sports show Soccer AM. In 2009, his second album Escape 2 Mars was released, followed by his third effort The Next Logical Progression in 2012. Sometime after the release of his third album, Parker had suffered from kidney failure and was receiving dialysis multiple times a week. In January 2020, Parker received a kidney transplant. Parker died on June 18, 2021 of natural causes. His fourth album (and first posthumous album) Finding Inspiration Somehow was released three months after his passing, initially being recorded during the midst of his health troubles and completed before his death. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.