On tour, collecting energies.

Byline: LEWIS TAYLOR The Register-Guard

Although many artists intensely dislike touring, Gift of Gab, one half of the hip-hop duo Blackalicious, has no qualms about being on the road most of the year.

"I think I was just made for that lifestyle," said Gab (Tim Parker) speaking by phone from his home in Oakland, Calif. "I love just coming into contact with a bunch of energies. The whole energy and vibe you get on the West Coast is different than the East Coast. I like traveling and picking up on different vibes."

On their latest release, "Blazing Arrow," Parker and his partner, Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley), take a similar more-energy-equals-more-fun approach by inviting everyone but their grandmothers to play on the album. The record, which is the duo's major label debut on MCA, features contributions by rocker Ben Harper, soul singer Jaguar Wright, poet Gil Scott-Heron and tons of alternative rap stars.

On tour to promote the new release, Parker and Mosley will play the WOW Hall on Tuesday.

"This album was about us growing - myself as a songwriter and Xcel as a composer," Parker said. "For the first time, we were able to focus on nothing but the music."

Founded on positive vibes rather than on the violence and misogyny that typifies many West Coast rap groups, Blackalicious grew out of the same Northern California rap scene that gave rise to such stars as DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truth Speaker and Lyrics Born.

Parker and Mosley met in an economics class at John F. Kennedy High School in 1987, went their separate ways in 1989 and then reunited in 1992 at the University of California at Davis.

Mosley introduced Parker to the SoleSides crew, which featured DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef. In 1992, Parker collaborated with DJ Shadow to record "Count and Estimate," a 12-inch single for SoleSides. It became an underground hit.

In 1994, Blackalicious' first single, "Swan Lake," was released on SoleSides, also to underground acclaim. Blackalicious released the EP "Melodica" in 1995 and the following year began work on "Nia," a record that would take four years to produce.

In the meantime, SoleSides went under, only to be revived as Quannum. In 1999, Blackalicious released the EP "A2G" before finally putting out "Nia." The success of the album led to a bidding war by several record labels; in late 2000, the duo signed with MCA.

"I think MCA came at the right time," Parker said. "They offered us creative control, we looked at their roster and we felt that they could understand our vision better."

Although "Nia" was about "forethought," Parker and Mosley say that their latest release is about "action." The record, which swings between straight-ahead hip-hop, jazzy new soul and experimental rap, shows off the duo's wide range and strong chemistry.

"We're not just friends, it's a brotherhood," Parker said. "We get along like any brothers. It's family."

The long list of guest artists on "Blazing Arrow" only adds to the album's diversity and density.

The cast includes Zach De La Rocha, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, who appears on the three-part narrative track "Release" along with street poet Saul Williams. Keyboardist James Poyser shows up on the soulful "Nowhere Fast" with ?estlove from the Roots, a Philadelphia collective. Rakaa and Babu from the Dilated Peoples also chime in, along with fellow alternative hip-hop artists Chali 2Na and Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5.

Mosley and Parker's old Quannum crewmates DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef all make appearances, too.

"This was like our fourth release. This is chapter four in the book, and this is just where we wanted to go with this record," Parker said. "It was time to just reach out and hook up with some other people."

Of the many guests heard on the album, Gil Scott-Heron was the one Parker appreciated most. At the last minute, the celebrated poet, composer and activist laid down the vocals for "First in Flight," a track that was initially set to feature Parker on vocals.

"He went into the studio put the verses down and it was dope," Parker said.

Recorded in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Manhattan, "Blazing Arrow" came with a much larger price tag than "Nia." Despite the major label cash, Parker said, the duo's approach stayed untainted. The changes, he said, have been largely a matter of scale.

With "Blazing Arrow" earning plenty of press, including a "Handpicked" designation on MTV2, Blackalicious already has accomplished its goal of turning it up a notch. As far as Parker is concerned though, the journey has only just begun.

"It's not like we crossed the finish line when we signed with MCA," Parker said. "We're looking at this as a long-term thing. For us, it's about looking at people like Tito Puente or Bob Marley who have extensive catalogs of good music. Twenty years from now we want to look back and have 15 or 20 good albums."

E-mail entertainment reporter Lewis Taylor by e-mail at [e-mail].

BLACKALICIOUS

WITH: Onry Ozzborn and DJ

Zeph

WHEN: 9 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave.

HOW MUCH: $18, $16 advance

CAPTION(S):

Gift of Gab (left) and Chief Xcel, aka Blackalicious, will lay down the grooves at the WOW Hall on Tuesday