When iconic emcee Gift of Gab passed away on June 18, 2021, he left behind not only an impressive legacy of music as one-half of Blackalicious and his own solo material but also a wealth of unreleased music, which includes Finding Inspiration Somehow, an album originally scheduled for release this Summer but was moved to September 10, 2021 due to his untimely death.  “Vice Grip,” the first single from this posthumous album via Nature Sounds Records.

“My brother, the Gift of Gab, is in peak form on ‘Vice Grip’,” says Lateef the Truthspeaker, one of Gab’s closest friends. Like Gab, he was part of the influential SoleSides Records crew that grew out of the fertile Oakland, CA hip hop scene, of which Blackalicious, Lyrics Born and DJ Shadow were all a part. He adds. “His flow is mathematically fierce, his tone gruff and aggressive. The song is relentless and compelling from start to finish. In short: he’s rapping his face off.”

Jumbo of Lifesavas was also part of that same collective and had toured with Gab and Blackalicious.  He adds, “One of Gab’s many signature styles that he delivers on ‘Vice Grip’ is his fully-charged, uncompromising, perfected precision that we explored on his song ‘Aspire’,” referencing a track that he and Gab collaborated on. “This is classic Gab destroying emcees, taking all challengers… my brother Gift of Gab’s legend in its purest form.”
 
“‘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,” remembers Nick Andre who produced “Vice Grip” as well as Finding Inspiration Somehow. “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.”