We’ve traveled far with Gift of Gab over the years. When we first heard the venerated Oakland emcee’s voice with Blackalicious, it was a revelation — the opening salvo to nearly two decades of positive emanations, vivid storytelling, elastic rhymes and consistency through reinvention. Across three classic Blackalicious LPs, three praised solo records and 2008′s star-studded collaboration the Mighty Underdogs, not to mention the groundbreaking work of his label Quannum Projects, Gab has been a constant source of innovation and inspiration, giving us as much to mull over as bob our heads to.

“At an early age, I chose the rapper I wanted to be,” says Gab. “I admired KRS-One and Chuck D because they made me feel like being positive even in a negative environment.”

“I love making albums,” says Gab. “To me, it’s like making a movie or writing a play, creating a body of work. If you have the ability to do that, why would you ever stop?”