Californian hip hop legends Blackalicious are back with a new album – their first in ten years – and a tour which brings them to an intimate show in Kingston that’s not to be missed.

The duo have just released Imani vol 1, the first of a trilogy of records lined up for the next two years, and will play Banquet Records on Friday, November 6, a day after a big gig at the Electric Ballroom.

The record is a classic combination of rapper Gift of Gab’s complex tongue-twisting rhymes and DJ-producer Chief Excel’s unique melodies.

Speaking to Vibe on his way to the studio as the band work on volume two, Excel explained their long hiatus.

He said: “It was more like a ten year recording hiatus and it was purely because we both had other things creatively that we wanted to do.”

Both members had acclaimed projects in that time with Gab releasing three solo records and Excel working with two other bands alongside a raft of TV and film soundtrack work.

He said: “We both had things creatively that we wanted to explore so we could grow and expand and bring that growth back to Blackalicious.

“It is also important to note though that during that time we never stopped touring or doing shows so Blackalicious never really stopped.”

Surrey Comet:

Ultimately, it was inevitable that the pair would hop back into the studio.

Excel said: “It’s just our chemistry. Gab and I’s chemistry is a lot like two kids playing on the same basketball team in the third grade and now they’re in the NBA.

“They played all their school years together now their playing together on the same team professionally. You know each other so well that you know what each other’s moves are before they make them. That’s how our chemistry is.”

While they’ve been back in the studio, it has not been plain sailing. For one thing, Gab’s been seriously unwell. His kidneys failed in 2012 and he has to have dialysis wherever he goes as he awaits a transplant.

Ironically, Excel said it inspired them.

He said: “As a result, he is extremely focussed and extremely committed. He is performing both live and in the studio at a level he has never performed at before. The discipline is there. He is definitely reaching a peak.”

In recent years, while Blackalicious have not been recording music their presence has still been felt. They’ve been name-checked by rapper-of-the-moment Macklemore and Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe rapped their notoriously tricky song Alphabet Aerobics on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“Yeah, that was cool,” said Excel of Radcliffe’s performance. “I thought he did a good job.”

The possibility of Radcliffe being welcomed on stage is still just about on the cards too.

Excel said: “If he can rap, yeah that’s fine. To get on stage with us you’ve got to be able to rap.”

Imani vol 1 is Blackalicious’ fourth album and, while the charts tend to be dominated by younger acts, Excel is a believer in artists progressing their sound.

He said: “I think if you stay focussed on your craft, you do.

“If you develop your artistic voice and I don’t mean that in a literal sense, I mean that in terms of an artistic aesthetic of what you want to do, you can definitely progress over time.

“I think the trap or the pitfall that a lot of artists fall into is where they start trying to chase the times. At that point they shift themselves from what it is that makes them.”

Blackalicious’ Imani, vol 1 is out now. They play Banquet Records in Kingston on November 6. Tickets cost £11 including the CD. Go to banquetrecords.com