He might be an outlier character-wise in a Bay Area holy trinity with E-40 and Too $hort, but Gift of Gab boasted the former’s facility with language and the latter’s knack for storytelling, so why wouldn’t he belong there? Turning assonance and alliteration into his own personal playthings won him plenty of unsuspecting converts, and with the backing of deep-digging soul-savvy producer Chief Xcel (and excellent walk-ons from Solesides/Quannum alumni Lyrics Born and DJ Shadow), his amiable voice breathes vivid life into any words he wants, whether celebratory or cautionary.