Blazing Arrow

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title: "Blazing Arrow" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2002-albums", "blackalicious-albums", "mca-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-questlove", "albums-produced-by-dj-shadow", "albums-produced-by-hi-tek"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Arrow" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Blazing Arrow
type	studio
artist	Blackalicious
cover	Blackalicious_Album_Blazing_Arrow.jpeg
released
recorded
genre	Hip hop
length
label	MCA, Quannum Projects
producer
prev_title	Nia
prev_year	1999
next_title	The Craft
next_year	2005
::

| name = Blazing Arrow | type = studio | artist = Blackalicious | cover = Blackalicious_Album_Blazing_Arrow.jpeg | alt = | released = | recorded = | studio = | genre = Hip hop | length = | label = MCA, Quannum Projects | producer = | prev_title = Nia | prev_year = 1999 | next_title = The Craft | next_year = 2005 Blazing Arrow is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released on MCA Records on April 30, 2002. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Critical reception

| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Blender | rev2score = | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3score = A− | rev4 = The Guardian | rev4score = | rev5 = Los Angeles Times | rev5score = | rev6 = NME | rev6score = 6/10 | rev7 = Pitchfork | rev7score = 9.3/10 | rev8 = Q | rev8score = | rev9 = Rolling Stone | rev9score = | rev10 = Spin | rev10score = 6/10 Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote: "All the pieces add up to not just one of the best rap albums of 2002, but one of the richest, most captivating albums to emerge from hip-hop's artsy new underground." Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork called it "one of those classic summer albums that crams in so much sound and so much life that listening to it is like going to a block party, all-day concert and a family reunion all at the same time."

Pitchfork placed it at number 46 on the "Top 50 Albums of 2002" list. Exclaim! listed it as one of the Top Ten albums of 2002. Kludge included it on their list of best albums of 2002.

Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = Introduction: Bow and Fire | extra1 = Chief Xcel | length1 = 1:06 | title2 = Blazing Arrow | extra2 = Chief Xcel | length2 = 2:40 | title3 = Sky Is Falling | extra3 = Chief Xcel | length3 = 2:26 | title4 = First in Flight | note4 = featuring Gil Scott-Heron | extra4 = Chief Xcel | length4 = 4:32 | title5 = Green Light: Now Begin | extra5 = Chief Xcel | length5 = 3:12 | title6 = 4000 Miles | note6 = featuring Chali 2na and Lateef the Truthspeaker | extra6 = Chief Xcel | length6 = 4:35 | title7 = Nowhere Fast | note7 = featuring Tenashus | extra7 = | length7 = 6:41 | title8 = Paragraph President | extra8 = | length8 = 5:09 | title9 = It's Going Down | note9 = featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker and Keke Wyatt | extra9 = | length9 = 3:44 | title10 = Make You Feel That Way | extra10 = Chief Xcel | length10 = 3:26 | title11 = Brain Washers | note11 = featuring Ben Harper | extra11 = | length11 = 6:22 | title12 = Chemical Calisthenics | note12 = featuring Cut Chemist | extra12 = Cut Chemist | length12 = 3:21 | title13 = Aural Pleasure | note13 = featuring Jaguar Wright and Lifesavas | extra13 = Chief Xcel | length13 = 4:47 | title14 = Passion | note14 = featuring Rakaa and DJ Babu | extra14 = Chief Xcel | length14 = 3:54 | title15 = Purest Love | extra15 = Chief Xcel | length15 = 4:03 | title16 = Release | note16 = featuring Zack de la Rocha, Saul Williams, Lyrics Born, and Sela Kerr | extra16 = Chief Xcel | length16 = 9:26 | title17 = Day One | extra17 = Chief Xcel | length17 = 4:52 | total_length = 74:24

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart | Peak position | Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) | US Billboard 200 | US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | |---|---|---|---|---| | 84 | | | | | | 49 | | | | | | 33 | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table]

Chart (2002)	Position	Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)	Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
97
52
::

References

References

1. Huey, Steve. "Blazing Arrow – Blackalicious". [[AllMusic]].
2. Levine, Robert. "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[Blender (magazine).
3. Serpick, Evan. (May 17, 2002). "Blazing Arrow". [[Entertainment Weekly]].
4. Lynskey, Dorian. (June 14, 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow (MCA)". [[The Guardian]].
5. Baker, Soren. (May 5, 2002). "Blackalicious, 'Blazing Arrow,' MCA". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. (June 15, 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[NME]].
7. Dahlen, Chris. (May 29, 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[Pitchfork (website).
8. (August 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[Q (magazine).
9. Blashill, Pat. (July 4, 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[Rolling Stone]].
10. Lemon, Damien. (June 2002). "Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow". [[Spin (magazine).
11. (January 1, 2003). "Top 50 Albums of 2002 (page 1 of 5)". [[Pitchfork (website).
12. Cowie, Del F.. (January 1, 2006). "Next Shit - Top Ten: 2002 Year in Review". [[Exclaim!]].
13. "The Best of 2002".
14. Ryan, Gavin. (2011). "Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010". Moonlight Publishing.
15. "Blackalicious: Chart History (Billboard 200)". [[Billboard (magazine).
16. "Blackalicious: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". [[Billboard (magazine).
17. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002".
18. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada".

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