Popular American rapper Timothy J Parker, AKA Gift of Gab, also a member of the rap duo Blackalicious passed away at the age of 50. Known best for his uninterrupted performance on Blackalicious' Alphabet Aerobics, Gift of Gab had died of natural causes, according to a statement from the group’s representative to Rolling Stone magazine. The Bay Area hip-hop collective Quannum Projects announced on Friday that Parker "peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors" on 18 June. The rapper had experienced a number of health issues over the past few years, including undergoing dialysis until a kidney transplant in January 2020. Parker’s longtime friend and Blackalicious bandmate Xavier "Chief Xcel" Mosley said, "Our brother was an MC’s MC who dedicated his life to his craft. One of the greatest to ever do it. He’s the most prolific person I’ve ever known."

Born on October 7, 1971, Parker met Mosley in high school in Sacramento, California and the two went on to form Blackalicious. Mosley attended the nearby University of California Davis, where the two teamed  up with artists DJ Shadow and Lyrics Born. Having worked on several EPs in the 90s, they shot to the limelight with their acclaimed first studio album, Nia, in 1999. Gift of Gab’s acrobatic artistry and skills came into full display in Alphabet Aerobics, from 1999’s A2G EP, in which the first letter of every word in each verse starts with a sequential version of the alphabet. Blackalicious later released three more albums - Blazing Arrow (2002), The Craft (2005), and Imani Vol 1 (2015) - and toured as recently as before the pandemic struck. Parker further released a number of solo projects that included The Next Logical Progression (2012) and LPs with Quannum MCs and the Mighty Underdogs, another Bay Area collective.

According to Rolling Stone, Parker had finished working on more than 100 unreleased tracks for future Blackalicious releases at the time of his demise. Remembering Gift of Gab, DJ Shadow posted a heartfelt emotional statement on Twitter and spoke about the late artist's rap skills at an impromptu MC session. DJ Shadow wrote, "His voice was perfect, his wordplay endlessly inventive. In an industry with so many frauds and followers, Tim Parker was more than just original; he was unique." Mosley added, "And he was, quite simply, the most preternaturally gifted MC I’ve ever worked with. He was all about pushing the boundaries of his art form in the most authentic way possible. He truly believed in the healing power of music. He viewed himself as a vessel used by a higher power whose purpose was to give positive contributions to humanity through Rhyme."