Blazing Arrow (2012)

Hip-hop rarely sounds as joyful as when it pours from the mouths and decks of this Cali crew. On the follow-up to 2000's stellar debut, Nia, Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel invite Gil Scott-Heron, Zack De La Rocha, members of Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples, and others to their smart, groovy party. It's full of highlights like ''Brainwashers,'' a psychedelic-soul collaboration with Ben Harper, and ''Chemical Calisthenics,'' a speed-hop dissection of the periodic table with Cut Chemist.