Gift of Gab (rapper)

Timothy Jerome Parker was born in 1970 and raised in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He had two brothers and a sister at time of death, he also had two sisters that passed before him. He attended high school in Sacramento with his future bandmate Xavier "Chief Xcel" Mosley. In the years leading up to 2020, Parker had suffered from kidney failure and was receiving dialysis multiple times a week. In January 2020, Parker received a kidney transplant. Parker died on June 18, 2021 of natural causes.

Gift of Gab was featured on Galactic's album From the Corner to the Block (2007). He collaborated with DJ Z-Trip on the track "Go Hard" for the All-Pro Football 2K8 Soundtrack. He also released The Prelude EP with Lateef the Truthspeaker and Headnodic as The Mighty Underdogs. He went on to do a song called "All In" with The Grouch & Eligh. He was also featured on the track "The People Tree" on the 2009 N.A.S.A. release "The Spirit of Apollo".

In 2002, Gift of Gab contributed to Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti, a compilation CD released by the Red Hot Organization in tribute to the music and work of Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti, that raised money for various charities devoted to raising AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. He collaborated with hip hop artist Lateef the Truthspeaker to remake Fela Kuti's song, "Kalakuta Show."

Timothy Jerome Parker (October 7, 1970 – June 18, 2021), better known by his stage name Gift of Gab, was an American rapper best known for performing in the Bay Area hip hop duo Blackalicious along with DJ Chief Xcel. He was also a member of Quannum Projects, a Bay Area hip hop crew and record label, and performed and recorded as a solo artist.