Moment of Truth

Hard to Earn On "ALONGWAYTOGO," the second track from Gang Starr's Hard to Earn, rapper Guru draws a line in the sand between the "counterfeit" and the "legit" and challenges the listener, "If you don't know what you're doing, how the hell can you be real?" He goes on to explain that being "r...	Daily Operation On their third outing, Guru and Premier continue to deliver intellectual hardcore, mixing deft rhymes with serious beatology. Premier continues to mine the jazz vaults, uncovering some seriously dusty grooves, with which he concocts some of the best minimalist hip-hop to ever be ...	Step in the Arena Gang Starr's second album is quintessential hip-hop and is easily one of the greatest rap albums of all time. In contrast to their 1989 debut, No More Mr. Nice Guy, which was filled with seriously uptempo jams, Step in the Arena slows down the pace, unveiling low, slow, and decep...	The Ownerz Gang Starr's sixth album comes at a time where they've become the last of the '80s rappers to show that they can still compete in a post-2000 world. The Ownerz has all the elements that Gang Starr's fans have come to expect: flint-hard tracks produced by DJ Premier and aggressive...	Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr A massive double disc packed with 33 tracks--a few new cuts, many old faves, and some rare B-sides--Full Clip presents a decent overview of the group's impressive 10-year sonic canon. Gang Starr standards spanning the likes of "Manifest" (from their 1989 debut, No More Mr. Nice G...
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JUST DID NOT DO IT FOR ME
now i admit, i love THE MILITIA. this is the song that i listen to this cd for. however, the rest of the album feels just so plain jane. i prefer their earlier material. that stuff was sharper for my taste. i do like their post MOMENT OF TRUTH stuff though with the exception of this album that proceeded this, THE OWNERZ. for me, gang starr is best when guru just lays down that deep gravy river flow to a dope, looped out track. if you like it, cool, but like i said, the earlier ones are the ones i put in my cd or cassette player.

Above the Clouds
I checked this out because I think Above the Clouds is one of the dopest tracks I've heard. Truth be told the rest of the album isn't close to that track. Sometimes Guru's lyrics are a bit whack-inspirational. They work really well when they fit into the beats nicely. Otherwise his lack of range is exposed. There are a couple throwaways like "the mall," but overall the production is good and everyone into hip hop should know "Above the Clouds."

Modern-day classic.
Gang Starr were one of the most critically-acclaimed, and recognized hip-hop groups in the golden-age of hip-hop, alongside acts like EPMD, Run-DMC, and Ultramagnetic MC's. The emcee/producer duo brought some of the most innovative music to come out of hip-hop's early stages, and attracted much praise from critics and fans alike. Although they didn't sell like a Public Enemy or an NWA, hip-hop heads and musical afficiandos alike knew that Gang Starr was the ****. However, they left the golden-age behind them after Hard To Earn, and went on a four year hiatus. Within that time, Guru went virtually unnoticed, while DJ Premier built up his reputation with work on albums by the likes of Nas, Jeru The Damaja, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z. He was acknowledged as one of the finest producers in the game, and everyone, underground and mainstream, wanted some Primo beats on their album. For good reason; I honestly can't acknowledge a single beat Primo's laced that has been, by any means, wack. He's not just consistent behind the boards, he's magnificent, and for the people that don't recognize Primo as one of hip-hop's finest beatsmiths, they quite honestly don't know a lot about hip-hop. However, with Primo becoming such a high-profile producer, one had to question if he'd left Guru, and his Gang Starr roots behind him; well, Gang Starr returned in 1998, releasing arguably their finest album to date, Moment of Truth. Their sound had effortlessly evolved from golden-age pioneers, to modern-day hip-hop messiahs; at this point in time, they were both identified as two of the most influential figures in hip-hop's illustrious history. This album, Moment of Truth, only solidified their status further, and even pushed it a few notches above where they already were. Guru's lyrics are still razor-sharp, and even if you dislike the King of Monotone's visceral flow, his words are sure to penetrate your mind, and keep you listening. Guru's mellow delivery is the perfect compliment to Primo's elegant beats, and together, the duo creates an album that, while shifting between dozens of moods, and concepts, is as cohesive as anything that's come before, or after it. There's twenty tracks on this album, and I can say without hesitation that each track is gold; something I don't believe I've ever been able to say about an album with such an exceedingly long track-list. There isn't a single misstep taken by either Guru or Primo, and no track overshadows the next, or falls below the standard set by the previous track; this is not just consistently dope, but as flawless as a hip-hop album can essentially be. Guest appearances are brilliant, coming from the likes of the Wu-Tang's verbal assailant, Inspectah Deck, the rowdy MOP, the angriest emcee since Ice Cube, Freddy Foxx, or the Houston don, Scarface; each guest delivers a verse alongside Guru, and the chemistry, amazingly, is there on each track. Introspective cuts, such as "Moment Of Truth" and "Betrayal" make up a good majority of the album, while the rest is dedicated to lesser emcees who wanna step to Guru; however, Guru is able to switch up the topics so seamlessly that they never grow tedious. This album may've come out in the Shiny Suit era, but Gang Starr, as expected, didn't confirm to these ridiculous mainstream standards; they just kept doing their thing, and that's why Gang Starr has remained one of the most influential groups in hip-hop's history, and seminal albums like this continue to drop from them. Pick it up, because it doesn't get any iller.

Gang Starr On Top Of Their Game (Rating: 10 out of 10- -5 stars)
Back in 1998, fans were highly waiting for another Gang Starr album. And they got a pretty good one to have too. This album showed Premo and Guru at the peak of their game, back with their fifth album "Moment Of Truth". Pretty much everyone has stated the main points of this album, so there is not really much I can add that has not been said already. To start with Guru. He really stepped his lyrics up from the "Jazzmatazz II" album as well as from the "Hard To Earn" album, and it shows in songs like the well known "You Know My Steez", and the title track "Moment Of Truth" realizing the truth behind many things going on in life. Some people don't like Guru, because of his monotone voice. Personally, I have no problem with that, because his voice fits well into the production of this album. An example of what I'm saying is on the song "Robin Hood Theory". As for DJ Premier (Primo), what can I say? He's a genius. His beats are always on point.He always knows to use the correct drums and the correct drum pattern. "B.I Vs. Friendship" and "The Militia" are sone of those beats that he has been known for making. "Work" and "Loyality" is some of those beats that I'm feeling right now. Guestwise never fails also. Many guest appearances are from the Gangstarr Foundation ('98). M.O.P. comes in and drops some rememerable verses on the track "B.I. Vs. Friendship". Feddie Foxx and Big Shug hook up with them for the song "The Militia". Krumbsnatcha comes in for the song "Make 'Em Pay". And I have to say that each guest artist brings their A game on this album, unlike those albums that could have been classics, but some of the guests came off wack. You will not find this here. Well to some people it's a classic. To me there is one minor flaw on this album, and that is the out of place song "Next Time" towards the end of the album. It's not a bad track, but to me it just seems out of place (it's put between two mellow sounding tracks). Other than that I give Guru and Primo what they deserved on this album. If you want to hear Gang Starr at their peak, then I highly recommend that you snatch this one up. This duo has always came with some good music, but this album proved that are one of the greatest hip hop acts in the game. 20 tracks on this album, for a cheap price is one you cannot deny. Word. Lyrics: A Production: A+ Guest Appearances: A Musical Vibes: A Overall: A Favorite Tracks: You Kow My Steez, Robin Hood Theory, Work, Royality, JFK 2 LAX, Itz A Set Up, Moment Of Truth, B.I. Vs. Friendship, The Militia, My Advice To You, Make 'Em Pay, Betrayal,Rest In Peace. P.S.- Somebody had a Listamania list (I can't remember who) that said on "Make 'Em Pay" that Krumbsnatcha said "Give a F like Pizza Hut/I gotta stay Noidid" that the Noid was a Domino's mascot and not Pizza Hut...thats a good call there.

Best album ever ! real underground hip hop !!
For me, this one is the best album ever produced and released in the world, at this time !!! Not bling bling; only essential notes, musics and lyrics. Everything which can do GangStarr a main actor in the undreground hip hop and in the hall of fame !!