Gang Starr, Hip Hop's Greatest Duo Part 1

Respect the chain and star

As someone whose new to blogging , I've been a reader for years but never the balls to just sit down and create one, this year I finally got off my ass and made the time to start a blog and say what's on my little mind. Combat Jack With Todays Mathmetics is one of my favorite blogs I read. I first found out about him through Bryoncrawford.com , where he dropped a few great hip hop stories. My personal favorite is the one where he talks about pete rock not being a snitch. Run Pete run. His post are great well thought informative and a pleasure to read. Robbie Ettelson's Unkut.com is another blog/site I am a regular reader, this site has a treasure trove of interviews with pioneers, forgotten songs and of course on point commentary. I have a lot of respect for both sites. Keep putting in the work fellas. More people out there on the internets need to be schooled on what real hip hop is.

Recently Robbie created a post stating that MOP is the best rap duo. Combat Jack replied in hos blog that the best rap duo is EPMD. After reading both of their well thought out treatises and retorts I have to ask the both of them. Are you both out of your minds? How can you have a discussion about best rap duos without including Gang Starr?

(For the record Run-DMC is a group. Don't forget about Jay Master Jay R.I.P)

After reading both of you arguments about whose the best Rap duo while well they were quite well thought and informed I was was dismayed that in neither of your arguments did even you mention the magnificent Gang Starr. Could my eyes and ears be deceiving me?

The formation and early albums of Gang Starr

Gang Starr is a duo consisting of Guru (Keith Elam) and DJ Premier (Chris Martin).

Guru is originally from Boston MA, the son of a judge and has a degree from Morehouse College. DJ Premier is from Brooklyn and went to college at Prairie View University. Surprisingly despite their longevity Premier is not an original member of Gang Starr. Guru left Boston for New York and landed in Brooklyn, there he created the name Gang Starr as a group with fellow members Damo D-Ski and DJ Wanna B Down. The group signed to Stu Fines fledgling Wild Pitch records and put out the ho hum singles "Bust A Move" and "The Lesson". Premier was a DJ for a another group the Inner City Posse (ICP) going by the name of Waxmaster C. (remember those old school B-boy names). The two met up when Guru heard a tape of the ICP and asked Waxmaster C to become a part of Gang Starr. A few months later after ICP disbanded and the other members of Gang Starr went their separate ways all that was left was Guru and Waxmaster C who eventually changed his name to DJ Premier.

The Former Waxmaster C

One of the things that make Gang Star a great group is that the combination of great production and solid mic work. Premier is one of hip hop's greatest producers. His signature style of a two bar sample and a scathed chorus has crafted some of the best hip hop ever produced. Guru's voice and rhyme style is to some an acquired taste. He seems to sound his best when he's teamed with Premier. Guru's (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) monotone delivery and a take it or leave it disposition make for a unique persona. Guru's voice doesn't have the presence of a Chuck D or Busta Rhymes. While his voice may not be booming he does have a distinctive voice. You can never mistake Guru for any other rapper. Guru also isn't the best lyricist. You're not going to see him freestyle through a commercial break ala' black though on teen summit years ago. He crafts his rhymes. His rhymes are well thought out and straight to the point, no complex metaphors or similes just straight no BS heartfelt lyrics. The pairing of Guru's voice and Premier's production are what Postive K would call a good combination.

My first introduction to Gang Star was through an episode of Rap City, I'm not sure if this in the Da Mayor Chris' Thomas rein or when he left the keys to Prime and Prince Dejour. Their first video Words I Manifest looked like something . The melody was simple. (only later did i find out that Premier used a sample from a Night in Tunisia) Guru and Premier come off as a sort of street prophets with a mixture of righteousness and street swagger. They wore suits and made their video like they were having a rally. Guru even wore the obligatory Malcolm X type glasses.

On their first album No more Mr. Nice Guy , Guru and Premier had other songs like Positivity, the title track and the instrumental classic DJ Premier in Deep Concentration. It wasn't a classic album but still had some bright spots. In 89 hip hop was in it's knowledge era when groups tried to kick knowledge and appear that they were righteous. The years 88-90 were interesting years in that materialism was actually out of style. Out were huge gold chains and in were African medallions and Malcolm X politics. No More Mr Nice guy was put out by Wild Pitch who seemed to have their hand in the signing of a number of notable groups, (OC, UMC's, Main Source) releasing some great music and screwing them out of their money.

The real introduction I got to the current Gang Starr was the video Just to Get a Rep. Guru and premier didn't wear any suits this time. They played it straight street, jeans tims and hoodies. . By 1991 Gangster hip hop had taken it's place at the front of the stage in hip hop. It showed in the tone of that video. Just to get a rep is filmed in gritty in black and white it's a cautionary street tale , the rise and fall of a stick up kid who gets his comeuppance in the end. My favorite track on Step in the Arena was Check the Technique, check the string sample and then the bass drop, beautiful. It's what hip hop is about for me. That BOOM BAP!

Step in the Arena announced the appearance of the real Gang Starr. This time the image was a little more street oriented the rhymes more on point. They still dispensed that knowledge in spades on the brilliant Street Mininstry. But this time they were more street. Street knowledge was the term for the early 90's east coast hip hop. No more Africa medallions. No suits . No Malcolm X glasses .Just Gang Starr and their crew. Step in the arena was more mature album than No more Mr Nice guy ,the chemistry between Guru and premier is clearly better, sharper. The subject matter more diverse. On Ex girl to Next Girl Premier's use of the trumpet samples to create a track where Guru triumphantly tells hes ex that he's through with her. again mostly jazz but still hip hop. He and Guru go together like two MC's listen to his cuts on Precisely the Right Rhymes, he packs as much punch as Guru, simplistic but packed.

Although sales didn't reflect it at the time Step in the arena was one of the best hip hop albums of 1991.

Also Gang star began to step out into the world of motion picture soundtracks. their first attempt was a gimmicky little tune they threw together for spike lees Mo Betta Blues soundtrack called a Jazz Thing. Actually it's rather funky with Premier sampling a bass and Guru jazz name dropping like crazy.

If the Step in the Arena announced the appearance of Gang Starr 1992's A Daily Operation was a declaration of who they were. Even the cover is more revealing. Guru has cuts in his eyebrows and Premo is chillin, stogie in his mouth, taking a break from the turntables and a picture of Malcolm X rests above Premier watching it all.

A Daily Operation showed the evolution of Gang Starr as a group. While Premier continued to using ill jazz samples. His sampling was becoming more advanced and diverse his scrathes more precise. Premier even experiments with beats instead of using every beat to make asong Premier simply created beat interlued92 interlude was an appetizer for Take it Personal later this same track found it's way onto Heavy D's slept on Blue Funk on a track called Yes Yes Y'all .

Guru, whose monotone voice was called bogin seemd more confident on songs like Execution of a Chump and B.Y.S he in compete command.

From the first singe Take it Personal you can see that Guru and Premier are on some grown man shit. Guru's monotone voice and direct almost casual You know you fucked up attitude toward backstabbers, a constant theme in many other Gang Starr songs. A Daily Operation is also a more mature sounding Gang Starr , in subject matter as well as production. Tracks like Too Deep and Conspiracy where Guru kickin straight knowledge, the street tale Solilquy of Chaos, which contains one of my all time favorite hip hop quotable 'the stupid Nigga playoffs'. Even the relationship song ex-girl to next girl is almost a update of Step in the Arena's Lovesick

The track that real hip hop heads were sweating wan I'm the Man featuring Lil Dap form the Group Home, an offshoot of Gang Starr and an unknown deadlocked rapper named Jeru the Damaja of the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

What makes I'm the Man different from the legions of posse tracks is the fact that the beat switches to match each MC's flow. Guru sets things off lovely with his no nonsense flow over a simple drum loop, Lil Dap who has got to have one of the most annoying voices in hip hop actually sound nice over what sounds like a remix of PSK by Schooly D. The star of I'm the man is clearly Jeru the Damaja. He absolutely rips the track and when he say's I'm the mothefuckin man, you know he ain't bullshittin.

Take Two and Pass, a term used by weed smokers to enforce smokers etiquette was probably one of the best odes about puffin on that green stuff from the 90's. When Premier scratches MC Shan's words I may write a rhyme, when I'm done get blunted you know that Gang Starr are clicking on all cylinders.

A Daily Operation is from beginning to end the best Gang Starr album. While their other albums may have better songs no other Gang Starr album works as well as a complete package. It's the type of album you can pop into the tape deck and let it play.

That's Part 1 of my argument for Gang Starr. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Williedynamites Gang Starr, Hip Hop's Greatest hip hop duo.