On their second album, Gang Starr really found their own sound. As I was into Gang Starr from day one, my personal favorite is…: So which one is listed as #1 in a list like this ultimately comes down to sentimental value. As their middle four albums all are incredible it’s hard to argue a ‘correct order’. Most people who came into Gang Starr a little bit later in their career rate this as their absolute best, which is perfectly understandable. “Above The Clouds”, “The Moment Of Truth”, “Work”, “Royalty”, “You Know My Steez”, “JFK To LAX”, “Betrayal” – all classic songs from what is a landmark album.
Moment Of Truth is hard and soulful at the same time, with both Guru and Premier once again bringing their A-game. Lyrical genius from Guru and musical genius from DJ Premier, with a few perfect guest spots – Hip Hop can not get much better than this. So the question before the release of their fifth album – four years after Hard To Earn – was if Gang Starr would still be able to deliver the same level of quality we had gotten used to with their previous three albums. Also, Hip Hop’s Golden Age was over by this time, with especially the NYC Hip Hop scene being a mere shadow of its former self (even if a couple of classic NYC projects dropped in that year). Guru had been busy with side projects such as Jazzmattaz and Premier was one of the game’s most sought after and most celebrated producers. Still, a not-so-good Gang Starr album is better than most of the other Hip Hop that came out that year – so even though I don’t love The Ownerz, I do like it for what it is: real Hip Hop, no frills, no gimmicks.īy 1998 Gang Starr status as one of Hip Hop’s elite acts was secured. When it’s good, it’s great – but The Ownerz is not a classic like the remaining four albums on this list are.
There are some true bangers here – “Riot Akt,” “Sabotage,”, “Put Up Or Shut Up”, “Skillz”, “Rite Where U Stand” and “Deadly Habitz” are all great tracks – but there also a few weaker tracks and even some unnecessary skits/interludes that add nothing to the album – things we did not see on Gang Starr albums before.
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Five years after Moment Of Truth – which arguably was Gang Starr’s magnum opus – Premier and Guru came out with The Ownerz, their sixth and last album as a duo (not counting the classic 1999 Full Clip compilation album).Īlthough it’s hard to point at something that is really wrong with The Ownerz, it doesn’t quite have the same consistent level of quality or the ‘magic’ the previous four albums had.