Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Old school album
Strong
The problem I’ve found with this 1001 is that gave me Illmatic FIRST, so every single hip hop album from the 90’s is instantly compared to that, and since that’s the goat, hard to beat. This was pretty good nevertheless, I did like the sampling more and more throughout the album, but nothing really rememberable.
Fairly decent rap album, did right with what it had, didn’t do anything special, just a typical 90’s rap album.
Good.
It was pretty basic hip hop that I've never heard before nor care to listen to ever again. The production was very generic and didn't have the clean classic hip hop sound that the great albums do. The lyrics are super funny though.
Really cool samples
Listened in the truck via YouTube Music. This has some fun samples and beats but all sounds very homogeneous. None really stand out from the others. Has Avery specific vibe and sound that may have been too much for an 18 track album.
Lyrical miracle, early Premier beats show some flashes
Decent; far better than the poo of band, but not my sort of music
I thought I liked gang starr but JESUS CHRIST it is impossible to finish an enitre album. Guru is such a shit rapper and he hyped himself up way too much even though he doesn’t even have any bars AT ALL. I’ll bump this up because of dj premiere and his excellent producing on this album
I like this a decent amount; nicely jazzy production. I was slightly less excited by the rapping, but overall a pleasurable listen. Solid three.
I didn't mind it.
Another boring early 90s hip hop album, it drones on at the same tempo, emotionless monotone corny rhymes
Wow, remarkably good. I know more than a few of these tracks, but could have not given you the name Gang Starr before yesterday, and now this is among my favorite rap albums.
I've been meaning to listen to more of Gang Starr. I'm glad this record came up. I'm aware of their influence on jazz-rap in general, a style that drew me in to hip-hop in the first place, so for me personally, it's important that they exist. They paved the way for Common's "Resurrection", A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and countless others. This album came out in 1991, and frankly, it sounds dated, but not because it came out on 1991, because it sounds like it came out way earlier. The rhymes and beats sound rudimentary. If you need a comparison, just listen to two albums that came out in 1988, EPMD's "Strictly Business" or Eric B and Rakim's "Follow the Leader". The beats and the rhymes both sound light years ahead of this record. How were Guru and DJ Premier able to put this record out 3 years later and hold their head high? I know they must have heard "Lyrics of Fury", right? I'm won't even bring up Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad, that's just not fair. They were on their own planet. Nobody could touch them. But this is jazz rap, it's a chill vibe, so the lyric's aren't "Furious", there's no business to handle, so the rhymes much match the beats, right? I guess so, but sometimes there's so much space in these bars, and sometimes this shit just comes off kind of corny. (This was my first listen, but this may be the first mention of spaghetti by a rapper on record) There are also a handful of songs that sort of end before they begin. "Say Your Prayers" started, and I was all in. Guru warns us about the dangers of fast living and brings up the importance of Knowledge Of Self 7 years before Black Star hit us with "K.O.S. (Determination)"! Fuck yeah, he's finally gonna drop some science on this one. One verse, one minute and 24 seconds, the song is over. I'm looking forward to listening to later Gang Starr records. Guru and DJ Premier are very talented, and it's obvious that they just hadn't hit their stride yet.
Kinda unremarkable. Maybe a bigger deal when it came out
I'm not much of a fan of rap, but there was something about this album I liked. Maybe, for rap, this album represents the basics.
3.5
I'm sorry this album does zero for me. I literally have no feeling for it either way. For the hell if it I'll give it a tenth of a point on the up side. (6.1) ★★★
While I think this is an important and influential hip-hop album -- it really put DJ Premier on the map as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of the 90s -- I think they would go on to bigger, better things. It's a good album, but it's not on the level of Hard to Earn or Moment of Truth. 3.5 stars.
3.5
Minorly blammin but mainly beigey, wallpapery early 90s hip hop. Good for a background gangsta.
Weer een definitie van een vergeetbare 3. Het is allemaal prima hoor. Er wordt rustig gerapt in de stijl die we al een paar keer voorbij hoorden komen. En daar zit het eerste probleem. A Tribe Called Quest, De la Soul, Jungle Brothers en Afrika Bambataa bieden allen een vergelijkbare sfeer, maar voegen veel meer toe. De één biedt meer soul, de ander meer elektro. Maar Gang Star houdt het veel kaler. Het weet zich niet te onderscheiden.
Vrij relaxed vibende hiphop, duidelijk uit de early 90s. Funky basslijntjes en gitaarriffjes, wat vrolijk gescratch en gesample. Ondanks dat ze Gang Starr heten, lijkt het op het eerste gezicht niet echt gangstarap te zijn met al te veel kinderachtige teksten. Het stoort me in ieder geval niet, dat is al heel wat. Ik kan hier op zich wel naar luisteren, relaxed, laidback. Meer heb ik over dit soort muziek niet meer te melden, 3 sterretjes kunnen er nog net vanaf.
Nice and chilled back hip hop. Really easy to listen to. High 3.
I like his voice/flow, really good. My first exposure to Gang Star was paying Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, but that songs not on this album. This was good, but a few of the beats felt really repetitive, like 3 notes over and over. But I'm nitpicking, these guys are top teir. Shame I just found out Guru passed away a long time ago. Never knew
Regular gangsta rap
The production is amazing. The lyrics are conscious and refined. Gang Starr are a very smart package. I do start to flag though after 30 minutes of such a similar rap flow. Similar to how I felt on the backend of Moment of Truth - I either want this to be a shorter record or have the introduction of a new flow somewhere along the way. The Meaning of the Name stands out positively because it does just that with Guru on more of an offensive. There’s ideas introduced though that I’m sure artists I love have benefited greatly from. A solid listen.
Good vibes, good tracks, enjoyable verses, but a bit lacking in hooks. I enjoyed this more than a lot of other early hip hop.
Legit old school hip hop with attitude, not bad
This record was a good surprise, wasn't familiar with them, but enjoyed the songs in here, very good flow and listen listenable any day.
Not bad, and honestly what I prefer from the hip hop I do like, I just don’t like much hip hop.
Kind of meh. 2.5 stars.
High 3. Lacks a standout track but good funky beats sampled and clear rapping meant I was inclined to listen to the lyrics
More like, step into the funk
Mellow hip-hop with simple, groovy sample-based beats. Guru has a super smooth flow and a great voice. He approaches his raps clinically - he’s poised, methodical, controlled, and level, rather than highly technical, energetic, and emotional. But it feels deliberate rather than limited; he raps thoughtfully and with purpose. Consistently decent album throughout, though not many stand-out highs or must-skip lows. There are a lot of songs and it starts to blend together a bit, but pick any single one and you’ll be nodding your head along.
too cool for me
3/5
Totally acceptable 90s rap album. Some songs were pretty good (lovesick in particular) but a lot of the lyrics were kinda juvenile/sloppy. “[School subjects] have a purpose. Genocide makes me nervous” like what
It's a good groove, great flow, great vibes
Old Skool Arena
3.0 Does all Gang Starr sound the same, or are there some reused hooks over the years?
Not bad hip hop this. It was a good deal of fun in a way, although quite repetitive, to the point that it felt longer than it was. It starts really strongly - the first two proper tracks are bops - but that's a mixed blessing, because it kind of drifts after that.
boh va beh
Hip-Hop and rap just aren’t really my type of my music. Having said that, I didn’t hate this album, I found the beats to be good even if I didn’t care much for most of the rapping. Better than expected!
It's not too bad. Old-skool kind of beats and rapping style. It feels long and samey though, so it wears thin. 2.5 rounded up.
Reminds me of Special Ed from the early 90s. Contemporaries at the time. This has a nice vibe, but little variation from song to song.
Gang Starr is forever a staple in hip hop. Guru's lyrics are mediocre for the most part, but his voice carries well over Premier's beats. This record is an important piece in the culture and history of the genre, but Premier is who carries it. Not my favorite Gang Starr record, but still a quality one.
I’m sure it’s very important and influential… but most of it sounded like the same song over and over to me. A couple fun ones but mostly just not my thing.
The group's name is Gang Starr and they are an early '90s rap group and they aren't gangsta' rap?! Nope, just one of those sort of bland "intellectual" rappers that like to drop knowledge on us ignorant folk. I liked some of the funky beats, but the rest is as average as you can possibly get, definitely not something you have to hear before you die. But it is clean (though Apple Music shows 5 tracks as "E", but I didn't hear anything Explicit) so you can put it on with your kids in the car.
Not bad! I'm sure I don't appreciate everything this album offers, but I recognize its solid production and ear-catching lyrics. A lot of hip hop doesn't sound as smooth as Step in the Arena. Other reviews by people with much more knowledge than me acknowledge Gang Starr's importance, so I'll defer to them to provide more details. But I enjoyed it!
I'm not the biggest hip-hop fan and it often requires a lot for me to really be taken in by an album in this space. This album didn't really take me in. However, there were some significant things I picked up on in this album. First, these guys were no doubt part of the blueprint for 90s hip-hop. At the literal turn of the decade, these guys are dropping a sound that would come to dominate the market. Second, they are veeeery smooth with their raps, rhymes, and lyrics; there were several times where I felt like the lyrical composition was impressive. All in all, this probably comes out to a high 2 for me, but I'll round up.
This is laid back and good. Lyrics on Beyond Comprehension are solid
Blind album and artist. Some of the samples used here were very cool and it was very creative. Too bad it couldn't carry the album to at least 4 stars for me.
Listenable and I get it.
I enjoyed this. It was a good hip hop record. Great beats and overall vibe.
Pretty decent hip-hop album, but didn't stand out particularly much to me. Not really in the mood for rap today so not going to do much deeper analysis than this.
1991 seems surprisingly early for this album so it seems to be very influential east coast rap. It is however quite basic compared to modern rap. The flows were good but not that interesting, the samples were ok but nothing special. The sole exception is "Check the Technique" with it's very good sample of "California soul". All in all, I was not that impressed but since it is so early I'm giving it a weak 3.
Ik dacht altijd dat dit het debuutalbum was van Hip Hop duo Gang Starr, maar schijnbaar staat 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' niet op Spotify. Een reminder dat hoewel je je best doet om muziek te consumeren op andere manieren dan de betaalde platforms, je toch wel vaak naar de pijpen van een Spotify danst. In veel opzichten voelt 'Step In The Arena' wel als een debuutalbum. Het introduceert de gezamenlijke superkrachten van het duo, met aan de ene kant de diepzinnige en therapeutische rhymes van Guru, en aan de andere kant de organische, scratchy beats van Preemo. Die combinatie bleek uiteindelijk nog vruchtbaar voor tal van opvolgende projecten, tot Guru's vroege dood in 2010. Je hoort hoe Guru zich onderscheid van gros van rappers die rond de decenniawisseling, en het verstrijken van de 'Golden Age of Hip Hop'. Hij is vlijmscherp, en je hebt echt het gevoel dat je met hem in de arena stapt. Maar hij blijft ook bijzonder down to earth en humanistisch, een gentleman met een filosofie die verder gaat dan guns, sex en money. En DJ Premier zet zichzelf op de kaart met zijn idiosyncratische productie, die als een rode draad door de 90s Hip Hop wereld zou gaan lopen. Ik kan me voorstellen dat dit het werk is waardoor er vanuit alle hoeken aan hem getrokken ging worden. Maar het voelt ook als een debuut omdat de gebundelde krachten nog niet altijd zijn hoge potentie waarmaken. Het is hier en daar nog wel wat flets. In vergelijking met later werk zijn er weinig hooks te bespeuren, wat wel wat meer energie en schwung aan het album had kunnen geven. Veel beats lijken op elkaar, en de magic touch hierin zou Preemo later perfectioneren. Ik waardeer de nadruk op de frontale confrontatie met Guru, zonder al teveel poespas, maar het had wat spicier gemogen. 7/10 Highlights: Who's Gonna Take The Weight? Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Say Your Prayers
Super vet die Up On Cripple Creek in Beyond Comprehension. En dan komt California Soul in Check the Technique daar meteen achteraan. Verder vind ik de flow in Step in the Arena best lekker. Ik rolde makkelijk door deze plaat heen. Maar vind de individuele tracks (buiten de samples) niet super spannend. Mist een beetje edge ofzo. Maar wel van genoten. 6,5/10 Beyond Comprehension Take a Rest
It was fun but average to me. I like some other rappers much better.
Nice daisy age style hip hop. A good listen, but not something that will stick with me.
Not my usual genre, but this was really easy to get into.
i liked it, fundamental stuff. i think they have some other better songs tho
Good beats and lyrics, I like this style of hip hop -Step in the Arena -Lovesick -Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Some good golden age, East Coast hip-hop. I'm not sure how groundbreaking this particular album was in 1991, but still a good representative of the smooth, intellectual lyricism that these East Coast groups were offering. The sampling is clean and not too overbearing either.
I like the beats and lyrics overall, but the wailing/screamy fake sounds in the background are really annoying in several songs.
Catchy, jazzy hip hop.
old-school hip-hop that flows nicely and has some great grooves. I would say this isn't totally 'my thing' and I maybe didn't bring the right toolset into the listen to fully appreciate this, but I did like it.
Good aesthetic but I'm not sure any songs really stand out. (24 known/47 new)
Cool at first, but quickly became samey.
Some good early 90s hip-hop, though nothing outstanding. The production is consistently interesting and inventive for the time, and well worth the 50 minute run time, though I can't say the vocals are worth it. Best Tracks: - Form Of Intellect - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 7/10
Could never really get into gang starr. Their stuff sounds a little too dated for me. Still a decent album
As far as 90s hip-hop goes this was fine. However, the first song to catch my interest was the one that youtube autoplayed after the album was done.
And do what?
I feel like there are better gangster albums.
Favorite Track: Check The Technique
No major standout songs for me, but really enjoyable vibe. Definitely will check out more by Gang Starr.
twas ok.
Из хорошего только голос Гуру. Биты ни о чём
drei plus
I appreciated the rap about education and the references to mysticism, but this style also just doesn’t do for me what it did when I was a kid in the 90s.
Love this era of rap…
Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? // Check The Technique // As I Read My S-A // 3.5/5
I say it every time I hear old school rap, but it sounds so anachronistic. It's almost sweet, you know? Gang Starr is definitely seen as one of the OGs of the old school, especially in conscious rap circles. This album does a great job in telling stories, and the beats are catchy. Sadly, this was a bit before my time, and I think you probably need a heaping dose of nostalgia to elevate this higher than 3 stars.
Багато хто вважає #hiphop доволі примітивною музикою де головними цінностями виступають дівчата та гроші. Проте дует Guru та DJ Premier вважали зовсім інакше та намагались передати сутність цього жанру повертаючись до його «коренів». Тому вони вирішили робити доволі «мінімалістичний» хіп-хоп де головним був «мікрофон» та вінілові програвачі для створення скретчів. Щодо текстів, то хоч куплети від Guru і сповнені, характерного для хіп-хопу, «пафосу» - спрямовані вони, здебільшого, на розкриття «болючого вуличного життя». Особливо порадувала наявність джазових семплів. І як я дізнався, DJ Premier був одним із перших хіп-хоп продюсерів, що почав додавати джаз у свою музику. Звісно, зараз всі перераховані речі вже не дивують і часто є стандартними інгредієнтами гарної та «розумної» сучасної #rap музики. Проте, я б не сказав, що альбом зістарився погано, та зараз його не цікаво слухати. Коли безліч сучасних реперів випускають жахливі “overproduced” трекі, що сповнені автотюном та «ніякими» аранжуваннями - подібний олдскульний хіп-хоп відчувається просто як «бальзам на душу». Загалом, альбом мені сподобався - проте йому, все ж, далеко до інших шедеврів 90-х.
The production is so crisp. There's a reason Premier is one of the best and most sought after producers in the game. This is just top notch jazzy boom nap. Guru is also a great rapper. He manages to carry the album's vocals by himself and drops fire bars after bars. The 91-93 run in hip hop history has some of my absolute favorites.
Premier is consistently great. His beats are about as good as it gets. Love the jazz rap sound, and Premier and Q-Tip did it best. Guru has a great voice and a great flow, but he’s usually stuck in 90s battle-rap mode (and was across all of Gang Starr’s catalog). His best tracks are when he breaks out of that and tells a story or *gasp* a love story.
Enjoyable. But i felt it lacked cohesivness and meandered a llittle. Lacked the slickness and lyrical prowess of some of its contemporaries.
Fresh sounds. Gotta return to this one
Step in the mid
Here’s another artist that still hits playlists decades later. Good stuff here.
Great chill album with a bit of that acid jazz sample style from that era that I like.
Damn looks like these MF's HATED each other. "Guru appeared to have fallen out with DJ Premier seven years prior to his death and did "not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name, likeness, events, tributes, etc." The song Lovesick is pretty funny "Bitch i'm with the fellas, why are you bringing up old shit?" Look overall I thought the album was fine, It gives me east coast, smart rap, kinda vibes. Guess what i mean is the beats were a hard O K but the content of the rap had alot more going on and is clearly the focus. Like I can put Juicy by Biggie and bump along to it, this album doesn't have song like that but I am listening a bit more to the raps themselves. Now all that said, this album is front loaded, really drops off after half-way. Gonna give this one a 3 outta 5.
No es un mal album, en absoluto.
Nice production but the lyrics weren’t doing much for me. Feels dated.
Good stuff. Needs editing, but smooth lyrics.
As with Solange, this isn’t my kind of music. But it’s well done good beats good lyrics.
Better than expected
It was good but no songs got added to my playlist
Enjoyed it, but IMO not quite up to the same level as some other 90’s hip hop. Great flow, but needed a little more to make it interesting to me.
I enjoyed this less than expected. I'm familiar with Guru from Jazzmatazz and was expecting this to show more jazz influenced, but it's a pretty straight hip-hop beats. It was alright, but I was hoping for more. I just wanted a bit more fusion from the album.
Some cool beats and solid rhymes.
It's good, but half an hour of this would have been enough. Favorite song: execution of a chump
Good old school rap
Tracks are somewhat indistinguishable from each other, although album does go hard. What Jake said 😎😎😎
Pretty fun direction
#411. Pretty good old school hip hop. Some of his rhymes were kind of cheesy, but it works though. I do like the kind of spoken word kind or rapping like that, but it does sound positively old-timey these days. 3/5: nothing wrong here really
3/5. Just so chill. Like there is hype on some songs but overall I'm just laxing and bobbing my head up and down. I don't know if I really got all the lyrics, the songs very easily flow into each other with one or two weird sounds in each song to slightly tell them apart. After 50 minutes of this, I just kind of felt lost and distracted. It wasn't bad, from what I remember I liked it. Just can't say it was all too interesting the whole time. Best Song: Step In The Arena, Just To Get A Rep, Who's Gonna Take The Weight?
This is definitely more of a lyric album which is tough for me since I listen while I work. The lyrics flow pretty well but in kind of a slow way? The beats are just slightly boring to me. Overall it seems pretty decent. I'm sure it would be better if I had time to give the lyrics more attention.
This was a cool album. Had some groovy beats, fun bass lines, and cool samples. The lyrics and rhymes were also enjoyable. I wasn't really blown away by this. It was chill and fun, but didn't really capture my attention in the same way that other albums do. I feel like this is one of those *foundational* records that paved the way for other artists. Especially with the smart lyrics and chill beats.
Clean old-school hiphop as far as I'm concerned, liked the flows 7/10
From the same era as Tribe and De La Soul but doesn’t quite reach the same highs. Some nice beats and lyrical prowess throughout but brought down by a long runtime. I enjoyed it but did start to check times and how many songs were left a little over halfway through. 6/10
I don't think this has aged very well - it has been surpassed multiple times, even by close contemporaries (Big L etc)
Step In The Area is a very mature album, it has lot of sounds that are of the 80s but lyrically and the tone of the vocals is different, more mature. But there isn’t anything spectacular on it. Just very solid 6.4/10
Smooth and classic rap sound
More good baselines here
Enjoyable.
This was pretty damn listenable.
Yeah - it went down pretty easy. Decent rapping and some fun samples make for a pleasant ride. No more, no less.
liked songs: Check the Technique High point: all of Check the Technique Low point: \"Forget it, I think she heard my voice already / You can let her in but I'm tryna cook spaghetti\" (from What You Want This Time?) For the most part, there are some good songs with quality lyricism on display. Probably right around 2.75-3 for me.
Some classic 90s hip hop that centers on a mastery of lyrics, minimal sampling and straight up technique. No filler. 3.5/5
Favourite songs: Take a Rest, "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" Least favourite songs: Beyond Comprehension 3/5
It's good. Never heard of these guys, but I understand that they're a big deal. Some vaguely jazzy rap with a bunch of turntable scratching is always a fun time.
Most of the tracks sound the same. A few have some good samples. Mostly it’s just dated sounding rap. Check the Technique was the highlight for me.
Not particularly a hip-hop fan but some of this was alright. A bit too long though as I started to get bored towards the end.
I was surprised. I actually liked this album. Not my normal lane, for sure, but I’d come back to this.
Pleasantly surprised at this one, very chilled and catchy.
meh
Some nice beats, okay flow, but very mundane album. It was okay, but I'm glad it's over.
The beats were cool, the raps weren’t amazing but had more unique style than their excessively corny peers of early rap. Giving this a 3 but I could see it becoming a 4 if I end up revisiting it again
I am old but I am also right when I say hip-hop/rap should return to clever understandable lyrics with a good beat behind it, like Gang Starr did on this album. That is all, please carry on. -hops off soap box-
Flows are VERY 80s but it's an enjoyable enough
While I do like some classic hip-hop, I was t gripped by this one.
Didn’t know about the cultural impact this album had. Overall an interesting listen.
Classic, Golden Era, New York City hip-hop. A chill album with a handful of standout cuts, as well as some strong production by the great DJ Premier. Gang Starr would go on to make a few projects that have aged much better than this one.
I haven't listened to enough rap to really appreciate or rank this within the larger universe of hip hop albums. This was definitely better than other classic hip hop albums on this project. Good beats amd production, solid word play and delivery.
3/5
Really excellent boom bap example of hip hop! The lyrics are quick and intricate at times and the beats are coolness personified! Is it the greatest hip hop album of all time? No, it isn’t. Is it perfectly acceptable for what it is? Yes, indeed it is!
Not a huge fan on classic rap but this was better than most. 3.125
chill background hip hop
Ei virheitä... Ei virheitä..
a real nice vibe.
Eh... I like reading the reviews so I get the context of the album and group but nothing stood out to me. Not good or bad.
Turns out I’m a sucker for this golden age of hip-hop stuff. I’ve enjoyed all of it, trice called quest, beastie boys, de la soul. The beats are just so damn good and they let them roll as instrumentals long enough to appreciate them. The flow and lyrical content is good enough here, but nothing show stopping. Nearly a 4 for me.
Pretty good album. Very enjoyable beats and good rapping. However, it does get a little samey after awhile. A very strong debut, but I feel like their later albums would improve on this sound and be a step up (the streaming numbers on spotify seem to agree). high 3
I'm not a hip-hop guy at all, but I don't mind this type of early-90's jazz-rap. It's pretty good. Key tracks: Step in the Arena
I have heard of Gang Starr somewhere, although with my limited hiphop knowledge I don’t know where I know them from. I enjoyed this album enough, it was such a hectic day that my attention was divided and I don’t think I gave it enough, will have to revisit.
A classic.
Finished the rap album. Trying to keep all the ones I’ve listened to straight. Good thing this website does that for me.
Better than most rap -- clever rhymes, solid beat, real themes without the braggadocio which characterizes too much of the genre.
Classic early east coast underground hip-hop album. Holds up for sure.
This was fine.
I haven't had a ton of 80/very early 90s hip-hop yet on this list and the first I had was a struggle. I definitely liked this more. It's still very foreign to my ear, and so I feel like that's a barrier to how good it probably actually is. I think given time to grow and develop more of an ear for it this might be a 4 star to me, but as it stands it feels more like a 3. Pleasant to listen to, and I liked his flow but nothing super grabbed me.
Decent album, not my favorite.
Chill, monotonous and far too long
Wow I was really surprised to enjoy this album, even though I don't like hip hop. I liked that the beats were slower than other hip hop albums
Early work by smooth, intelligent rap pioneers
Solid album. This is good 90s underground jazz rap. It's got a nice sound and smooth flow. The lyrics are of the era and a little lacking. ***
Not bad but the vocals felt kind of plain. Wasn’t able to get into it.
-Not too bad… the flow is a little corny for my taste in some of these songs though. Idk if that’s a time period thing though -The second half of the album was somehow better, I love the fun old-school energy and mixing -Favorites are Step In The Arena, Take A Rest, and The Meaning Of The Name
Never heard of them so no idea what to expect. Better then I thought, good lyrics, good beats.
Never heard of these guys or any of these songs, but this was pretty funky fresh!
Segundo álbum del dúo DJ Premier y Guru en el que sientan las bases de su propio estilo de rap: el tono monótono casi inexpresivo del MC, Guru, y el tratamiento inteligente de los problemas sociales de la calle, evitando la glorificación y alejado de la dureza del realismo descriptivo de otros raperos contemporáneos. Crítico con los aprovechados de los barrios marginales ("Execution of a Chump o "Just to Get a Rep"), llama a la autoconciencia y asunción de responsabilidades de aquellos que prefieren el "camino fácil" ("Who's Gonna Take the Weight?", el tema que más me gusta del disco). Y todo con el envoltorio sonoro de DJ Premier, con un estilo de "scratching" inconfundible. Ya he dicho que no soy muy fan del rap, pero este disco me llega.
They rap about important stuff, but they lack in the production department.
Great rap album
could i write poetry to this? y
As with a lot of 80's and early 90's Hip-Hop, the style and rhythm get monotonous after a while. Still, it's pretty good and highly influential.
hood classic, lo que esperaría de un solido disco de gangsta rap noventero
Keep on giving us these hip hop albums please, they are so much easier to digest than Lord Fauntelroy and his Merry Band of Brits or whatever the next 60's uk folk album will be. I feel like the sample at the beginning of Step Into the Arena is from Avril Lavigne's Nobody's Fool, too. I listened to confirm and I'm 99.9% sure. I also liked Precisely the Right Rhymes, there was some great record scratching on there.
I know the name, not the music. Didn't know until today that Gang Starr is a duo, consisting of rapper Guru (with whom I'm not familiar) and producer DJ Premier, who is an absolute legend. As you'd expect, the production is top notch, some great scratching as is his signature. I liked the sample of "California Soul," that song from GTA. It's a good album, not too much jumped out at me though. There's a note on wikipedia that in 2007, IGN called this the greatest hip hop album of all time, I don't know why that's so funny to me. IGN is just goofy. Favorite tracks: Step in the Arena, Who's Gonna Take the Weight, Here Today Gone Tomorrow, What You Want This Time. Album art: Looks vaguely familiar, could've swore we got an album from Gang Starr before, but I guess I was thinking of Cypress Hill, they've got a slightly similar logo thing going on. Primo very hunched over on the right, but they both look cool. The sepia-style filter isn't a great choice if you ask me, but it's fine. 3.5/5
Didn't quite capture me.
Classic hip-hop.
Describing this as dated is, I think, a compliment – and not in a backhanded way. The journey from unique to passe, via quotidian, is not afforded many people.
This album feels dated now but had to be a bit of a revelation at the time. I like the fact that occasionally it meanders, like a musical conversation.
Enjoyed the lyrics and style throughout, nothing particularly clenched me though
Musically nuanced, with a smooth and confident flow, and smart lyrics. My small critique is that they could have dropped a couple of songs from the back half and had a much tighter album. Fave Songs: Who's Gonna Take the Weight?, Step in the Arena, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Check the Technique, Take a Rest
Enjoyed it overall, but it felt a bit monotonous/repetitive at times. I think I would have preferred it to be about 4-6 songs shorter.
this was pleasant to listen to but I don't know if it totally clicked for me - I probably should've been listening more carefully and reading the lyrics but I usually listen to these while driving or at work, so. maybe I'll revisit some of the top tracks later.
i probably would've enjoyed this more had i paid closer attention to the lyrics, but in my defense they were not all available on spotify. this album was fine to me - i didn't really get much from it but the music and raps seemed solid. the title track reminded me of step up by linkin park, which was probably intentional on LP's side. favorites: step in the arena, check the technique, lovesick
OK - but not my jam
Some cool beats/ samples. Lots of rhymes in the rap. Enjoyed it
Kinda liked it but was hard to stay interested
Slow and low early 90’s hip-hop style. Almost an inspiration for Will Smith. Not my go-to music genre but can appreciate their place in history.
Sounded like Arrested Development. As far as rap goes, it was pretty good.
Good!
This was actually not too bad!
It's a good album
Nice bit of jazzy hip hop with deep trembling bass. Quality turntablism. I’d have hated this when it was released but quite liked it now.
Look, if you're looking for this kind of rap, you can find a lot of better albums but it's not so bad.
first listen. pretty good but not very memorable tbh.
The album cover looks like they’re playing the ‘Get as close to Alex without him noticing you’ task from Taskmaster series 8. Had a good time. Hopefully we get to see Gang Starr on a New Year’s Treat episode soon.
More 90’s hip hop/ rap, this album felt a little less political but the beats were great, haven’t heard of them before. 3.0
This specific sound was such a moment in time in hip hop but I don’t think I’ll revisit tho
3.8
2.7
MVP DJ Premier, beatsene er pissefede
Cool beat flips but still not into the old rap
The beats on this record are top drawer. But while Guru’s lyrical imagery is definitely intuitive and novel for the genre, the actual egocentric tropes remain largely untouched. This is undeniably a great hip hop record though, but its impact waned greatly towards the latter half of the album.
Good record, also new to me. I had never heard of the artist before.
A solid album with a nice flow that is maintained throughout its entirety.
I think I’m getting sick of 90s hip hop albums. This was enjoyable enough though, although it is funny to hear them say “slay” so much before it gained its current slang meaning.
This wasn't what I expected, in a positive direction. I'm not sure how to describe the qualities of 90's hip-hop that I enjoy except maybe that it's a little loose and goofy, with loops? This has quite a bit of that. Once again: would love to be able to understand words the first time I hear a song.
Good
Old school rap. Simple samples. Höre es erneut für die Texte.
Listened to some of the album, but wasn't enthused, so I skipped the rest.
The first half of the album feels like freshman rap. The beats aren’t hitting very hard and are pretty basic. The 2nd half is great! The music and bass are a little louder, the lyrics are clear and relatable. Highlights include "Check the Technique" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow."
3.5 The first couple tracks I thought it was your basic early 90s hip hop jazzy endeavor of corny rhymes, but the lyrics are actually insightful, some of the scratching was impressive and adventurous, and the deadpan lyrical delivery was good and comedic without trying to be but maybe it was? Either way it piqued my interest and I found myself enjoying this album more than I thought I would the first couple tracks, particularly tracks such as Execution of a Chump which tackles lazy friends who suck off your energy and people who bring you down. The record also tackles themes of materialism and spirituality and that dichotomy. The production was excellent and frankly ahead of its time, while the sampling could be a bit repetitive at times but it got adventurous when it needed to. Beyond Comprehension is a favorite of mine. It explores deep themes. The record also tackles themes like romance and its everyday struggles in a great track Lovesick, the personalities the music industry attracts, and other various themes. I'm going to give it a 3.5 (aka 4) because... 1. I hate jazz 2. It doesn't flow as an album 3. It is too long. 4. Some of the rhymes are corny and just do not hold up. 5. The tempo doesn't change very much, becomes too expected. BUT... POSITIVES 1. Emcees flow and touching multiple themes and being vulnerable, insightful lyricism 2. Production value 3. Explorative sounds 4. Excellent scratching 5. Its ahead of its time 6. Say Your Prayers has the fattest beat If the record trimmed five of the tracks or so and kept the best ones itd be a five but its guilty of overindulgence. Some of the rhymes on some tracks feel forced or just passing the time.
3.5 Nice lil rap album
Hm, the usual gangster stuff: violence, fighting, wait- talking about the Muslim faith & uniting as a people, references to "40 acres" & Malcolm X, at a time the US was sending troops to Iraq & Kuwait? OK, gotta respect that.
Hyvä levy, muttei ihan ysäriräbän suurimpia suosikkeja.
Had never heard of this album. Glad I was able to listen to it.
kinda groove w the beats
I am about as far from their target audience as you can get. I don't like this genre and think most of it is shit. I dreaded listening to 55 minutes of this (well, ten minutes and then skip through the rest of the songs). But beats were solid and easy to get in to. Lyrics were at least cohesive and coherent. So what would have been a one turned out to be a three. I can't say I liked, but I enjoyed listening to it. When it comes to this genre, that's hitting it out of the park. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.
Not a hip hop fan, but enjoyed listening to this album.
I didn't mind it as background music
I've only ever listened to Moment of Truth, but never his first album. Pretty classic 90s flows and instrumentation.
You can definitely hear the influence albums like this one had on east coast rap throughout the 90's. The production is great throughout the record, and there is lots of good storytelling here that makes up for a pretty basic rhyme schemes. Very similar to A Tribe Called Quest but there's not much here that The Low End Theory doesn't do better.
its okay.
Classic East coast hip hop. Some good grooves, some good lines, very mellow.
It's fine and for the era maybe even ahead of its time. Preferable to gangsta rap
Welcome to vocabulary class. Good old school hip hop but like all the others it just gets kind of repetitive with the rhymes and using big words
3.3/5 Best Track: Step In The Arena
I think Gang Starr's albums that came after are a stronger showing. Musically I think only Just To Get A Rep is a strong showing of the style they made. Still, there's some interesting stuff here and Guru & Premier always sound good. I have a feeling that I'm underrating the impact given that it's from 1991. music: appreciated. (⌐⬤ ̮ ⬤)
This was a good time. I don’t have much of an ear for hip hop, but I know this was sparse, creatively sampled, and every song had a place.
The high pitched sound in "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?" is annoying. Other than that, the samples were good. The rapping is about average. Still not my genre.
Some good stuff in here, classic samples and good bars.
this is really corny. the vocals are very flat for the most part, but the beats make up for it kinda idk. The lyrics are pretty cool too. 7.1/10
Smooth and crisp - the mould by which most streetwise 90s hip-hop would and should be measured. Lyrically ahead of its time but I find the earwigs a bit sparse on this one. I want to give it 3.5 stars. I can’t, so I’ll play hardball.
It's ok but think the lyrics are a bit cringe, won't end up on my gym playlist
Nicely smooth but gets a bit monotonous after a while
DJ Premier is a legend and delivers great beats in this. Guru has a cool flow but gets a bit boring after a while.
Me ha gustado bastante, otro de esos que puedes escuchar una y otra vez sin cansarte. Me gusta que haya estrofas que funcionan como estribillos, y las bases están bien. 7/10 puede subir nota.
I liked this better than most rap! 3 stars
Cat: I really liked this.
dj premier is a legend
Album 195 of 1001 Gang Starr - Step in the Arena Rating : 3 / 5 I am big on coincidence. I started listening to the 1001 Albums playlist at the end of March and then started the album a day generator about a week later. All along, I wondered if the generator would ever give me the same album I was listening to on the playlist, at that time. It finally happened. I got about 5 songs into this album yesterday on the playlist and it pops up here today as album of the day. Now, the album. Wasn't familiar. I see that some (at least, at the time of its release) called this the greatest Hip Hop album ever. I can't speak to that. I can say that it is better than many I've heard. I'm still trying to differentiate between Rap & Hip Hop....what do I know? I'm just an old pop and rock guy. I did wave my arms side to side a few times while listening. Coming from me, that is as good as a Grammy nomination.
Not bad
Very easy listening 90’s hip hop. Vocals have a smooth flow, beats are silky, funky, bouncy and pleasant. Very hypnotic, could easily have this going in any background.
Fun
Very well put together album, just not my thing.
1. Just to get a Rep 2. Step in the Arena 3. Check the Technique
я почти ничего не поняла, но это лучший хип-хоп альбом всех времён? я ничего не поняла (иц файн)
Great beats, smooth delivery, impeccable old-school vibes. Best song: Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?
An odd choice to represent Gang Starr in this list - there is some good stuff on here but they still feel like they’re finding their sound on this one, and albums like Moment of Truth are much stronger
Easy listening. Some songs were better than others. Enjoyed most of the beats and some of the lyrics.
Why? I can't say why this album is in here It's not bad, it's not good, it's just background noise
A "new" album from an early hip-hop duo I only know for a single song (Mass Appeal). Honestly did not know that this is where DJ Premier started out. Step In The Arena gets things going with a classic 90s beat with some slick flow. Straight, clean, no-nonsense hip-hop that keeps your head bobbing start to finish. Next two songs both are servicable. Good beats and flow... Who's Gonna Take The Weight? features a high-pitch warble front and center. I find it kind of distracting relative to the vocals. Kind of put this into the background for a while. No complaints, but no real stand-outs until I hit Take A Rest. Features a hip-hop favorite sample in one of the more dynamic beats on the record. This song is a case of the beat outshines the MC. Doesn't help that the mixing puts his vocals on the same level as everything else making it easy to lose him. I'll be honest, I did not give this a very close listen. I was focused on other things and the music itself didn't really compel me to give attention. With that in mind, I'd say this is a very solid 3 / 5. It may have been more influential at the time of its release, but looking back this feels like a solid, but not amazing early 90s hip-hop album. The beats, while interesting at times, generally fall within the meat of a 90s hip-hop bell curve and the rapping while serviceable is nothing commanding of attention. Some poor mixing (imo) throughout also plagues the production with the instrumental overwhelming the MC. Can't say I'd go back for another listen, but I'm not offended by it.
I was mowing the lawn while listening to this one so I don't have a song by song recap. I love these 90's hip hop albums, definitely head bopping and grooving at the beginning on this album. Mr. Starr has pretty good flow. Some of his lyrics are better than others. He doesn't have very much change in his tone though which causes the album to turn a bit bland. Overall it started out well, but I kinda checked out later in the album. Could have been shorter. I could maybe give this one 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down.
Beats are a little repetitive for my liking. But the flow of the lyrics is really good which I would assume is the focus. I really like the Up On Cripple Creek sampling on Beyond Comprehension The songs all started sounding the same to me and wish it was only about 30 minutes long. Still enjoyed
What an iconic voice Guru has. Heard a few of these songs but never this album le go. Step in the Arena bangs. Execution of a Chump is a banger. Check the Technique is awesome sampling California Soul. Love Gang Starr this was solid, but nothing so captivating to keep me intrigued all the way through.
Good, important, old school rap. I have much respect for these two but I can’t help get a bit bored listening
Not familiar with this group and not a rap fan so can't give a fair evaluation. I will say that this is music I would have absolutely hated when it originally came out. Now I can hear some of why it broke through but still not for me.
Love this kind of early hip hop albums, clean af.
A lot of very weak lyrics but pretty good production, 2.5
The problem with ‘Step In The Arena’ by Gang Starr for me, is that it’s only just OK when compared to albums released in the same year by their peers. ATCQ, Cypress Hill, De La, Ice T, Cube, 2Pac and NWA (just name a few) all released far more compelling, urgent records, and with more interesting use of samples.
Fine
Slighty more low key Public Enemy circa 1991, with both the old school production and the Nation of Islam loyalties
it's a hip hop album... I'm not into Hip Hop that much to know if it's a hidden masterpiece or not but it's the "worst" of the 4 (TPAB, IGOR, Fear of a Black Planet) I listened so far... 6/10 (3/5)
The sort of 90s hip hop we watched on TV in primary school to warn us about knife crime. It's not for me.
Bit vanilla but I enjoyed the sound. Don't know if they sampled other people or people sampled them but it had familiar flavour.
Nothing special but a solid effort, missing a banger
album de hip hop quoi
Typical 90s rap. 7/10
I had a CD of 1/2 of this outfit, the rapper Guru, from his Jazzamatazz series, where he played with a bunch of jazz guys, like Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers. It was cool because, as a result, those artists came out of retirements, and started touring again. I managed to catch a couple of them when they passed through town. I like Guru's cool delivery and the DJ on this LP is OK, it would have been nice to hear the exquisite solos from Jazzamatazz.
Really cool album. I liked the music and radio style
Never heard of these guys. Good old school Rap/Hip Hop Singles: ------------------------------- Just to Get a Rep (#5 US RAP) Take a Rest (#63 UK) Lovesick (#11 US Rap., #50 UK) Step in the Arena (#5 US Rap) Who's Gonna Take the Weight? (#9 US Rap) 3/5
Goeie herinneringen aan deze plaat uit mijn hip hop jaren.
Best vrolijk en luchtig.
Ik vond dit verrassend prettig.
Uhhhh, very nice hop hop, très cool and smooth.
Gang starr heel hard. Ziet wel dat ze gedurende ze verder zijn zeker de rap beter wordt. Nu merk je dat premier vooral de kar trekt
Had eerst niet zo veel zin om dit te luisteren maar uiteindelijk echt best nice!! Favorieten waren Check the technique en As I read my s-a!! Eigenlijk 3,5
Hou van de beats, het rappen voelt soms was ongeïnspireerd. 3.5
I liked
12 days in and this is the 4th hip hop album already! Tbh I quite enjoyed this one
A few tracks I could do without, but in general this was easy to groove to, and I appreciated the cleverness and poignancy of the poetry. Sometimes the lyrics and delivery could have been better, but it was a perfectly okay listen.
Good vibes
Not my style
pretty good!
I've never heard of the band. I looked at the cover and expected to hate it. Actually kind of really enjoyed it!
Alright
An interesting listen
Good Old School Hip Hop. Love the samples used on this recording. Some Funky moments throughout.
It's rare to find a hip-hop album that isn't inundated with interludes or skits, so this was a refreshing listen. Not the best hip-hop I've heard, but it was pretty good. Standouts were Lovesick and Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Like his voice, good beats, some good lyrics but too much “I’m great” theme. And lots of cliches in some songs.
Just good clean hip hop. Can't complain.
New to me. Laid back east coast hiphop. The vocal delivery felt a little drab at times, and the content started to wear thin (how many ways can you say that my rhymes are better than yours?) but overall this wasn’t bad. Some of the backing tracks are a bit grating but thankfully they don’t overstay their welcome. Standouts: Check the Technique, Love Sick, Take a Rest. 2.75
Uha, hvor er det et langt album…
3.5/5. Very influential in the hip hop genre but perhaps a bit before my time.
The generator's thrown up lots of 90s hip-hop and it's all blurring into one, so I had low hopes when this popped up. But these hopes were surpassed! Yeah, stylistically I can't really distinguish it from a few other artists we've had, but somehow this found a bit of a sweet spot with fun, laid back beats and words that a) I can hear clearly, and b) I want to listen to. A line in Take A Rest sums it up for me: "Arranged by a great brain, delivering rhymes clear and concise with a nice dope voice". Word. 3.5
Pretty good, very relaxing. Lacked a real stand out song imo
Not a hip hop fan but this is pretty good. Smart and listenable. 3 stars.
It's got big early 90s rap vibes, which I enjoy since it's pre-gangster rap. Favorite was "Check the Technique"
It is was alright hip hop album but not the best. It is better than 2 not really a 3. I will round up.
Enjoyed this - had heard tracks before - but not the whole album. I think it earns its place
Smooth rhymes, smooth rhythm, this has aged rather well
classic rap album, but not really my taste
Pretty mellow and chill. Bass was funky. Didn't really grab me though.