Step In The Arena

Not my thing, but didn't give up on it.

Again, like most old school rap I just finf this monotone.

Finns ju åtminstone någon form av melodi i låtarna.

As it is with hip hop and rap, I am not the biggest fan. But if I had to choose, it will always be late 80’s early 90’s like this right here.

Ganz in Ordnung

There’s certain better rap and beats out there, IMO.

Not my thing

solid, unremarkable early 90s hip-hop

Inoffensive to have on in the background while making dinner, but given the choice (on what feels similar) give me 3 Feet High and Rising

I like old school rap as much as the next guy but I just don’t see what’s special about Gangstar or even this album in particular. The beats were as expected the rhymes and flow predictable. If this was the first of its type or a throwback to this sound I could perhaps see the relevance however it is from the time period it sounds like, and that’s not a good thing. There are others I would rather listen to when I want to listen to old school rap.

It was okay but I'm not a big fan of the genre so it didn't really move me.

Meh. D d d d d don't believe the hype...

Vibey

Too smooth

Solid fucking album

I was prepared to give it a 2.5, then looked at the songs and noticed I was only on track 7/18. I do appreciate it as a piece of rap history and at times it was refreshing and chill. Some of the lyrics were wack, but in a hype way. I don't really like how 'static' old rap is.

Not bad, but not really my cup of tea

this probably went so hard 40 years ago

Me gusta la cadencia lenta que tiene y la forma de rapear, pero tampoco es que me vuelve loco, es muy largo.

Not one of my favourites. Okay record.

Not my kind of music

I didn't hate it but it just fell flat for me and was instantly forgettable.

This album was definitely better than I had anticipated as a non hip hop fan. A lot of the songs started to kinda blend together tho. I think the beats were creative. The vocals didn't really interest me too much Liked songs: Just to Get a Rep, As I Read My S-A

The more older jazz rap I listen to, the more I love the jazz rap of the last couple decade or so. Albums such as To Pimp A Butterfly or Modal Soul really seem to understand what makes jazz so great, and doesn't take away from that genre for the sake of simple beats and an easy song structure. However, that, in turn, makes albums like The Low End Theory, and our album today, Step In The Arena, feel hollow and cheap, in my opinion. I am not denying the jazz is there, because it is, but it all feels so plain, and with flows and bars that feel like I could make them whilst parodying hip hop, it just doesn't have much in the way of something interesting. I'm glad acts like Gang Starr were around to add more layers to the rap game than gangsta rap or boom bap, but when returning to these earlier albums it can feel a tad goofy, and it really disappoints.

Felt dated. I don't hear this style of rapping any more.

I didn't get it. Not a genre I particularly like, and with that, maybe there's a historical reason for this being on the list, but I didn't get what that would be.

Lyrics are good on several songs, but the total was a bit too boring for me.

tracks 1-3: wow that’s a cool sound tracks 2-6: ok, still the same sound Tracks 7-10: can I get some variety? Tracks 11-15: please change something 😭 Tracks 16-18: I am dead inside

It seems well produced.

Not realy my taste.

1. name - 0 2. arena - 1.5 3. intellect - 1 4. chump - 1 5. uueight - 2 6. beyond - 1 7. technique - 1.5 8. lovezick - 1.5 9. tomorrouu - 1 10. game - 0 11. rezt - 1.5 12. time - 1 13. ztreeet - 0 14. rep - 1 15. prayerz - 1 16. read - 1.5 17. rhymez - 1 18. name - 1.5

I don't know why but I never got into this one at all .

Better than most hiphop albums on this list. Which does not mean much

It didn't grab me.

Nothing really stood out with this album, but I didn’t really listen to the lyrics, just had it as background music.

Idc 2.5

So very, very unmemorable.

90’s hip hop kinda sucks

I managed half of this and couldn't tell any of it apart so I bailed. Some of the samples were good but the rapping was really bland

This album sounds like it was recored on the cusp of the Daisy Age. Macho posturing is toned down, but there's still a slight growl in the delivery. The production is fantastic. There wasn't a lot of variety in the tracks. I tired after 45 minutes or so.

Not my genre. Surprisingly enjoyable. Laid back, mellow, some silly, playful lyrics. Check the Technique and Lovesick were highlights. Album too long and samey though. Also Jojo

Too jazzy for my taste.

Didn’t enjoy this much. Sonically sounded very dated, and I wasn’t a fan of much of the lyrical flow or production style. Seemed like a poor version of P.E.’s the Bomb Squad, with the horn squeals. The uplifting subject matter was nice but damn, Gangsta Rap had this beat on producing jams.

A little repetitive for me.

Some cool beats but pretty underwhelming

Old skool but overall kinda meh.

I feel like the is the album I want to listen to when I am craving 90’s rap. The only problem is, I have never craved 90’s rap.

This one was not for me. I enjoyed it musically and some of the songs were better lyrically than others. But most of the songs were filled by the rhymiest of rhymes. And rhymey rhymes are my pet peeve.

Boom Bap Rap is one of the most boring rap genres, despite what this duo has done outside of this project being great.

En vaan oikein välitä tästä ysäriräpistä. Tärkeää genren historialle jne jne, ei vaan mun musaa.

Boring.

18 Songs mit 50:32 Min. Rap mit Acid und Techno Elementen (auch als HipHop bezeichnet) sogar auszugsweise auch hörbar. Trotzdem ist es ein Genre, das mir nicht zusagt. Es gibt auch keinen Song den ich nochmal hören will.

Man, I really thought I was going to love this album but it was a snooze. I love Premiers production, but it gets repetitive in one sitting. Guru never switches up his flow (admittedly, not a common practice in this era) and there are no features so it becomes more noticeable as the record goes on. No real stand out tracks, honestly. This era of hip-hop is filled with so many more interesting artists and albums. Gang Starr definitely holds a place in the history books, but I'll probably stick to best-of albums from here on out.

I still don‘t like Hip-Hop. Again I gave it a try, but it‘s not my cup of tea.

good old school rap

I'm sure it would grow on me but the songs sounded the same on first listen

Didn’t dislike this, but not sure it aged well and doesn’t really stand out.

First listen Saved 7/18 Top track: Step In The Arena

Some of the sampled music was nice, still not a fan of rap. After a while it was just boring shit.

Ok-ish to listen to in the background, but not an album I’d seek out to listen to again

Wasn't for me

Apparently some have called this the best hip hop album of all time. Forgive me, I simply found it underwhelming.

Subpar hip-hop outshined by it's contemporaries.

Not normally my type of of music, but I can def hear this album's influence on early 90s rap.

Nope

Decent. Not my cup of tea though but don't hold that against them.

Old school rap not my thing….

Hip-hop rap. Rollo. Sin más.

hip hop

If this is the greatest hip hop album of all time then I have no hope of getting into this genre

I like the flow and messaging, but the beats and monotone cadence are kind of boring. I'm guessing that this is kind of a consequence of the times though. I think it was probably a great album that just didn't age incredibly well.

Meh

Il fait trop chaud pour s'infliger en plus du rap du passé

bem chatinho

Brave gangster

Helaas is mijn mood niet gang-starr vandaag, zelfs met met zijn dubbele R!

Wel Nice! Beetje same same aan het eind van het album

90s rap. Apparently influential. A little 'Hi, my name's Louis...' in style, but the lyrics seemed interesting. I enjoyed the name-check of Dick Dastardly in 'Form of Intellect'. Disappointingly, neither Mutely, Penelope Pitstop, Peter Perfect nor the Ant Hill Mob got a similar shout-out. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Step In The Arena Date listened: 01/05/23

Lyrically I think it might be quite good, but I just found it a bit boring. It's the kind hip hop that's done over a loop, where as I prefer some melodic progression

Generic 90s hip-hop sound. Nothing really stood out and I was pretty bored listening to this album.

Sehr chill, ich mag den vibe voll. Aber ist halt auch nicht so was, was ich so wirklich hören würde

You can not convince me that hip-hop is music. It's awkward poetry read to some shitty beats. 2/5 dogshit.

Lyrics were pretty good but ultimately something I feel I'll forget about quite quickly

Not amazing. Wouldn’t give another listen.

mmmm hell yeah premier. track 4 goes barny last few were alright. track 6 yippy. sticken you and fricken you, just a teeny bit. beat goes hard on track 7 what the hell is guru on about. the kick sounds Really good on track 10. oh my lord that bassline on track 11. the short interlude tracks go so hard. I must say I want more premier less guru. something about his rap style just isn't clicking with me. track 17 beat is lovely. Yeah I would much rather this being a premier beat album with the beats slightly more developed than with guru on it. I am so sorry guru I like some of his work but this is simply not it to me ☹️. his rapping was good on the last track but I just really wasn't messing with this album. and I didn't even enjoy it as much as the very 3 adele album. jasus this is gonna be a 2

Hip hop. Coñazo.

Hip-hop rap. Rollo. Sin más.

Niet bijzonder interessant, ook niet heel aandachtig geluisterd. Het was prima achtergrondmuziek tijdens het gamen, alleen het greep dus ook mijn aandacht niet. Veel van hetzelfde, weinig variatie. Vast invloedrijk, maar met de latere hiphop in het achterhoofd niet heel interessant.

Weinig opmerkelijk

I thought the beats were so creative. Even so, the level of rapping didn’t match up to the quality of the production. It was a little too lethargic to me, especially when considering the diversity of the beat selection. It’s a little disappointing to present something this different and not rise to meet that standard. Faves: Execution Of A Chump, The Meaning Of The Name, Take A Rest, Precisely The Right Rhymes

2.5 got a bit samey

2.5 - Neutral Another album I'd pick as background music. Besides 3-4 tracks not too many bangers. The beats are solid though.

Pakko myöntää, että ohi meni kuunnellessa. Solid ysäriräppiä

Miellyttävää, kepeää. Yksi biisi nousi jopa suosikiksi. (Execution of a Chump). Mutta miksen jaksa kuunnella kokonaan?

Step In The Arena is just like loads of early 90s rap/hip hop we've had in that it just misses the quality bar set by the better East Coast artists, which have a distinctive (but not necessarily better) sound compared to the West Coast titans. It's just too laid back, it lacks edge, it lacks intensity, and tries to serve as a vehicle to show off their (average) lyrical dexterity while telling stories that don't engage or make you think. 2.

This is fine, decent rap but nothing special - the storytelling that makes really good rap great just isn't here (although it gets close in Just To Get A Rep). A lot of filler in this album, only really a couple of tracks that are really worth listening to (the title track is decent, a bit faster paced with a bit more funk than most of the album). 2/5.

J’ai écouté plusieurs album hip-hop de cette période et je trouve que celui-ci soutient mal la comparaison. C’était les mêmes thèmes, mais moins bien exploités. Le flow du chanteur me semblait plus lent aussi.

Well put together. Great flow. Some weird background effects that remind me of Halloween. But this was fine.

Quite good

Rap. Music. Wicky wick wickety, goes the sound of the record. Spinning vinyl like hair shedding off a German Shepard. I can't believe im listening to the sam- sa- same lyric over and over and over again. This record spinning bs is making a headache begin. It's not ba- ba - bad- bad, but it's pretty mid at the end of the day. I aint The Rock in an animated kids movie, but what can I say?

Some fun backing track twiddles, felt a bit like a GCSE project But vocals pretty samey but when I listen the lyrics tell some interesting stories More track scratching don't make a better track Liked it more than I thought I would? Pretty chill

Dull

It was alright, bit indifferent towards this, hadn't heard of Gang Starr before, guess I'm not the target audience, nothing really stood out for me.

Clairement, ils essaient de proposer un hip-hop « intelligent ». Ça sort un peu vide par contre. Ils essaient trop parfois et ça donne l’impression qu’ils sont des wannabe scientifiques.

leuk maar niet speciaal imo

Everyone says it’s good but needs a relisten

Seems like standard old school Eat Coast rap. I'm not really into it.

Good

General culture

Thought it was okay, nothing stood out to me.

Sadly unmemorable, both from the time and from when I listened yesterday.

I'm sure this album may be recognised as high-quality by hip-hop lovers. Although the lyrics seem to follow a long working time, I struggle with the drums and rhythms... Hip Hop is not for me.

This was certainly more tuneful than some rap I’ve heard but all the tracks were in the same vein and it’s certainly not a genre I would generally listen to. 1 seems harsh considering some of the albums we’ve heard so 2*

Didn't really listen as I normally would so perhaps a little unfair. But what I did hear was underwhelming...

Lots of technique. Nothing about the lyrics draws me though, in the way that Magnetic North (Derek Kan and Theresa Vu, not the other band) songs do. Kind of reminds me (a little bit) of Nujabes - Luv Sic vibes, for the lyrical flow, but not for the instrumentals.

3 I could not listen to "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" for more than a minute. 2 The lyrics are fun and clever, but the beats are so goddamn repetetive. I mean of course they are, it's the start of sampled hip-hop, but it's just so boring. "Check The Technique" slaps

Não foi dessa vez que eu consegui escutar atentamente um álbum de hip hop.

Detta albums sensmoral: Guru är episk på mikrofonen och i allmänhet. Bra beats dock.......

Not bad but not great

Their early stuff isn't as good as the later but still some good tracks on this one

not really my kinda music

Picks up steam as it goes along but can't escape some fatal design flaws – most beats are built around either repetitive or straight-up annoying samples (or both!) that grate across the space of a 3-minute track, and the bars tend to feel somewhat monotone and uninspired. There are several high points where the production and delivery rise to the occasion, but mostly this LP just feels a bit hollow.

Not quite my jam, but I could appreciate some of the tracks.

Not bad actually, the tunes are reasonably pleasant if a bit uninspiring

Didn't mind it, a few songs had me bobbin my head. I liked Lovesick and Execution of a Chump Although, as is the case with most hip hop, the song structures are extremely repetitive, so it bored me sometimes. I felt the album was too long for what it was worth, with a lot of fluff.

Quite boring honestly. I kind of liked “As I read my S-A”

"you're heating up like a thermostat?" no. that's it.

Definitely give them credit for writing thoughtful powerful lyrics, but I really don't like the delivery style, it has a muddy/muffled sound (reminds me of digital underground) with a lot of 80's sounding rap accent noises inserted (exaggerated scratches, sirens, horns). Doesn't age well for me.

Fun samples, vintage beats, but again this is nothing earth or butt shaking. Never heard it before, won't be listening again

Not really my cup of Gang Starr Tea

Firstly I have to profess I'm a Hip-hop dunce but something like "It takes a Nation of Millions" is raw and addictive and came before this. I think this is like the cleaned up 'presentable' version of Hip-Hop dreamed up by Spike Lee and presented to America? It's like the equivalent of 'Fresh Prince' only it's not funny. 'Who's gonna take the weight?' is a good track but only because it's a Public Enemy clone. It's not bad, only middle of the road.

Dont like this type of music.

I might recognize why this is in the list, but the entire album felt like listening the first three songs in a loop, always the same thing over and over. Not my type of music, I guess…

I dunno, it seems like fairly uninspiring hip hop to me. If anything he sounds as bored as I felt.

Classic early 90s rap/hiphop. Lyrics are creative and varied but don’t always go anywhere. No stand out tracks. Background beats are repetitive. Skipped one or two tracks.

Sorry, but no.

Anonymous early 90's rap sound...forgettable. 2/5

I find old school rap to be pretty boring. This album has some good beats but i don't think i will return to it anytime soon.

Seems pretty solid, background music is good and raps sound ok. Didnt have to skip around much. 2

I think a lot of the songs sound a bit too dated but I can appreciate the album for what it probably once was

1. Name Tag 0:36 - nice little intro skit 2. Step in the Arena 3:37 - decent bars. beat is weak though was bored half way through 3. Form of Intellect 3:40 - Like the beat of this song a bit more but nothing in this track blew me away. 4. Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt.2) 2:41 - decent. 5. Who's Gonna Take the Weight? 3:56 - Not thrilled about this one. 6. Beyond Comprehension 3:13 - meh. 7. Check the Technique 3:58 - Again not bad but not great. 8. Love Sick 3:27 - Again not bad but not great. 9. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 2:18 - Again not bad but not great. 10. Game Plan 1:08 - interlude 11. Take a Rest 4:21 - I really like bass line sampled in this track, it is a shame the rest of the track doesn't measure up. 12. What You Want This Time? 2:41 - not great. 13. Street Ministry 1:25 - Short little track, nothing noteworthy though. 14. Just To Get A Rep 2:42 - Average 15. Say Your Prayers 1:24 - Average 16. As I Read My S-A 3:02 - not great. 17. Precisely The Right Rhymes 3:25 - My favorite song of the album, interesting lyrics and a decent beat. 18. The Meaning Of The Name 2:55 - Truly saved the best for last. I was expecting to write this song off but I like it even better than the last track. Maybe I am judging this album unfairly by applying 2021 standards to it. I realize that albums like this laid the ground work for really interesting stuff to come but I am not a rap historian whose mission it is to appreciate the birth of an art form, I am just a guy who wants to listen to good music. I was going to score it a 1/5 but the last two songs saved it and bumped the whole album up a star.

Felt like a pretty generic early hip hop album. Not bad but nothing special

Like most 90s rap, hasn’t aged well

Washed over me. Didn't hear anything that particularly felt revelatory but at the same time wasn't paying a huge amount of attention to the lyrics.

Good rap is still rap.

Not my kind of music 😞

I am not greatly into rap although I do appreciate it as an art form and expression. This was typical old skool rap and the flows were good, he has a nice tone. I likes some of the beats but the lyrics were not that clever.

The title track was alright, but honestly the album just felt like average hip hop of that time. Not bad, not great. 2/5 stars.

More intersting than most hiphop albums, but pretty boring.

Not my style

Solid listen. Premier beats are top notch and Guru's rhymes are somehow smooth and sharp. Execution of a Chump was my favorite track

Music is a mediocre sort of rap

I kinda see why some people see this album as a classic piece of east-coast hip hop, but I just can't hear it. The production is awful, with cymbals that are overplayed to a ridiculous extent and annoyingly sharp jazzy sounds that almost drown out some great lyrics. This mostly happens on the first half of the record, but I lose my patience on the second half due to the same boring, not hard-hitting, average, choppy rapping. 2/5.

Rap is just not for me.

Eh, I know I’m supposed to like gang Starr and I’m sure he’s respected for a reason, but I just find listening to him boring. Step into the arena is good

да уныль какая-то. репчик тех времён для меня во многом зависит от битла, ибо практически все флоу были монотонной и просторифмованной бубнежкой. ну а здесь, есчесн, одни из самых раздражающих и бесполезных битов, что я слышал. вероятно худшее использование волынки в треке (хотя может это и трубы были, хуй поймёшь). Плюс минус зашли meaning of a name и say your prayers (которая бля звучит как заставка гта сан андреас, я хз связаны ли они как-то). Неинтересный альбом, стронг фри ту э лайт фо

It's alright. Decent tunes and rapping but lyrics a bit shit.

No connection whatsoever.

Not my thing.. Very repetitive..

Not for me

Considering hip hop isn't really my thing, I didn't hate this. I was bopping along with it at times but it was quite tough to listen to for 50 minutes straight so I had a few breaks from it.

Good, but not for me.

Hip hop

Hip-hop rap. Rollo. Sin más.

eh, decent content subpar rapping

Too good for my taste & patience I think.

90s hip hop has not aged well. While I understand that it was probably influential and novel when it came out, on today's standard is (musically, not lyrically) less relevant

Very basic rap album without a lot of beats and very clean rap. Not bad, just too long and too monotonous

Aika joutava levy. Ei jäänyt mieleen...

I guess this falls somewhere between ice cube and ice-t, but it's nowhere near as good as either of those. Sounds like early 90s hip hop but without any samples, nothing really stands out, just plods along and acts a bit too intellectual. 2/5.

Lyrically powerful but monotone and dull as dishwater.

Album title and cover put me straight off. And i wasn’t mistaken 1/5 10/6/26

All sounded like one very long monotonous track, with the occasional record scratch.

I'm beginning to think this entire 1001 albums thing is a psy-op designed to make me crazy. There is so much goddamn rap and hip-hop it's starting to make me angry. No wonder there are so many copies of this book available on eBay for cheap. I really thought this was going to open me up to all kinds of music that I hadn't discovered, but mostly it's just something to get through, like a colonoscopy. One star, no apologies. For the love of god, serve up something good.

Not my cup of tea. Too repetitive sounds and not my vibe

So this is one of those album from the 90s where they just talk, but I am more into the more melodic rap songs, so this was a bit meh for me. It was not too bad having it in the background while I was doing stuff though.

No my type of music

The Good: Artist tells us straight up what he is… The Bad: What if the extra R in his last name stands for rape… The Ugly: Gangster Rape… Yes, I couldn’t come up with anything better than the above. No, I really didn’t try very hard… See if I care. Listened to this album while visiting the great country of Japan… I think I zoned out listening pretty fast.. hit the skip buttons and couldn’t wait to find out what the next album would… hoping it wouldn’t be a total disaster like this one. Did not like at all 1*

nope

Not my bag

This was like listening to NWA-lite.

2 - TERRIBLE

Gang Starr kommen aus den USA und nahmen Step In The Arena als ihr zweites Studioalbum 1990/91 in mehreren New-York-Studios auf – darunter Calliope Productions in Manhattan sowie Firehouse und Such-A-Sound in Brooklyn. Der Musikstil ist East-Coast-Hip-Hop mit Boom-Bap- und Jazz-Rap-Einflüssen. Auf dem Album finden sich Titel, die in der Geschichte des Genres auffällig wurden, etwa „Step In The Arena“, „Who's Gonna Take The Weight?“ und „Just To Get A Rep“. Die Produktion übernahmen DJ Premier und Guru selbst, wobei sich Premiers Beatgestaltung und Gurus ruhiger Vortragsstil zu einem präzisen Klangbild verbinden. Step In The Arena zeigt eine Phase, in der sich der Duo-Sound zu einer prägnanten, auf lyrischer Dichte und samplegeprägten Beats basierenden Form des Hip-Hop herausbildete. Die abschließende Bewertung des Albums liegt in der Bedeutung für den Hip-Hop-Kontext: es dokumentiert eine konsistente künstlerische Ausrichtung ohne übertriebene Effekte und bietet klare Einblicke in das Zusammenspiel von MC und Producer.

Yet another boring Hip-Hop album - why are there so many Hip-Hop and Rap albums in this list?

No.

Adding jazz to hiphop doesn’t make either of them better. Not the best rapping either.

God save us f4om this rubbish

1.5 - ok at best

nah

Another rap album 😩. Look, all I'm going to say it was mildly more melodic than Nas and Ice Cube. Not as much pretending to be hard and taking about shooting people but still mighty silly. I'll give it a genuine 1 star whilst the other two were a 0.

Boring

If someone could dunk from a 3-point line, would it count as a 3-pointer?.. Oh fuck, this album's americanized me brb gotta buy a napalm thrower for self-defense This shit is so shit I'd bring it with me to school every day just in case there's a shooting so that I can throw it in the shooters bag to get the media to blame everything on it

Predictable

No thanks

Two consecutive hip-hop albums... And it feels like it is trying to tire me to boredom or convince me to like it by repetition. Well, I'm going to reinforce my opinion. Once you've listened to one hip-hop album, you've heard it all (or, at least, a ninety percent of what you can expect of this genre). This album is repetitive, long and bland. Its length wouldn't be a problem if the music were interesting, but it's not the case. And (more of a critique to hip-hop than to this album as I don't think the lyrics of this album are good at all) I can't focus on the lyrics if the music isn't interesting for me. It's like having so much noise in the background and trying to focus on a conversation... It doesn't work. As this album, I didn't like it at all. But I knew it even before clicking play.

Le barre spingono, le basi deludenti. Dirò 1, se mi piacesse il genere forse 3?

Нулевая ценность. 1 из 10.

p659. 1991. 1.5 stars. Rap/hip-hop, so wrong audience. All the tracks sound the same. Bonus half point for not using the usual misogynist hateful language most 90s rappers use.

Gang Starr... Ahahahahaha, they think they are gangsters... Ahahahaha. Coochie coo. There is only one: Tupac

Not my genre...I listened to one track. That was enough.

Disappointing 400th album. The songs just don't go anywhere - there's no progression, no structure. It just repeats a short sequence of notes with some inane mumbling layered over it until the 'song' is over.

Sounds the same as all hip hop, very generic.

Not a fan if I am honest. I could not really define a gear change in any way from one song to the next. The music seemingly only having the purpose of a metronome. I am a music first and lyric second type of guy so this really fails to inspire me. The rapping is pretty decent but I am not reviewing poetry I need it to become a package and I dont get that here.

I HATED this album. Couldn't stand it sorry to say Repetitive as hell, and the horrible sound effects gave me sensory overload. All the songs sounded the same, like a 50min long song Oof, no thank you 1 ⭐️

I am convinced these album selections are generated by AI. Far too many hip hop pop up. 👎👎👎

1 - Hip Hop de porquería

I get a lot of heat for not giving hip hop a chance, so I gave this one two spins. The first time I listened really carefully. The second, I used it as background music while I rode a Peloton in our exercise room. I think that’s the listening experience Gang Starr had in mind when they made the album. Sadly, I got nothing from it. Just a guy talking between two-second clips of actual songs that are supposed to make this palatable, presumably to people who don’t know the real songs. Only upside is their sample of The Meters reminded me to toss them on next. After that my evening got real funky.

This is far from my wheelhouse so i applaud the 1001 list for getting me to branch out. Sadly, I didn’t find this album to be particularly inspiring. Guru doesn’t ever seem to be very interested in what he’s doing. Sounds very one-note through the whole thing. And Premier’s beats don’t ever evolve into anything. The sample just repeats over and over until the song lazily fades out (I counted 12 of the 18 songs had fade outs — the worst way to end a song) I was happy to hear the “Up On Cripple Creek” guitar part in “Beyond Comprehension” but then realized I’d rather just be listening to The Band. But the biggest sin has to be the annoying high-pitched ghostly squeal during the verses of “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?”

The lyrics at times were thought provoking, and I thought the beats were well done, but the 4/4 rap on beat thing just sounds soo damned dated now. You can tell this album is an early 90s hip hop album, and I think that 30+ years later that style just doesn't resonate with me.

I understand the appeal to those who enjoy this kind of music, but this style of hip hop isn't for me. That old school "thug" rap just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me of that De La Soul album, and honestly I thought that was better because it was more original than this. I couldn't tell you a song that stood out throughout this whole album.

Horrible. Uneven sound so blasts on occasion. Simply dangerous for hearing (which might be a blessing.) guns and civil disobedience in the videos + gangsta shit. I’m not the target audience for this nonsense.

Somebody steals a bit of music and repeats it. Somebody talks over it. Rinse & repeat. I think I'll go and watch the grass grow as it's easy more exciting.

I have never been a huge fan of hip hop music, I found this album to be long, boring and full of very generic beats with very 90s sounds, like record scratching throughout.

Nope. Doesn’t speak to me

This concept album is clearly the Genesis that people had in mind when calling them an influence on Fish era Marillion - I was only familiar with their earlier albums and with late Phil Collins era. Enjoyed the music but the concept was kind of naff.

this is a very 1990s album of rap. Not for me.

Rap, 1991 -> 1

More musical than most rap... but its still rap !

Not a rap fan

DNF. Please, some variation, I am begging.

No thank you! I can see how this is objectively a good/seminal album, but it's just not for me.

This felt like a chore to get through

no

Boring and simplistic sounding

Getting sick of the.choices

Nicht so gut.

Shit hvað ég fíla ekki þessa tónlist. Ég skil ekki hvað er málið.

Ljóðlestur úr gettóinu undir stolnum tónum - Ekki að heilla mig mikið.

😴😴😴

Fik ikke hørt det færdigt, var lidt for kedeligt

i like the beats and scratching. lyrics so far arent impressive but dont seem overtly negative i of the deep bass pretty weak rhymes. what the heck was "game plan" that was just an annoying track not doing this album any favors. how we take seriously "phony bologna" used unironically "i think she heard my voice already/ you can let her in but i'm cooking spaghetti" there were maybe one or two decent tracks, but the whole album was peppered with corny, low quality rhymes.

Simple listening notes..no words.

Absolute garbage. I listened to the whole thing to be sure.

Best tracks; Enter The Arena, Check the Technique (only because I like the sampled track!) and Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. All a bit samey, hardly any variation in energy or tempo. I sure there is a lot of talent and technical enginuity gone into making these songs from the samples, but it's lost on me completely. Hence only a 1.

I'm gunna tell you a little story about unheard of 90s hip hop duo Gang Starr: NO. I'm so disinterested in this on every level, it’s 18 tracks of inane mediocrity that I do not need right now.

Dull

Listened to the first song and wanted to shoot myself

The sound within each song was incredibly redundant and not particular pleasant to listen to. I don’t really think I’m the right person to rate this genre as I generally don’t care for it, but this album bores me more than other rap/hip hop albums

not my favorite style of music

This is supposed to be an amazing rap album, but it doesn't stand out for me. It just sounds like every other 90's rap album. I'm guessing the lyrics are hard hitting etc, but poetry is not why I listen to music.

What am I missing? Am I having some sort of existential crisis around my inability to understand or appreciate why this is in anyway noteworthy? Seriously, what am I missing? Ok, I've pondered this some more, went back in for another go. So. Every track starts with a sample, a scratch and a beat, between two and four bars. Then in comes that soporific rapping, so low key as to be comatose. Then a scratch, repeat sampled riff. "Listen, listen listen, I'll tell ya, my rhymes are like shelter" Really, gee thanks for that. Like....heavy man....word... What in the name of Allah is supposed to be good about this? Here's a trick, let them get in about 1 minute, then go back 15 seconds etc and discover...it is the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over....again. "The meaning of the name Gang Starr, well I tell you, it means my mind can excel to", ah fuck off!

No, still don’t like hiphop/rap

Stari rep. Ne

Meh... ekkert spes. Mjög einsleitt.

So bad….

Pudo haber estado bien en su momento pero es algo que no perdura en el tiempo.

I maybe would have liked this album 10 years ago when I was more into hip hop, but I am not so much anymore. Rhymes were a bit corny at times too and felt like it was freestyled rather than written.

bleh

Really? A top 1001 album?

The rapping on this album sounded so unenthused it was actually putting me to sleep, and the excessive disc scratching noises were dumb as hell. I also hate when people rap about how good they are at rapping. I honestly kind of checked out half way through this one.

1/5 this went south quickly.

mehh, ég fíla ekki rapp

Rap, hurt my ears ...

Not interested

Er is een muziekstijl waar ik niet lang naar kan luisteren., op enkele uitzonderingen na. Dit album is dat typische voorbeeld van eentonigheid, met een monotone stem en weinig creativiteit in de beats. Als rap eigenlijk zo bedoelt is, dan past het precies binnen mijn belevingswereld en daardoor misschien juist wel een goed album.

Niet mijn smaak. Kale beats, te weinig melodie voor mij.

I am not a big fan of rap. As I have to listen to much to the lirics, as english is not my first language. The message in the music will not come over to me therefore. I think it is a good album but no idea what it is about.

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