Step In The Arena

Not a fan of Gangster rap. Lyrics were clean which is interesting.

This was cool, but definitely worked better on the tracks with fuller or funkier beats, otherwise his monotonous flow fell flat

I’m not sold on these cats. They were influential on the East Coast rap scene, and in some ways, directly responsible for Wu-Tang Clan. There is a hardcore thread running through this record that definitely shows up in future artists. They had some sick rhymes with lyrical substance, but it never really gets cooking on the album. It’s reminiscent of ATCQ, but with none of the excitement or verve. It’s just kind of…there. (7/10) FT: Step in the Arena, Execution of a Chump

It was good to hear another side of hip-hop's golden age with this album. It may have seemed repetitive and a bit of a mixed bag at first, but there's a lot I found myself enjoying across the record. DJ Premier and Guru make a strong partnership, allowing each other's contributions to shine with no features. Guru's vocals are mellow, laid-back, setting a warm tone against Premier's even warmer, groove-laden sampling. My impression is that this is easy listening by hip-hop standards- no abrasive production, no aggressive vocals or violent and misogynistic lyrics. A Tribe Called Quest are the closest peer I can draw from my (limited) hip-hop knowledge, but for a relative beginner to the genre, it's ideal. The stage is set from the stand-out title track, and from there the sampling draws from some classic funk and soul, introducing me to some great tracks I hadn't heard before. In particular, the dramatic orchestral sample on "Check the Technique" (Marlena Shaw- "California Soul") and the sunsoaked brass and keyboard riff in "Lovesick" (Delfonics- "Trying to Make a Fool of Me") have pointed me towards songs I enjoyed more than anything on this album. The lyrics seem fairly repetitive- Guru repeatedly casts himself as an intellectual outsider, and laments hip-hop's downfall to commercialisation and violent lifestyles. It's an interesting perspective but feels like it's been covered after three tracks- maybe I just need to hear the lyrics more. It may not show much variation, and isn't always dynamic or upbeat enough to jump around to, but nonetheless I quickly found myself on my third listen, bobbing along to "Who's Gonna Take The Weight." At the very least, this is strong background music and it's also certainly one of the smoothest, most considered hip-hop albums I've heard.

Strong album, I'd listen again!

Hip hop with a purpose. Lyrically sound - good beats. Fun to listen to. Can definitely hear their influence in a lot of later hip hop. Only a few songs didn’t age as well because of that early 90’s “starter jacket” type feel. (Not that it’s a bad thing - just sounds dated today) Fave tracks: “Check The Technique” “Step In The Arena”

My kind of hip hop. Mellow

Some classic beats here. Guru's flow can occasionally be a little simplistic and one note, but I enjoyed it more often than not. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Check The Technique", "Take A Rest"

10/19 Smooth beats matched with superb storytelling and sharp lyricism. Standout Tracks: Execution of a Chump, Beyond Comprehension, Lovesick, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Just To Get a Rep, Precisely the Right Rhymes, The Meaning of the Name

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

The prototype for 90s group gangster rap. Smoother than NWA but harder than west coast G funk, it's super awesome.

Very cool hip hop album. Not perfect, but it's a fun classic rap album

Like most 90s rap, hasn’t aged well

Not a huge rap fan but this wasn’t bad.

This was enjoyable.

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 shit 4

3 stars. It’s good, but kind of basic 90s hip hop

good shit, really nice production and fun lyrics. i’ll give it a 7/10, overall just really cool.

Nice chill old-school rap album

Liked this. Listened to a couple of times since, Just To Get A Rep is the best song on it.

Good rap is still rap.

Decent and I surprisingly enjoyed this

(Old S)Cool & the Gang

// Favs: Check The Technique Score: Decent 3

Not interested

Not my kind of music 😞

ЧТО: Второй студийный альбом хип-хоп дуэта из Бруклина. Признанная классика хип-хопа. Группа, каждый альбом которой продавался многомиллионными тиражами. КАКОЙ: Классический хип-хоп из 90-х. Много джаза, ритм-н-блюза, фанка и соула в сэмплах. Мелодичный ярко выраженный бас. Развитая техника сэмплирования. Я уловил только очевидное (например, сэмпл из Rapper’s Delight), уверен, там очень много всего. Чувствуется, что Gang Starr с Восточного берега. Они сочетают африканскую музыку с танцевальной, подхватывая свой уникальный стиль. Получился мягкий джаз-рэп времён расцвета американского хип-хоп олдскула, который заметно контрастирует с жёсткими остросоциальными мотивами в творчестве их, если так можно сказать, коллег: Public Enemy и Run-D.M.C. Довольно революционно звучит интерлюдия посреди альбома. Это сейчас их стали пихать когда можно и когда нельзя. В то время это было редкостью. О ЧЕМ: Лирика альбома, естественно, не обходится без сторителлинга. Альбом полон рассказов о женщинах, трудностях жизни чёрного человека в Америке, о религии. Важная тема - мастерство исполнителей. Они доказывают, что лучше всех управляются на битах. Об этом свидетельствует и название. DJ Premier и Guru предлагают всем, кто их критикует, выйти с ними на арену и разобраться. На Check the technique они советуют их соперникам в игре (как бы это не звучало) поработать над своей техникой, чтобы быть с участниками Gang Starr на одном ринге. Это те основы, без которых не обходится хип-хоп. Это базис хип-хоп культуры как образа жизни и принципа творчества. Это не мои выдумки; а то, что говорят об этом классические исполнители и преданные слушатели этой музыки. ИТОГ: Замечательный хип-хоп альбом. Повлиял на звук многих современных рэперов. Обильное использование джаза и интерлюдии - то, что стало можно значительно позже. Это альбом-заявление, который начинается с того, что участники дуэта представляются. Они не собираются прятаться и готовы доказать, что лучшие в игре (ещё раз извиняюсь за слово «игра» в этом контексте). Альбом не зря назван классикой хип-хопа.

Very much in the vain of de la soul, enjoyed

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.

clean and unique sound. coulda done without a few filler songs. excellently produced. enjoyable good 90s hip hop 😈

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.

August 11, 2021 (Aug 20) Not bad but I personally found it a little bland.

Riiktigt bra. Dock för långt

good rap

Couldn’t get into this. I heard a lot of samples that I know I’ve heard elsewhere, these guys probably were first. I don’t know why I didn’t like this, seemed odd cadence and somewhat low energy. Still better than a lot of modern style.

5/5 - Forever Dope

I don't think anything Guru touches could be less than a 5. Absolutely love GangStarr and Guru is one of the best MCs of all time. 5/5

Hugely influential. Some of the rhymes didn't age super well, but the influence on subsequent hip hop duos is clear. Best track: Just to Get a Rep

Ohhhh Shit, Gang Starr 4 Life!!!!

Super album! Echt een aanrader wat mij betreft. Lekker oldschool met goede beats.

Oh the longing for Mozart this album causes .....

More intersting than most hiphop albums, but pretty boring.

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.

Classic Hiphop.

Niet mijn kopje thee, maar door de pure eenvoud van de muziek pakt het me stiekem toch. Ik zal het niet gauw zelf opzetten, maar waardeer het toch met 4 sterren omdat ik wel kan horen hoe goed het is

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

Good album. I liked all the songs except 'Love Sick' (and even that one was ok). I can see myself listening to this again, now just to decide between 3 and 4 stars...

RIP Guru Don’t skip Execution of a Chump

Not my style

DJ Premier!!! Super smooth old skool hip hop, very very good

Äntligen hip-hop!!! Typiskt old-school hiphopalbum, med långsamma beats och snabb rap i verserna, med samplade rader och record scratches i refrängerna. Välluttänkta verser, främst om hur Guru lyriskt mördar den andra MC:n. Lovesick (Dylan inspirerad??) behandlar hur berättarjaget har svårigheter i sin relation på ett mycket skickligt sätt rent textmässigt. Efter lite research verkar många hiphopheads hålla detta som Gang Starrs tredje eller fjärde bästa album, typ, vilket lovar väldigt mycket om resten av deras diskografi! Sammantaget ett väldigt bra, klassiskt hiphopalbum. DJ Premier med felfria beats som Guru rappar över med ett naturligt flow. Bästa låt: Just to Get a Rep.

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

Really good instrumentals throughout. Some really great scratching as well, however, overall lacking in hooks and too similarly paced. Take a Rest/As I Read My S-A adds a much needed injection of pace but for the most part it feels like each song just blends into the next. Vocal cadence/flow very similar throughout as well and unfortunately rarely gripped me.

Alright album. Lyrically it’s above average. Beats are true to the 90s and only a couple songs stand out. Mostly it’s a standard 90s rap album. 6.5/10

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.

Very well made, great poetic lyrics. Quite repetitive on a full play through. “Love Sick” and “Take a Rest” are the standouts for me

Need to make a Playlist with Gangstarr and Aesop Rock.

Rap is just not for me.

Solid hip-hop. Lyrics along the lines of "Watch me rap better than you" which I prefer to the "I'm going to kill you" vibe. Samples were catchy but repetitive within a track.

This album sounds like it must have been innovative at the time, and clearly Gang Starr is extremely talented. But it was not really our thing.

-Seems like a step between early rap and more modern rap, with slightly more complex rhyme schemes than old school rap -"Lovesick" stood out as the best track -"Step In The Arena," "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," and "What You Want This Time?" were pretty solid

Great album. I enjoyed it and will listen again.

Very cool and chilled. Great lyrics, great beats. That said, like a lot of hip hop I find it's in one ear, out the other, but that's just me. I don' think I really pay enough attention to it.

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

Wow, the lyricism and flow are amazing. I think Check the Technique or Lovesick was my favorite, but honestly I enjoyed every track. I will be purchasing this and adding it to my collection :)

Typical gang starr. Beats cah get repetitive but there are some good ones.

Very consistent album filled with some nice beats and some good lyrical flow

nice start. *takes notes* apparently the dj's name is premier and this dude's the guru. well so far it's exactly what i expected from the intro + year this came out. i like this well enough. i'm on song 3 and i'm bored already help. 'you puny protozoa'. this whole song is too much. he's not like the other rappers. 'strangely enough i've been struck, affected by her smile' lmao. it's a short thing but my fave track was 'say your prayers'. other than that one i liked 'precisely the right rhymes'. i'm most likely not coming back to this record but his lyrics were fun, the music was boring though. 2.5.

Old school hip hop at its finest

Relaxing

really decent rap album. Enjoyed some of the lyrics, better than an average rap in my estimation, but generally I am not into rap.

Background music

Classic Guru rhymes on dusty premier beats. You can't go wrong with this pairing. Nothing especially stood out on this ablum, and it is hard to rate it higher when I think of the other work these two did.

Never listened to it all the way through, very 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

Нормальная тема, хоть ни в одну тему особо и не залип. Особенно удачным показался второй трек. Флоу бодрый, но не слишком харизматишный или технишный. Думаю, продукт своего времени, для которого было збс. Ныне немного скушновато. Но эстетикой олдскула норм веет, понадобилось бы - спиздил бит.

ух ты нихуя себе реп хз почему этот альбом сунули, он самый слабый т.к. самый первый да и 91й год это ж пиздец базовый уровень. слышно прям явно как все реперы того времени вдохновлялись ракимом - тематика без особой жести, слабенькие панчи про то какой я КРУТОЙ, а вы ФУФЛО максимально поверхностные, за такие щас засмеют. хотя на то время это было пиздец прорывом и потом лет 5 все так и звучали. строчки с плотно уложенным текстом на всю длину такта и иногда выходящие на новую строку тоже отличительная черта. про биточки уж че и говорить, два прихлопа да погнали зато сигнатурный скретчинг премьера в первозданном виде кек вместо этого альбома лучше б 1998 Moment of Truth включили, раз уж репа тут так мало рип гуру хули

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

No connection whatsoever.

Again, one song, but it's a bloody good one! Must have been hugely different from other rap when it was released.

DJ Premiere is the be of the greatest producers of all time and Guru is a great MC but there are better Gangstarr albums.

Liked it

Really nice hip hop album, very chill

Not my thing.. Very repetitive..

Cool beats

Ah 90s hip-hop, feels like a distant paradise in a sea of mumble-bumble bollocks. I'm not saying there isn't a time and a place for mumble rap, it just doesn't fit into my schedule very often. Anyway... Step In The Arena was an album that gave me a brilliant feeling. I love the old school beats and the old school everything to be honest. Only reason it isn't getting higher is due to the album not having any absolute stand out tunes on there for me. I liked Step In The Arena but generally, this is an album full of pretty good tunes. I'm loving it more for the vibe.

Meh. The problem with 90's hiphop is that we have Kendrick Lamar now and he is the King.

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.

Had three listens. I do really like it, but... BAD THINGS: I never pay any attention to actual lyrics (besides the enunciation of individual phrases) and that's the main appeal of rap music, so I'm unlikely to ever score hip-hop a high mark because my brain just ignores all the best features of this music. Hopefully I can get out of that trap over time. GOOD THINGS: Great style, love the brass and guitar samples making it all jazzy, and all the basslines are incredibly groovy. I like that the lyrical content isn't so vulgar like in some hip-hop, but the lyrics are delivered in a very assertive manner which comes across well. FAVOURITE TRACKS: "Take A Rear", "Who's Gonna Take The Weight", and "Step in the Arena".

Good, but not for me.

Enjoyed this, not listened to these two before though I've heard of Premier. Good 3*

90's East Coast Hip Hop, yes please

Good album. It is the sort of hip hop I like.

Decent grooves.

Not usually my kind of tunes, but surprisingly enjoyed this. Witty rhymes and lyrics that are actually interesting and I also really liked the music. Cool strings/ brass and piano up in there. Getting Diggable/ tribe called Q vibes. *who's gonna take the weight, beyond comprehension, Check the technique, as I read my S-A

Not quite sure how these guys had passed me by until now. Coming to it 30 years late it obviously sounds pretty old school but you can see the influence they had on loads of people who came after them, including some of my favourite artists like Jurassic 5. Enjoyed it, but probably enjoy what it led to more.

A revelation - really enjoyable

Nearly a five after a couple of listens, laid back rap, like Erik b and rakim

My favorite type of hip hop

GANG STARR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ayy I've listened to this one before. Big Mos Def vibes but not as good

3.3 - Classic old school hip hop sound. Sunny, poppy, "conscious." Some corny rhymes here and there, but overall there's plenty to like.

5.5

Old school hip hop. It might be key record back in the day, now it sounds dated and not special...

„But yo I don`t look for hassles, my rhymes are like castles“ Gang Starr‘s soft power ist so heilsam genrefern, dabei stark und mit ordentlich Rückgrat gegenüber „the weak stuff you heard from those creampuffs“. Und wie ausgeglichen, gar aus männlicher Sicht feministisch „Lovesick“ mit toxischer Eifersucht umgeht, hab ich im US Rap auch noch nie gehört. Die Beats wirken anfangs altbacken, nehmen mit der Dauer an Schärfe zu, bleiben aber lässig und manche bass line könnten die Beastie Boys eingeschnürt haben, wie im ohnehin handwerklich großartigen „Take A Rest“. Sanftmütige 4.1

Was für einen Unterschied Kopfhörer machen können! Zuerst dieses Juwel über Boxen und nicht besonders laut gehört - ganz nice, aber nun wirklich nicht aufregend. Hörte man bisschen so weg. Dann am späteren Abend noch mal mit - basstarken - Headphones, und oh my God: Primo, das biste ja! Dichte Samples, aber knochentrocken und locker gestreut, luftig, reduziert und (rate mal ...) jazzy. Schon fast jeepig, aber andererseits wahnsinnig kultiviert. Gurus Rapstyle - ja, das machte man damals so, mit dem Preaching und der Berichterstattung und der Consciousness. Vielleicht heute bisschen dated (im Gegensatz zu Premiers wirklich immer freshen Beats), aber trotzdem I like it. Wirklich schöne (wieder-)Entdeckung!

This is old-school rap at its finest, plenty of great classic soul/funk loops and thoughtful rhymes.

“Step in the Arena” by Gang Starr (1991) Never heard the album or this duo, and my familiarity with the hip hop genre is quite limited. Musically, the producer in the duo, DJ Premier, puts together a fine background, providing solid rhythms and scratching, with some tentative forays into sampling. I’m sure this was innovative in 1991, and likely very influential, but it doesn’t seem to stand the ‘test of time’. Guru’s voice lacks expressive range, and in rapid phrases he frequently mumbles to retain the tempo. His tone is subdued, letting the startling nature of the words carry the artistic freight. That’s appealing. In terms of meaning, his lyrics are marked by self absorbed boastfulness, with an expansive range of metaphors from gladiators to those who covet luxury vehicles. It’s illustrated in the title track, “Step in the Arena”, which compares rap competition to lethal one-on-one combat. But the lethality serves no goal other than entertainment. There’s no consideration of the moral standing of the purveyors and consumers of these nihilistic spectacles. The meaning is “I’m the best” and that is to your detriment. He seems to want his listeners to want to adopt the same attitude. Here’s a significant line indicating that he is aware, even in 1990, that the rap/hip hop world was overpopulated with junk: “Abreast of the best in this rap mess Oversaturated market full of wackness” There is a form of intellect on display here. Skillful use of internal rhyme and other poetic devices without being mechanical. This is not doggerel. Plus, Guru is a keen observer of his culture. In “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?”, Guru advances key themes of the message of the Nation of Islam. After an opening sample of a couple of lines from Malcolm X, Guru declaims, “I was raised like a Muslim”, which is highly unlikely, given his solid middle class background, but the selective appropriation of NOI themes continues. Ultimately the lyric lacks persuasiveness, chiefly because it is so self focused. Guru needs to enter the heart of the listener. These lyrics generally lack drama. There’s plenty of violence, and elaborate imagery, but little storytelling, redemption, conflict resolution, or artistic closure. It’s simply a catalogue of unanswered questions and unsolved problems (unless the answers and solutions boil down to “give everything to me”). The poetry usually evokes little emotion other than pity and perhaps fear. The one grand exception to this bleak assessment is the track “Just to Get a Rep”. It tells a powerful tale of a man who unnecessarily uses lethal force on a victim merely to enhance his own reputation. The victim recovers and returns to kill him, also motivated by the desire “just to get a rep” (reputation). The poetic composition powerfully invites the listener to consider whether it’s worth it. Of course it’s not. But one wonders how many listeners were persuaded in that direction. Not the greatest hip hop, in my admittedly limited experience. 2/5

Hip hop

Hip-hop rap. Rollo. Sin más.

Ganstar rap is exactly what it is: old school rap. Not particularly great, but not bad either

I really enjoy this era of hip hop. Arrested Development, Public Enemy, De La then prearranging taste of music to come in the following years.

Loving the cool flavour and rhythm of this album! I have heard some tunes by Gang Starr before, but totally forgot about these guys. The first full Step In The Arena listen was a lot of fun chillin' in the crib, and then kickin' it a 2nd time in the car on an hour drive to hike in the woods was smooth as well. Banjo was salivating on that drive, so I assume he was diggin' too. The song Take A Rest represents most what I am enjoying from this record. Thanks dudes, it was refreshment after the desert of yesterday's album!

Liking the low-key delivery and presentation; this drink goes down smooth. 6/10

A little too long for this early 90s style, but I really enjoyed this album. Jazz beats and great wordplay make this a great departure from the previous hip hop we’ve listened to.

Some of the smoothest rhymes and rhythms I've ever heard. This album has aged like a fine wine. I imagine it was considered rather intense when it came out, but in the rearview, it is so mellow and enjoyable. I never wanted it to end.

I think I have learned from this challenge that I like hip hop! I guess I also associated rap with like Snoop Dog and 50 Cent and PDiddy and whatever was in the 90s/00s charts which was really shite. This though- there's great beats in this, love the 90s sound, dunno the right terms but like the sampling and scratching. The rapping is pretty chill and smoothly rhythmic, lulling and poetic.

AWESOME. consistent and complete hip hop album

Solid rap and beets. I wasn’t wowed by anything.

and, for whatever reason, i liked this one way more than Ready To Die, which was yesterday's pick. just felt right

I think I like early rap better than late 90s and 2000s rap. I think it had a different sound and purpose. And I think my own feelings of “I don’t like rap” from that time period were probably colored by my influences.

Perfect! Brings me back to my love of hip hop. The rhymes and rhythms created by the rappers’ deliveries is east coast at its finest!

4 stars

Consistently great, classic, sample-heavy production from DJ Premier. Guru is a solid rapper, but ESPECIALLY in this early album, it's a lot of early, not-very-interesting cliched styles.

eh, decent content subpar rapping

90s hip hop will always have a special place in my heart. It may not be for everyone, but this album demonstrates both great 90s hip hop production from DJ Premier, and great lyricism from Guru, in a collaboration that has gone on to be considered among the best for it's time, and onwards too, considering the latest releases from Gang Starr (posthumously from Guru). I have never heard this debut album, but I see why Gang Starr became so popular. This has everything you want out of that era, the jazzy samples, the social commentary topics, the little humorous skits, and the real chemistry that both artists demonstrate working together. The only reason I wouldn't give this a 5/5 is because I prefer other albums from that time (Tribe Called Quest do this all better IMO) but it's still fantastic.

DJ Premiere! Otherwise, sure it’s pretty good.

Incredible. End to end amazing vocals lyrics and production. Love it.

It's rap and nothing special

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.

That bell sound is back on Say Your Prayer, fucking love that little bell. This was a 3 until I read that all this is produced with two turntables. The production was getting a bit repetitive but if all they're working with is samples on a turntables then fair enough. His rhymes are a bit cheesy at times but all up pretty sick.

Some good beats and classic messages

Too good for my taste & patience I think.

Fav Song: Check the Technique

For lange sanger

Enjoyed this one more than some of the other 90s hip hop. Lyrically strong without unnecessary excessive profanity. I'm trying to focus more on the lyrical quality of this genre to help me enjoy it more.

Really great album that flies under the radar! This is up there with Eric B and Rakim, but might actually be better! Great flow, and hits hard.

Really enjoyed this album. Need to revisit it again!

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

A great rap album from the early 90s.

Good lyrics, not my favorite delivery. Beats are okay, “softer” than most rap from the time.

Another great album that is outside of my normal wheelhouse. I'm not sure which school of hip hop this one falls in, but I like it. Would definitely listen again. 4 stars.

Great early rap album.

Don't normally listen to hip hop but this was enjoyable.

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

Some of the most solid roots of all good hip hop

Aika joutava levy. Ei jäänyt mieleen...

This is amazing. I love the musicality of this album. The production does have an 80's vibe but not in the synth way that I usually think of 80's music. I will be listening to this again for sure.

This is one of the most important hiphop albums ever produced even though a lot of folks outside of the scene haven't heard of it. In a time when hiphop was fracturing and trying desperately to find out what it was and what it could be, Gang Starr brought heavy, intellectual, clever lyrics over deeply funky boom-bap beats. The influence of this album can be felt in modern artists like The Roots, Sho Baraka, Nappy Roots, and Blackalicious. Musical significance aside, it's just real damn good. Just DAMN good. An absolute pleasure to listen to.

Melko solidia old schoolia

This is the finest example of old-school hip-hop I've heard yet. The sound is clearly indebted to the East Coast, and while there's not as much Southern innovation as say, Outkast, touches exist. The production and turntablism is insanely good. The flows are all relatively familiar ones from the era, but they're convincing and use enough tempo and theme variation to remain fresh.

3.5 kind of repetitive but not a bad listen. i like "love sick"

Nothing other than production stood out to me

...

Old skool rap

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.

Probably prefer Moment Of Truth but man, this is some great stuff. Just To Get A Rep is up there with the best they've done.

More song I knew than I realised! Good chilled out early hip hop!