Album of the Week #26: Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
This is Album of the Week #26 ~ This week's album is Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
Year of Release: 1998
Genre(s): East Coast Hip Hop, Boom Bap
Country: United States
Length: 78 minutes
RYM | Listen!
Excerpt from Albumism:
Instead, the crew thrived, slightly updating its sound, but remaining true to its roots. While the music was more melodic and a bit cleaner, the soul of the group remained intact. If anything, as Guru says to open the album, both the rhyme style and the style of beats are “elevated.” Behind the boards, Primo runs a clinic in hip-hop production, showcasing his superior sample chopping skills. Guru turned in the best lyrical performance of his career, and honestly one of the best lyrical performances of the past quarter-century. He even produced a pair of tracks on the album, the first time he had received the sole production credit on a Gang Starr album.
Discussion points:
Have you heard this artist/album before? Is this your first time hearing?
Do you enjoy this genre? Is this an album you would have chosen?
Does this album remind you of something you've heard before?
What were the album's strengths or weaknesses?
Was there a standout track for you?
How did you hear the album? Where were you? What was your setup?
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This was a hip hop album I put off listening to for a long time because of its long tracklist and monstrous album art (which, to be fair, does has a kind of cheesy old-school hip hop appeal). It immediately cemented itself as one of my favourite albums, and was kicking myself I hadn't heard it sooner.
I've cooled on it a little since, but I still think it's a centre-piece of the genre, and a pretty good entry point. I think it sits in this weird middle ground just before the turn of the century, where it doesn't quite feel like an old-school record (like Illmatic, The Infamous, Low End Theory) but it's also is just hitting that wave of more crisp, soulful and instrumental production, along with more free-flowing verses, that was eventually heard on albums like 'The Blueprint', 'Black on Both Sides' or 'Like Water For Chocolate'. Truth be told, I'm usually in the mood for one or the other.
But still, this is 20 tracks long and almost feels like it could be a greatest-hits compilation. This might not contain all of Preemo's best work, but it's a brilliant insight into his style. Pretty much every beat here is infectious and melodic, with still a whole lot of punch that keeps it strictly boom bap. To this day I've not heard anything quite like the sample mixing on Robbin Hood Theory.
And Guru? I love Guru, and I think the best compliment I can give is that he's consistent. The title-track here is still one of my favourite songs, and one that got me through a lot of tough times. I find Guru's words from this song repeat through my head often, namely
And sometimes
Along with the sweeping strings - it's an unusually vulnerable song for the time which helps it stand apart as the strongest here.
For some reason, and I have a hard time putting it into words why, I can’t really enjoy Guru. I own some albums, so it’s not like I haven’t tried. But there is something missing in his music, and maybe I’ll be able to figure out what through your post.
A bit of background: my love for hip hop started with De La Soul. After a couple of years of finding more music that I enjoyed, it turned out the Native Tongues was a big part of my music collection. I always feel like Guru is, in a way, close to the Native Tongue groups, and I should therefore enjoy his music too. But some element is missing in his music. Maybe his music is too clean for me, or maybe he’s missing some rough egde I enjoy.
I’m curious if you can make anything of this rambling. I’ll try to listen to this album again tomorrow.
They were both pioneering jazz rap in NYC alongside one another, but my understanding is they came from pretty different places which gives their output very different vibes. Gang Starr has a fair amount of Gangsta and Hardcore in its DNA, where Native Tongues is more playful, with more callbacks to the 60s/70s.
Guru is pretty humourless, and Preemo's beats are usually razor sharp - total opposite of De La Soul or Tribe. I don't know if it's a 'rough edge' that's missing, but Gang Starr can be a little clinical in comparison. Arguably Gang Starr might be seen as having the edgier sound, with Native Tongues often dealing with being accused of being 'soft' at the time.
Curious what your thoughts (if any) on The Pharcyde are? They've definitely got that playful sound as well as edge.
The Pharcyde was definitely one of my favorite groups in the nineties. The beats are great and I got a good chuckle out of a lot of the themes/lyrics.
So I found out I gravitate more towards certain producers than I do to rappers with good lyrics. 9th Wonder, the Alchemist, of course Dilla and many others are TOTALLY my jam. I didn't know this until I finally figured it out with Dilla. Then I started to see patterns in the music I love.
The other thing is rappers with interesting voices. Q-Tip, Brother Ali, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Busta, Skyzoo, Kendrick Lamar, Eazy E, Twista, André 3000, etc. All rappers I LOVE(D). I don't think I'm good at listening to or understanding lyrics, so often when people talk about great rappers, I'm lost. That's just not what clicks with me. It's their sound, the rhythm, their way of playing with rhyme; all those things make me totally psyched about a rapper. And that's where Guru falls short for me: it's too mellow, too straightforward. But I totally understand why other people enjoy it, Gang Starr is definitely a solid duo.
So I gave the album you posted another listen today! It was a good blast of the past. There were definitely songs I had totally forgotten about, songs that are much more up my alley. Thanks for the post, I really enjoy thinking about all this again!