{"title":"Gang Starr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGang Starr was an East Coast hip hop duo consisting of the late MC Guru and DJ\/producer DJ Premier. Their unique style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop, helping to pioneer the New York hip hop sound. Founded in 1985 by Keith Elam (then known as Keithy E. The Guru) and DJ 1,2 B-Down (also known as Mike Dee), Gang Starr released several successful singles and albums throughout their career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter splitting in 1989, Guru continued under the name Gang Starr and teamed up with DJ Premier (then known as Waxmaster C). Together, they released their first single \"Words I Manifest\" along with the album No More Mr. Nice Guy in 1989. Their catalog includes highly respected albums such as Step in the Arena (1991), Daily Operation (1992), Hard to Earn (1994), and Moment of Truth (1998).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGang Starr's influence on the music industry is evident through their collaborations with various producers and their track \"Jazz Thing,\" which was featured on Spike Lee's film Mo' Better Blues soundtrack. With a fusion of jazz and hip hop, Gang Starr left a lasting impact on the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"moment-of-truth","title":"Moment Of Truth","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy the release of Moment of Truth in the spring of 1998, Gang Starr were rap veterans, having spent nearly ten years as professionals. That elapsed time meant that the album was positioned as something of a comeback, since the duo had been inactive for four years, and it had been even longer since they had a hit. They knew they had to come back hard, and Moment of Truth almost accomplishes their goals. Retaining the swing of their jazz-rap fusions, Gang Starr nevertheless have their rhythms hit at a street level, and Guru's rhymes are his best in years. It may not have the thrill of discovery that made their first albums so exciting, and it does suffer from a few slow spots, but on the whole it's a successful return.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Virgin","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50411575148875,"sku":"286329","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"3LP - Black","offer_id":58213476204875,"sku":"R3720-8733","price":44.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ecd25da8-22ee-4eb9-acfb-03f2ae0c0a0f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726660203"},{"product_id":"one-of-the-best-yet","title":"One of the Best Yet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGang Starr\u003c\/strong\u003e is undoubtedly one of the most revered, beloved, and influential groups in Hip Hop. Over the course of their distinguished career, they became a cultural institution and a brand you could ultimately trust. With a handful of indelible classic albums on their resume, DJ Premier and Guru’s catalogue has not only persevered but mastered the test of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSimply, \u003cem\u003eOne Of The Best Yet\u003c\/em\u003e is many things. Yes, it’s the first new Gang Starr album in sixteen years and it is a historic event to be celebrated and rejoiced, but it symbolizes much more than that. \u003cem\u003eOne Of The Best Yet\u003c\/em\u003e further cements Gang Starr’s legacy. This literal gift of an album not only harkens you back to Gang Starr’s seminal work of the past, but it re-establishes their impact in a modern-day perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlbum includes guest spots from: M.O.P \/ Q-Tip \/ Royce da 5’9” \/ Jeru The Damaja \/ J. Cole \/ Ne-Yo \/ Nitty Scott \/ Talib Kweli \/ Big Shug \/ Freddie Foxxx.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50465261388107,"sku":"1079007","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50465261158731,"sku":"1079006","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4895448d-7d50-457f-bae9-9b53341d2f9c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727284235"},{"product_id":"hard-to-earn","title":"Hard To Earn","description":"\u003cp\u003eGang Starr came out hard on their 1994 album, \u003ci\u003eHard to Earn\u003c\/i\u003e, an album notably different from its two predecessors: \u003ci\u003eStep in\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ethe Arena\u003c\/i\u003e (1991) and \u003ci\u003eDaily Operation\u003c\/i\u003e (1992). While those two classic albums garnered tremendous praise for their thoughtful lyrics and jazzy beats, \u003ci\u003eHard to Earn\u003c\/i\u003e seems much more reactionary, especially its lyrics. Guru opens the album with a tough, dismissive spoken-word intro: \"Yo, all you kids want to get on and sh*t\/Just remember this\/This sh*t ain't easy\/If you ain't got it, you ain't got it, motherf*cker.\" While this sense of superiority is undoubtedly a long-running convention of not just East Coast rap but rap in general, you don't expect to hear it coming from Gang Starr, particularly with such a bitter tone. Yet this attitude pervades throughout Hard to Earn. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe best moments on \u003ci\u003eHard to Earn\u003c\/i\u003e aren't these songs but instead \"Code of the Streets\" and \"Tonz 'O' Gunz,\" two songs where Guru offers the type of social commentary that made Gang Starr so admirable in the first place. Yet, even though Hard to Earn is a bit short on such thoughtful moments, instead weighed down a bit with harsh attitude, it does offer some of DJ Premier's best productions ever. He's clearly at -- or, at least, near -- his best here. There isn't a song on the album that's a throwaway, and even the interludes are stunning. Given the subtly bitter tone of this album, it perhaps wasn't surprising then that Guru and Premier took some time to pursue solo opportunities after Hard to Earn. You can sense the duo's frustration with the rap scene circa 1994. The two didn't return with another Gang Starr album until four years later when they dropped Moment of Truth, a succinct comeback album that reaffirmed their status as one of New York's most thoughtful and artistic rap acts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooltempo","offers":[{"title":"LPx2","offer_id":50480642130251,"sku":"286330","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50480641835339,"sku":"286327","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3eef4fb4-2d48-49f0-a532-da08c1373c25_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727524503"},{"product_id":"step-in-the-arena","title":"Step In The Arena","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGang Starr's\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eStep in the Arena\u003c\/em\u003e is their second studio album, commercially released on January 15, 1991. The album reflects the unique combination of inner-city upbringing and college education that both members share.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGang Starr\u003c\/strong\u003e successfully achieves the perfect balance of intellect and street credibility on this album, showcasing a sound that is harder than typical hard-core hip-hop, more experimental than \"\u003cem\u003eexperimental hip-hop\u003c\/em\u003e,\" and funkier than 99.9 percent of mainstream rap's party jam output.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis release is a 2LP - Double 180 Gram Vinyl, making it a must-have for any true hip hop fan. Don't miss out on adding this classic album to your collection!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"UMC","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50480849846603,"sku":"295645","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50480850338123,"sku":"1066903","price":42.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0c8cc280-0dd1-478d-bec2-668644eab860_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727528511"},{"product_id":"no-more-mr-nice-guy","title":"No More Mr. Nice Guy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"​Released in the spring of 1989, Gang Starr’s debut album, No More Mr. Nice Guy, arrived right at the crucial intersection of the old school and golden age of New York rap. You cannot begin to discuss New York rap lineage without drawing a line through the first decade of Gang Starr. Should history be corrected to appropriately acknowledge Gang Starr’s influence and brilliance, it will need an origin story. No More Mr. Nice Guy is that saga. It’s a hard ridge in a changing landscape, the sound of everything shifting, the kernel of greatness germinating. It is Guru and Preemo. Preemo and Guru. An essential title not just for what it would lead to, but because of what it is.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vinyl Me Please","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50495746703691,"sku":"2225096","price":42.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_2a6f8e4e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727714191"},{"product_id":"jazz-thing","title":"Jazz Thing","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith the original UK 7\" of this release now as rare as hen's teeth, and with the group having recently 'reformed' for one last album together, the \u003cstrong\u003eMr Bongo\u003c\/strong\u003e replica re-release of this 1990 masterpiece by \u003cstrong\u003eGang Starr\u003c\/strong\u003e couldn't be more timely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe now-legendary duo of DJ Premier and Guru dropped this at the height of hip-hop's sampling of jazz, which had led to a creative leap forward for the genre. Yet while others plundered in the dark, this instant classic wore its influences on its sleeve and paid verbal homage to the musicians they were sampling. The \"melodious funk\" of \"\u003cem\u003eThelonious Monk\u003c\/em\u003e\" gets namechecked, while the track samples two of his records, including 1958's Bop gem Light Blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile both versions presented here have common elements, the 'Movie Mix' – so-named for the song's appearance on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's mythic jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues – goes in a few different directions to the 'Video Mix'. Rather than just drop in an instrumental for the B-side, DJ Premier instead shows his versatility by switching up the base track (Kool and The Gang's 1971 Dujii) and layering in other samples. In more ways than one, his virtuosity here echoes the improvisation of a jazz musician, akin to Denzel Washington's Bleak in the movie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, he's not the only show in town. The late Guru's voice is as mellifluous as an instrument itself here, his potted history of the genre and the artists of jazz delivered with his own unmistakable cadence. Without this record, would he have gone on to make his 'Jazzmatazz' projects.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mr Bongo","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50870074868043,"sku":"1089841","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/afcddccd-f6ba-416b-89e5-76cb8e1f3c93_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732159359"},{"product_id":"daily-operation","title":"Daily Operation","description":"\u003cp\u003eback in stock. few groups in hip-hop have remained as consistent as gang starr, much of whose product is regarded as having classic or near-classic status. daily operation is another such collection. gang starr's mc guru paired up with super-producer dj premier in the late '80s; heads began turning with their first smash, no more mr. nice guy's \"manifest\", in 1989. daily operation is an unparalleled blend of street-smart rhythm and carefully woven jazz samples. guru is at the top of his game, sharing his social insights with a generous helping of street knowledge and wit. tracks like \"much too much\" and \"take it personal\" illustrate the duo's hit-making formula, as does \"i'm the man\" a collaboration which introduces gang starr foundation members jeru the damaja, and li'l dap of group home. daily operation amply illustrates gang starr's importance in the history of hip-hop.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50922152329547,"sku":"286328","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3502f66e-2b6f-486e-89f1-1652ba45bcb6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1733210326"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_536aae50_thumbnail_4096_d4eccf2d-7be4-4546-a75c-cb4da41e03ea.jpg?v=1726660182","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/gang-starr.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}