Gang Starr Essentials
15 must-have songs from the influential rap duo.
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Gang Starr Essentials - Three years ago today, April 19, Keith Elam, aka Guru, died after a long struggle with cancer. But rather than dig up the still unclear details of his death, we'd rather celebrate his life — in particular, the incredible, groundbreaking music he made as one half of Gang Starr. With the masterful DJ Premier at his side, Guru created hugely influential rap standards, timeless both in their lasting appeal and in their unchanging devotion to a traditional New York-centric blueprint that many hip hop artists still hedge to faithfully. Click on to see 15 essential, unforgettable Gang Starr classics that still define the duo's lasting legacy. —Alex Gale(Photo: Courtesy Virgin Records)
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"Manifest" - It all started here. Gang Starr's 1989 debut single "Manifest" precedes the hard-edged boom-bap formula they perfected in the decade to follow, but it still proved that this wasn't your typical rapper-DJ combo: Primo's cuts were impeccable, his use of a Charlie Parker sample was well ahead of its time and Guru's gravelly monotone was already finely tuned, perfectly suited for preaching philosophies clearly influenced by the Nation of Gods and Earth.(Photo: Courtesy Wild Pitch Records)
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"Jazz Thing" - "Manifest" gave listeners a glimpse of Gang Starr's jazz-influenced sound, but with "Jazz Thing" the duo went all out, giving listeners a walk through music history and explaining how it lives on through hip hop. Gang Starr's cross-genre fusion was a huge influence on later efforts by Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest and countless others. (Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Just to Get a Rep" - "Just to Get a Rep," the first single from the Gang's sophomore LP Step in the Arena, immediately announced they were already moving beyond the conscious raps and jazz samples that put them on the map, hinting at the harder beats and gritty street tales that defined their future work. Premo's use of an obscure sample from French electronic music pioneer Jean Jacques Perry raised the bar for crate diggers everywhere.(Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Who's Gonna Take the Weight" - Guru puts his Five Percenter philosophies on full display with this Step in the Arena banger, perfectly embodying the term "street knowledge." Meanwhile, Preem makes like the Bomb Squad with a mind-numbing siren loop, but then scratches it up with skillful precision, turning the turntable into a true instrument like never before. Nothing short of revolutionary.(Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Take It Personal" - On this 1992 classic, with a sparse piano sample broken up by a hook that somehow turned a phone ringing and hiccup-y scratches into music, Premo discovered the stark soundtrack that best matched Guru's ice-cold delivery. His partner on the mic had clearly moved beyond the uplifting conscious raps of their first two albums, and it was hard to complain with results like this.(Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Ex Girl to the Next Girl" - Guru is at his smoothest on this Daily Operation hit, unveiling his ladies' man persona over an amazing, filtered-out horn loop. Premo, meanwhile, turns an unlikely Chi Ali sample into an unforgettable Technics 1200 solo, proving he's one of the best ever on the turntables, and certainly the most musical.(Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Stay Tuned" - The criminally slept-on closer from 1992's Daily Operation took hip hop to its experimental outer reaches. Guru expertly rides a sparse Primo beat in 6/8, most likely the first hip hop song that wasn't in a traditional 4/4 time signature. (Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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"Mass Appeal" - The first single from 1994's Hard to Earn hit hip hop like a splash of ice water to the face. Over a hypnotizingly monotonous, cascading melody punctuated by an unlikely vocal sample from Da Youngstas, Guru is at his stoic best, warning hip hop of the dangers of the commercialization that was just beginning in earnest.(Photo: Courtesy Virgin Records)
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"Dwyck" - Not only does "Dwyck," the Gang's classic collabo with Nice-N-Smooth, still pack parties almost two decades after its release, but it neatly encapsulates Gang Starr's blue-collar rap philosophy: hard-hitting drums, a muted bassline, masterful cuts and dope rhymes — what else do you need to make a dope hip hop song?(Photo: Courtesy Chrysalis Records)
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