Gang Starr

More succinct in focus and theme than previous Gang Starr albums, Hard to Earn may be the group's crowning achievement. Premier has all but abandoned the jazz overtones of previous albums and is focusing on finely chopped samples reconstructed as whirring, claustrophobic funk. Guru's meandering overtly political raps have fallen by the wayside. Instead, Guru focuses on his competition -- or lack thereof -- on "Mass Appeal" and ""Suckas Need Bodyguards." Hip-hop's Moses has descended the mountain, and now he's taking names and whupping ass. Rap would never be the same.

The two-man Gang Starr crew, DJ Premier and Guru, has gotten lumped into the jazz-rap
category – back in '89 it was the first to pair hard bop with cool hop – but it has since
avoided becoming a slave to that one rhythm. Despite the hype, Gang Starr have used many
different forms of black noize to express themselves like no one else. Hard to Earn is the
group's fourth album. It's a boom-boom-static revelation that bops cool and confi... More >