"The real hip hop, MCing and DJing". That line is one of the first you'll hear this week when you listen to Moment of Truth, and it's the reason I picked Gang Starr for your continued hip hop education.The earliest beginnings of rap can be traced back to New York block parties where DJ's would spin disco and dance tracks and confident individuals would grab a microphone and freestyle over those tracks. Freestyle rhyming consisted of anything from bragging about ones sexual prowess to dissing the style of those within arms reach of you. The DJ and the MC is the essence of hip hop as we know it and Gang Starr pioneered what is considered the New York hip hop sound, even though neither of them grew up there.
DJ Premier was born and raised in Houston and G.U.R.U (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) was brought up in a suburb of Boston. Premier handles the production for the group, his beats incorporate scratching of records and what is defined as a boom-bap sound because of the way his programmed bass and snare drums kick. His signature sound is conducive to head-nodding and will get stuck in your head, which is very good thing. G.U.R.U.'s voice is very monotone but smooth, his talent is the ability to eloquently weave lyrics about dangerous urban life with spirituality and positivity. Together they carried the torch passed on to them by the original MC/DJ powerhouse Eric B. & Rakim.
G.U.R.U. and guest MC's M.O.P., Freddie Foxxx, and Scarface deliver violent lyrics at times, but it's only meant to represent the seedy side of poor urban living; which is another important reason I picked Gang Starr this week. I wanted to show how the more streetwise sound of Gang Starr can co-exist with the more conscious minded rhymes of Black Star. In the hip hop universe both are equally as important to the fabric of the culture they represent.
You've already been introduced to Premier's production on the track "Mathematics" from Mos Def's Black On Both Sides. I wanted to quickly point out how G.U.R.U. , who passed away earlier this year from cancer, further bridged the gap between hip hop and jazz with his Jazzmatazz album series. This series of albums helped me to appreciate both genres of music exponentially. Take a second to listen to this song which also features Musictogetherness artist Herbie Hancock, and warm-up to the monotone-style of Bald-head Slick.
required listening - Moment of Truth '98
The title track is probably their finest work ever.
ReplyDeleteFor me, good vs. bad rap is all in the content. In general, there is something about rap that makes me feel like my IQ is diminishing the more I listen to it. Perhaps I just have low self esteem, but I often have a hard time relating to all of the self promotion. What is different about ‘Moment of Truth ‘98’ is the self promotion is more about how they perform at their profession rather than their sexual game or the amount of guns they own. There are several tracks throughout the album which either had positive messages or were rather intelligent in the picture they were painting. ‘Robin Hood Theory’ is the first example of this in how it describes the need for power to be equally spread to everyone. Then there are several other tracks describing their tough childhood settings, which seems to always serve a few purposes. The first is to remind the artist where they came from and help them appreciate where they are today. The second is to let those currently in those settings there is hope. Unfortunately, it seems they only mention the rap or athletic path to success and never staying away from drugs or simply attending school. My problem is every young black man feels success is measured by how many hundred dollar bills you are able to make rain over strippers due to the lyrics and actions of their role models. I think Gang Starr does a good job of staying away from this problem, and tracks like ‘My advice to you’ is as good of an attempt that I have heard. I do have to say GURU’s voice is, as Justin said, smooth and just about all of the lyrics can be found in a dictionary. Premier’s beats are also the, I believe the term is, phattest I have probably ever heard. Each and every track stands out from the prior one, but all reach the same bar. ‘BI vs. Friendship’, ‘The Mall’ and ‘It’z a setup’ were my least favorites, while ‘Above the Clouds’, ‘Make Em Pray’ and ‘The Militia’ were my favorites.
ReplyDeleteGiven I had low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Despite several attempts thus far, I think my lack of rhythm will always prevent me from getting into the hip hop game.
Like Justin said in his original post, Gang Starr carried on the tradition of Eric B. & Rakim...with the combination of a groundbreaking producer and a monotone-flowing, amazing MC. DJ Premier is most likely the greatest producer in the history of hip-hop (Kanye's giving him a run for his money though, in my opinion), and Guru fit his sound perfectly, with an intelligent, yet street-smart style. There are lots of great Gang Starr songs, but this is probably their most complete album.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many highlights on the album that it's really hard to know where to even begin, although the album starts with them right from the beginning. Primo's style is shown to you in full form on "You Know My Steez", with a smooth track, and a hook full of scratched vocals that work into a sort of conversation. "Work" contains a classic Primo beat, with a repetitive piano line, along with some sounds that he had used previously in his production for Nas' classic "New York State of Mind". "Royalty" is a very soulful track, and contains a lot of Five Percenter references from Guru, which were fairly prevalent at the time as the Nation of Islam had become a trendy thing. "Above the Clouds" shows DJ Premier doing his best RZA impersonation, and also showing that he can do it just as well as the man himself. "Moment of Truth", as Keith said, is Gang Starr's best song (along with "Mass Appeal", possibly), in my opinion, and is one of the most beautiful hip-hop songs that I've ever heard. Guru was always a fantastic writer, but this is his greatest moment...the second verse alone about him contemplating the violence that exists around him, and choosing to use his mind instead is absolutely mindblowing. "The Militia" has the hardest beat on the album, and features a great opening verse from Big Shug, and a super catchy hook from Freddie Foxxx. "She Knows What She Wants" is a super smooth song, and is the obligatory song on the album centered around women, but it's done very well. My only fault in the album comes in the form of "The Mall"....the beat is pretty solid, but lyrically it's completely weak, and with a 20-track album, I really think it could have been left off with no problem. "Next Time" starts to close things out on a really high note, with another one of my favorite DJ Premier beats. Overall, this is a brilliant example of the amazing work of DJ Premier, and shows Guru at his highest point. To those people that can't see the difference between rap and hip-hop, I suggest this album as Exhibit A in hip-hop's favor.
'Moment of Truth' Album Rating: 90%
When it comes to rap, I am very picky about the artists that I enjoy. What usually sticks out for me is the production value behind the music. This is probably why I enjoy Kanye West’s music so much. He puts such unique sounds and orchestration behind his music that I sometimes don’t even notice that there is a lot of rapping going on. Needless to say this makes me a poor critic on rap in general, since the real relevance to this style of music is the words.
ReplyDeleteGang Starr starts off sounding very old school, and by that I mean that I can actually understand what they are saying. Most rap artist nowadays talk so fast and don’t really pronunciate their words, thus making it very difficult for me to have any idea what is being said. “Robin Hood Theory” is very poetic, and I really like the fact that they talk about the youth and how the environment that they grow up in shape the people they will become. It’s always nice to see rapper’s take on more relevant topics, and things that really do matter in the world today. “Royalty” has a nice tone to it, and kind of reminds me of some of the music I would listen to back in high school. Which after I look this song up I notice that K-Ci and Jo Jo, have a spot on the track, which they were always played at the middle school/high school dances back in the day. “Above the Clouds” is another good track; as a matter of fact it may be my favorite rap track thus far on Music Togetherness. I love the Asian feel and how it takes you to another place. The title track for the album is another great lyrical track and I really like when they say,” Actions have reactions, don't be quick to judge you may not know the hardships people don't speak of.” This verse in general hits a nerve with me, as I am usually someone who is quick to judge, but I really should step back and think about what that person may have gone through to get to that point. Of course there are a few tracks on this album that I find myself wanting to skip such as “B.I. vs Friendship,” “The Militia,” and “New York Straight Talk.” Overall this album was much better than I thought it would be. I am happy to know that there is yet another rap artist that I can enjoy.
Justin, I'm sorry to be the last one to comment. I mistakenly took on too many freelance jobs right in the midst of final projects and preparing for tests. So first, please accept my apologies. I will post right now...
ReplyDeleteFirst, I have to admit that I needed some help listening to this album. As I've mentioned many times before, rap/hip hop songs don't typically appeal to me unless the hooks are catchy or the samples are familiar. I don't really get rap, I get singing. Listening to rap lyrics for me is a lot like reading a book I can't connect personally to. I lose interest, my mind wanders and I don't end up enjoying it. I tried hard to find the good in the lyrics - and I appreciated that Gang Starr's message was a little more positive than how to snag hoe bitches while sippin on gin and juice. Wow. I sound like a white guuurl. I also didn't think the beats really appealed to me, but found myself bustin some of these white girl moves while listening. Tracks that stood out to me, for good reasons, include: "Work" (for its awesome beat), "JFK to LAX" (love that female voice sample and the jazzy feel), "My Advice 2 You" (its oh so smooth vibe) and "Next Time" (which feels like the most unique track on this entire album.) I did NOT enjoy: "It's a Set Up" (the beat sounded a little too thug for me) or "The Rep Grows Bigger" (whoever that chick is, I have a feeling she is a douche, and that piano line just did not work for me). Overall, the album flowed smoothly - all the tracks seemed to fit a certain feeling and a certain point. Maybe there is hope for me and this genre, I just wish I didn't have to think so hard to make it work for me. I think enough at my job and school and all that every day - I like my music to make me feel good and to help me unwind, not to study.
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