Review: The second salvo on the Street Knowledge series of golden era hip-hop reissues comes from legendary East Coast twosome Gang Starr. It offers up a pair of much-loved 1990s club bangers: 1999's "Full Clip" and '92's "DWYCK". The former is a classic DJ Premier production: a toe-tapping, head-nodding bounce through rubbery beats, jazzy guitars and toasty bass topped off with the fine flows of the late MC Guru. "DWYCK" meanwhile is a more bass-heavy, floor-friendly affair, with Premier's on-point scratching complimenting Guru's vocal and the addictive weightiness of the groove. In other words, these are two golden era classics you definitely need in your life.
Review: Given that Gang Starr recently reformed and jazz is now all the rage, it seems fitting that Mr Bongo has decided to reissue the rare 7" version of the group's 1990 masterpiece "Jazz Thing". It's a wholehearted tribute to the greats of jazz - and the role jazz records have in hip-hop's sample culture - that comes in two distinctively different mixes. On the A-side you'll find the "Video Mix", a bouncy and suitably jazzy DJ Premier production that layers Guru's fine rap flows above loose-limbed drums, smoky horn samples and his own super-tight scratches. Turn to side B for the "Movie Mix" - so-called because it was created for a Spike Lee flick - where Guru's vocal rides improvised horns and an entirely different beat crafted from Kool & The Gang samples.
Take Flight (feat Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx - Militia part 4) (2:56)
Bless The Mic (2:37)
Review: A new album from Gang Starr is no joke, 16 years on from the last after Guru's passing in 2010. With DJ Premier on the beats, you need not question the quality spilling out of the speakers throughout this powerful return from one of hip-hop's holy grails. The spots showing some of the late Guru's skills act as a bittersweet reminder of his lyrical gift and that voice, but the space he left behind is amply filled out by a hit list of guest spots on the mic. MOP, Q-Tip, Jeru The Damaja, Talib Kweli - as if any of these legends would pass up the chance to lend their bars to this late entry from hip-hop royalty.
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