Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Gang StarrEdition: Music CD
Format: Explicit Lyrics
CD Release Date: 1998-03-31
Music Label: Virgin Records Us
Soundtracks:
- You Know My Steez
- Robbin Hood Theory
- Work
- Royalty
- Above the Clouds
- JFK 2 LAX
- Itz a Set Up
- Moment of Truth
- B.I. Vs. Friendship
- The Militia
- The Rep Grows Bigga
- What I'm Here 4
- She Knowz What She Wantz
- New York Strait Talk
- My Advice 2 You
- Make 'Em Pay
- The Mall
- Betrayal
- Next Time
- In Memory Of...
Free Music Notes for Moment of Truth
Free Music Review: The epitome of how to keep improving by 5th album
Hit: 5 Stars
Song for song, pound for pound, this is an outstanding and unbelievably consistent and relentless album. Yes this was their fifth album, and at least two of Gang Starr's first four are hiphop classics, but something between Guru and Premier changed for the better in between the four year hiatus with this album and "Hard To Earn." There are quite a few examples they give on how artists can improve over time, which doesn't always happen even with some of the most legendary hip hoppas out there.
First off, Guru rhymes a little faster but most importantly he rhymes more with a passion behind his speaking. He expands his subject matter here (even more than ever), and even uses more multi-syllabic rhymes. Where his voice was once almost a liability before, it now has become an asset to the music. Just as important, the legendary DJ Premier comes up with some updated backings that leave many lasting impressions with the lyrics. There are quite a few bangers, but also a mix of a few slower beats that make room for some of Guru's more serious rhymes. Premier uses a lot of piano and even some violins, etc., for these tracks. Examples of this are songs like "Royalty," "JFK to LAX," the title track, "What I'm Here 4," "She Knows What She Wants," "My Advice To You," and a couple others. Yes, these tracks all happen to be shining moments on this album. However, the aspect that makes "Moment Of Truth" so valuable is that it seems to get progressively better track by track, and there really aren't any tracks that stand too far above or too far below the high standard for this cd.
We could argue for days over which half of this album is the best, but they are both so excellent. Another great thing about "Moment Of Truth" is that you get twenty full songs, only two are under three minutes, and you can listen to it from beginning to end without it feeling excessive or overdone. Almost 80 minutes long, an exception to most hiphop classics, but it's fulfilling here. It starts off with arguably the best song "You Know My Steez"-(what is Steez anyway?) which uses their typical formula found in their previous works. There is actually only one or two other songs that uses that usual GS formula. Gang Starr also uses hooks for almost all the songs, but don't worry, almost all of them are effective and add colorfully to the songs. They even bring in K-Ci & Jo-Jo for "Royalty" and pull it off with force, although I thought the second verse was weak. "Robbin Hood Theory" is a great song, and "JFK to LAX" is one of my favorites too. My favorite joint undoubtedly is the title track, with a great beat and serious heavy-handed clever lyrics by the Guru. "What I'm Here 4," "My Advice 2 You," "Make 'Em Pay," "Betrayal," and "Next Time" are some of my other favorites, although like I said, pretty much every track is outstanding. "She Knows What She Wants" is nice too, a melodic beat where Guru warns against deceptive women. "The Mall" is definitely the worst one here, but it's still not too bad but Guru (despite hitting commercial territory) spits the only verse that pertains to the hook, while the two guests pretty much spit random crap. "Work," "Itz A Set Up," "B.I. vs. Friendship" (I'm not big on M.O.P.'s loud sh*t), and "Militia" (a pretty corny hook and just decent guest verses) are the only other ones that fall just below the high standard, although you must hear them all! "In Memory Of" is not one of my favorites, and has a somewhat corny second verse, yet it is reflective and still a good way to end this awesome album.
Guru and Premo were smart to include a number of underground guests to keep things interesting and even to provide a contrast to their usual sound. The two best guest verses are from Inspectah Deck on "Above The Clouds" and Krumb Snatcha on "Make 'Em Pay." Scarface of course adds significantly to "Betrayal," but you already knew that right? This truly has got to be the definitive Gang Starr album and one of my favorite hiphop albums (both saying a lot)! Despite a number of swear words, I would still play this album to my parents to help them understand and appreciate hiphop better than they do. It truly leaves a mark, aims for something greater, and each of the twenty songs build upon each other. A MUST HAVE- Hiphop fan or not!...
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