When Keith Elam died of cancer in April 2010, he had already stopped talking to Christopher Martin since 2004, and hadn't released an album with him since 2003. So, what would be the problem with two people stopping making music together? The answer lies in the fact that Elam and Martin aren't people like any other, under the pseudonyms Guru and Premier, they've made some of the best music of their kind, ever.
However, Guru has continued to make albums without his historic producer, being joined by an unscrupulous crook: after his death, this guy invents a farce letter that marks the end, forever, of Gang Starr. DJ Premier has always wanted to release a final album to celebrate the Legendary duo, but that wasn't possible until 2018: he couldn't get the unedited material that Guru had made in his later years, as this material was still in the hands of the scammer, with whom Preemo had a legal dispute. In 2014, Guru's family gains control of the rapper's unreleased music and in 2016, the scammer decides to sell the remaining music. Premier decides to send his lawyer to deal with that guy to get some of Guru's music, the result of the agreement reached are thirty unpublished verses and some hooks, which from the beginning of 2018 and for the following eighteen months, Premier manages to put together to create a final Gang Starr album.
Intro from a live show by the duo that takes up their track "Royalty" (in turn, pays homage to their "DWYCK"), then Premier offers a roundup of classic Gang Starr in succession for a few seconds: "Full Clip", "2 Deep", "The? Remainz", "BYS", "Same Team No Games", "Who Got Gunz", "Work", "Mass Appeal", "Code of the Streets", closing with "Skillz". The second cut is "Lights Out", jazzy boom bap, powerful and hard, pounding and heavy drum machine, samples from Funkadelic and a few piano keys looped in the background, good smooth delivery of Guru, simple chorus, then the M.O.P. destroy the beat with their hardcore energetic delivery. "Bad Name" boasts wonderful rhythm, jazzy boom bap, dirty drum, soulful female dope sample looped in the background, awesome intro with Edo G sample, hook and unique verse from Guru, calm delivery, smooth, controlled, dope, amazing track, in one of the few soloists of the Boston MC. The fourth song features a good Primo jazzy rhythm, introductory scratches, great piano sample, tight and dirty drum, good velvet calm delivery of Guru, mediocre Q-Tip, not well on the hook, is the only misplaced guest in the entire record, he sounds like he's a weak rapper on a Gang Starr album.
"What's Real" is another highlight of the album, another masterpiece by Premier and Guru, beautiful: typical intro of a Gang Starr cut, wonderful scratches, fantastic samples from their "Suckaz Need Bodyguards", "Danger" by Blahzay Blahzay, "Rumble in the Jungle" by Fugees and above all "I Can't Stand to See You Cry" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, an authentic gem. Fully fit delivery of Guru, quiet, smooth, dope; simple hook by Group Home rappers Lil Dap & Melachi the Nutcracker, second verse to Royce da 5'9", completing a flawless joint with one of his best performances of the period. A skit by the son of Guru completes a divine section of the disc. "From a Distance" is another sublime rhythm: Preemo's splendid jazzy boom bap, perfect drum, dirty, hard and pounding, sublime samples, Guru immediately attacks the rhythm with a quick and flowing style, magnificent, simple hook made with samples of "Natural" and "PLAYTAWIN", both Gang Starr tracks, then an excellent attack by Jeru the Damaja, which closes the tune with an excellent style, fresh, clear and fluid.
J. Cole could easily have been a misplaced guest in this celebratory project of one of the best hip-hop groups in history, and instead he confirms that he's a skilled rapper with an excellent "old-school" performance. On September 20, 2019, 16 years after the last one, a new single from Gang Starr is released. The Premier beat is one of the best in his career, he keeps his classic formula: boom bap jazzy, dirty and dusty drum, energetic and pounding, perfect, soulful samples from the ethereal "He Looked Beyond My Faults" by Larnelle Harris, sample by MC Lyte for the hook and fresh scratches. Guru's velvety hook, then his stanza, smoothness, hard, pure, energetic, fantastic, closed by a sampled line by Black Sheep's rapper Dres. It follows the verse of J Cole, dynamic delivery, fast, flowing, last verse to Guru, the piece is a classic despite the imperfection of the lyrics. The second section of the record fails to maintain the high standards of the first part, but it doesn't ruin the project. The beat of "Get Together" feels like a second choice from "PRhyme 2", I can feel Royce's velvety flow here, instead there's Guru, Nitty Scott MC and Ne-Yo: scratches, samples of a couple of simple piano keys, skeletal and slow drum, Guru's slow delivery, Ne-Yo's soul chorus, closes Nitty Scott's lively rapping. Skit, then "So Many Rappers", Guru's second solo tune: boom bap jazzy, horns, hook, then two flowing verses by the rapper on a slow pounding drum.
DJ Premier makes another good sound carpet for the track with Talib Kweli: light jazzy musical carpet, lean, slow and pounding drum machine, dark and tense sample, close to noir, Guru's slow smooth delivery, the MC of Black Star drops bars with a calm and silky style. A very short cut follows, less than a minute, where Guru spits out quick bars on pressing strings and a tight, frantic drum machine. Big Shug's skit, then comes another lethal banger: Premier's amazing soundscape, jazzy boom bap, thumping, dirty and dusty drum, samples from Rampage's "Wild for da Night" for the beat, then Preemo brings back AZ lines from "Hey AZ", Guru from "You Know My Steez", Blaq Poet from "We Gon Ill", Foxy Brown from Pitch Black's "Got It Locked" and LL Cool J from "4,3,2,1" in between to the hook lines. Big Shug lays the guideline for the entire song, delivering calm, hardcore, menacing, thoughtful, intelligently; Guru follows, smoothness and quiet, Freddie Foxxx closes with a fully Gang Starr mood, mastermind braggadocio, he kills the cut and his verse alone is worth listening to the entire project, absolute idol. The fourth chapter of "Take Flight" is a flawless choice. The project is concluded by "Bless the Mic", Guru's last solo song, opened and closed by the samples of Rakim, two short stanzas by Guru on velvety jazzy boom bap with pounding drum and good light sample.
DJ Premier realizes an impeccable production in its best moments and good in its worst ones, overall solid, glossy and nostalgic, it takes the listener back to the late nineties, with underground jazzy boom bap rhythms, dirty and dusty drums and wonderful samples that pay homage continuously and rightly to the past. The lyrics are obvious scraps of Guru, it should make you blush that they're still among the best in the whole hip-hop scene: the extracted lyricism deals with disparate topics including gangsta-thug, street life, family, hip-hop, music industry, fake rappers, women and braggadocio. Guests come from the Gang Starr Foundation (Group Home, Jeru the Damaja, Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx) or are affiliates and friends of the duo, who providing some of their best performances without ever leaving the edges, which allows the record to keep its soul deeply rooted around Gang Starr. The first half of the record is a great section, then the record falls in the second half. In any case, it remains a great early Christmas gift by Premier: he does a memorable work, he stitches up the handful of Guru bars that he has managed to obtain and puts them together in an effective way, clean, sharp, brilliant. The album doesn't spoil the immaculate discography and legacy of the group, and this I think is the most important result in the end. His work is spectacular, and for that alone, he deserves to be widely appreciated: the producer has pulled off a miracle on this album, but he doesn't receive his props, deprived of the praise of most of the insiders. With 16 songs, 4 skits and an Illmatic length, the record is a fitting conclusion to Gang Starr's career: many still don't understand how special and expected this is, it's a real blessing.
Thanks Premier. Thanks Guru.
Highlights: "Lights Out", "Bad Name", "What's Real", "From a Distance", "Family and Loyalty", "Take Flight (Militia, Pt. 4)".
Rating: 8.5/10.
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