Gang Starr
The Ownerz

THE REVIEW

From '98/99 onwards, rap music has been in an incredible decline, ever since it started selling in Europe.
It’s always been known that rappers made music just for money, by their own admission (one for da money, two for the show), only that before, rap was purchased solely by b-boys, so it had to be serious or it wouldn’t sell, now everyone buys rap, as long as it has a catchy beat à la Eminem and a good bass beat, so you hear very few serious things.

None of the "old ones" have been saved: Onyx, Das Efx, Mic Geronimo, Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre, Redman & Co., Wu-Tang Clan are now good for kindergarten kids; Nas puts two decent songs (strangely with Premiere's beats) in forgettable albums, and it’s up to the new blood (Non Phixion, Neptunes, Co.Flow above all) to keep the flag flying high.
Nobody except them, who, when they want to make money, collaborate with just anyone, from Lopez to Carey, but always maintaining a vast difference between collaborations on others’ albums and those of GangStarr. And the latter is no exception.

Minimal sound, with all beats in 4/4, at most 2 samples looped, the only instruments used are the cymbals. That is what it takes to follow the acrobatic evolutions of Guru's lyrics, increasingly aggressive, boastful, and angry with his peers who ruin themselves with drugs, alcohol, and various crimes; in short, lived life and not champagne-drenched bullshit.
As usual, collaborations abound: among the many guests, Fat Joe + M.O.P. (Who Got Gunz?), Krumbsnatcha (Put Up or SHUT UP!), and Jadakiss perform best, but the miracle happens with "In This Life," where they even make Snoop Doggy Dogg enjoyable (yes, you heard right, the blinged-out fellow in the P.I.M.P. video, yes, exactly, the one with the dumb face).

Every single time a GangStarr album is released, it's a masterpiece illuminating the black music sections in stores.
Every single time there’s not a blemish, even a small one, that tarnishes their album. Every single time, they kick ass, without exception.

If the word "Montana" reminds you of canned meat, "4 cantoni" of Switzerland, and "Thomas" of the garbage inspector, you should avoid this cd like Lasonil in the soup of the farmhouse, but if you understand what I’m talking about, you probably already have it, otherwise rush to the first music store you find, if you find it closed I recommend dynamite (cheap and easily obtainable), or a sleeping bag to wait for it to open. Ladies and gentlemen, I have had the pleasure of presenting you with the rap album of the year.

"(Skills) Top rank point blank we vital
Spit flows rip shows peep the recital
(Skills) Now, you feel it when we drop those
Hot beats stop phoes killin shit we got those
(Skills) It's, the music that the street love
Each thug, is now reppin this with deep love
(Skills) Gang Starr duelin again rulin again
WATCH AS WE DO IT AGAIN!!"