Keith Edward Elam,better known by his stage name Guru,was an American rapper,record producer and actor. He was a member of the hip hop duo Gang Starr,along with DJ Premier. He was born in Boston,Massachusetts.
Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo,consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston,Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association,they were based in Brooklyn,New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003,and are considered one of the best MC-and-producer duos in hip hop history. They are recognized for being one of the pioneers of jazz rap. Some of their top hits include "Mass Appeal","Take It Personal","Moment of Truth","Full Clip" and "Above The Clouds".
Jazz rap is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music,as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre,that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present,paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter." The rhythm was rooted in hip hop over which were placed repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation:trumpet,double bass,etc. Groups involved in the formation of jazz rap included A Tribe Called Quest,Digable Planets,De La Soul,Gang Starr,The Roots,Jungle Brothers,and Dream Warriors.
No More Mr. Nice Guy is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. The album was released on April 22,1989. It peaked at #83 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song "Positivity" peaked at #19 on the Billboard rap chart.
Christopher Edward Martin,known professionally as DJ Premier,is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr—alongside the rapper Guru—and presently forms half of the hip hop duo PRhyme,together with Royce da 5'9".
M.O.P. is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. After years of underground performance,they gained mainstream recognition in 2000 with the song "Ante Up",which would become their biggest hit. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier and is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame sometimes produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack,and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad. He has also worked for other artists including Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan.
Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr,printed as a 1990 release,and commercially released on January 15,1991. In 2007,it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN. HipHopDX called it "the album that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team."
Hard to Earn is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released on March 8,1994,by Chrysalis and EMI Records in North America. The album featured the singles "Dwyck","Mass Appeal",and "Code of the Streets". Guest appearances on the album include Group Home,Jeru the Damaja,and Big Shug. At the time,all were part of the Gang Starr Foundation,which made the album a stepping-stone for future DJ Premier-helmed projects by Group Home and Jeru. Hard to Earn received acclaim and commercial success upon release.
"N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by hip hop recording artist Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs:"Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Premier additionally scratched up vocal samples from Eric B. &Rakim's "Mahogany" for the song's hook. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool &the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am.... On January 28,2019,it was certified gold by the RIAA.
Aaron Ocosice Phillip,better known by his stage name Afu-Ra,is an American underground rapper. A member of the Gang Starr Foundation,he has worked closely with its members,including Gang Starr,Jeru the Damaja,Big Shug and Group Home.
"Girls Around the World" is a song by American recording artist Lloyd. The song features rapper Lil Wayne and was written by Lloyd and Lil Wayne,along with Eric Barrier and William Griffin. The song was produced by his production team,Big Reese and Jasper Cameron,who also produced his breakthrough hit,"You",which also featured Lil Wayne. The song served as the lead single for Lloyd's third studio album Lessons in Love. "Girls Around the World" received positive to mixed reviews from critics,some of whom noted it as generic,and others named it as a top track from the album. It reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song samples the drum break from "Ashley's Roachclip" by the Soul Searchers,as well as interpolating Rakim's verse in "Paid in Full" by hip hop duo Eric B. &Rakim.
"Get By" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Talib Kweli. It was released on March 11,2003 as the third single from his debut studio album Quality (2002). The hip hop song,produced by Kanye West,samples "Sinnerman" as performed by Nina Simone and features background vocals from Abby Dobson,Chinua Hawk,Kendra Ross,Vernetta Bobien,and William "Na2" Taylor. The song peaked at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,becoming Kweli's most successful solo hit.
"Memories Back Then" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I.,featuring guest appearances from fellow American rappers B.o.B and Kendrick Lamar,as well as vocals from American singer-songwriter Kris Stephens. The song,produced Maurice "Kenoe" Jordan,was initially released as a single by Hustle Gang on April 22,2013. The song debuted and peaked at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Paranoid" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla $ign featuring American rapper B.o.B,released on September 10,2013 as the first single from the former's debut EP,Beach House EP (2014). Written by the artists alongside producer DJ Mustard,"Paranoid" is a hip hop song that lyrically describes being in fear of getting caught cheating.
"Or Nah" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla $ign featuring American rapper Wiz Khalifa and American record producer DJ Mustard. Written alongside Lemmie Crockem and Mike Free,the latter of whom produced the song with DJ Mustard,the song was released on January 7,2014 as the second single from the former's debut EP Beach House EP. The song has since peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. On April 29,2014,it officially impacted rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States. The song samples the signature "bed squeaking" from the 2004 hit single "Some Cut".
"Truffle Butter" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne. It is included as an exclusive bonus track on the iTunes edition of Minaj's third studio album The Pinkprint (2014). Produced by Young Money Entertainment with help by Cash Money Records and Republic Records,the song was released as the fifth single from the album on January 23,2015. "Truffle Butter" is hip hop song and contains a sample of Maya Jane Coles' song "What They Say" (2010). In March 2015,it was sent to urban contemporary and contemporary hit radio.
"You Know My Steez" is a song by American hip hop duo Gang Starr,released on November 18,1997 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Moment of Truth (1998). It samples "Drowning in the Sea of Love" by Joe Simon,"Flash It to the Beat" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,"B Side Wins Again" by Public Enemy,"Real Hip-Hop" by Das EFX,"Shadowboxin'" by GZA featuring Method Man and "Usual Suspect" by Big Noyd featuring Prodigy.
"Handstand" is a song by Moroccan-American rapper French Montana and American rapper and singer Doja Cat featuring fellow American rapper Saweetie,from French Montana's fourth studio album They Got Amnesia. It was written by the rappers,Darryl Clemons,Kevin Price,Jaucquez Lowe,and Hitmaka,with Hitmaka serving as one of the track's producers along with Pooh Beatz,Go Grizzly,and London Jae. The song interpolates Cash Money's 2000 single Project Chick and Big Pun's 2000 single "It's So Hard". It received favorable reviews from the music critics,who deemed the track as suitable for dancing.
"Dwyck" is a song by American hip hop duo Gang Starr,released in 1992 as the lead single from their fourth studio album Hard to Earn (1994). It features American hip hop duo Nice &Smooth. The song samples "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss,"Funky for You" and "No Bones in Ice Cream" by Nice &Smooth,and "Step in the Arena" by Gang Starr.
"Code of the Streets" is a song by American hip hop duo Gang Starr from their fourth studio album Hard to Earn (1994). It was released as the third single from the album on May 17,1994. It samples "Little Green Apples" by Monk Higgins,"Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss and "Word From Our Sponsor" by Boogie Down Productions.
