| No More Mr. Nice Guy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1989 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:30 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | ||||
| Gang Starr chronology | ||||
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No More Mr. Nice Guy is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. [3] [4] The album was released on June 6, 1989. It peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song "Positivity" peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard rap chart.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
The Los Angeles Times noted that some songs "are more concerned with educating and relating than with egos and bragging, using hot soul-flavored dance beats and infusions of jazz." [7] Trouser Press wrote that "DJ Premier provides samples, beats and rhythms that are perfectly adequate, if not up to his future level." [8]
All songs are produced by DJ Premier & Guru, except for tracks 5 & 13, produced by the 45 King
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Premier & The Guru" | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Jazz Music" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Gotch U" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Manifest" | 4:56 |
| 5. | "Gusto" | 3:15 |
| 6. | "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration" | 3:13 |
| 7. | "Positivity (Remix)" | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Words I Manifest (Remix)" | 5:12 |
| 9. | "Conscience Be Free" | 4:04 |
| 10. | "Cause and Effect" | 3:22 |
| 11. | "2 Steps Ahead" | 3:50 |
| 12. | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | 3:22 |
| 13. | "Knowledge" (featuring Damo D-Ski) | 3:42 |
| 14. | "Positivity" | 3:35 |
| 15. | "Here's the Proof" (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) | 4:35 |
| 16. | "The Lesson" (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) | 5:05 |
| 17. | "Dedication" (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) | 5:11 |
| Total length: | 53:30 | |
The PRT Records cassette issue in the UK contains "Movin' On (Vocal)" and "Movin' On (Dub)" as bonus tracks B7 and B8.
| Single information |
|---|
"The Lesson" [Non-Album Single]
|
"Believe Dat!" [Non-Album Single]
|
"Movin' On" [Non-Album Single]
|
"Words I Manifest (Remix)"
|
"Positivity (Remix)"
|
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [9] | 83 |
| Year | Song | Hot Rap Singles |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Positivity" | 19 |
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.
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, and Jungle Brothers.
Jazzmatazz, Volume 1: An Experimental Fusion of Hip-Hop and Jazz, is the debut solo studio album by American hip hop recording artist Guru. It was released on May 18, 1993, by Chrysalis Records. The recording sessions took place at D&D Studios, in New York. The album was produced by Guru, who also served as executive producer with Duff Marlowe and Patrick Moxey.
Christopher Edward Martin, known professionally as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as Vibe. He formed the hip hop duo Gang Starr alongside American rapper Guru, with whom he has released seven albums. He formed another hip hop duo, PRhyme—with American rapper Royce da 5'9"—in 2014, with whom he has released two albums.
Daily Operation is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released by Chrysalis Records on May 5, 1992. It peaked at number 65 on the Billboard 200 chart.
M.O.P. is an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their biggest hit in the year 2000 with the song "Ante Up". The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group 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.
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.
The Ownerz is the sixth studio album by the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, and the last released during Guru's lifetime. It was released in June 24, 2003, by Virgin. It was well-received critically and boasts four singles, "Skills", "Rite Where U Stand", "Nice Girl, Wrong Place", and "Same Team, No Games".
It's a Compton Thang! is the debut studio album by American gangsta rap group Compton's Most Wanted. It was released in 1990 through Orpheus Records.
Metropolis Gold is the only album by Brooklyn hip hop duo All City, released on November 3, 1998 by MCA Records. The album featured an all-star production lineup, including many prominent New York City producers such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Rockwilder, Fredro Starr, DJ Clark Kent, Hitmen member Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, and EZ Elpee. It features guest appearances from rappers Native Souls and Onyx, which served as executive producers on the album.
"Mass Appeal" is a song by American hip hop group Gang Starr, released on February 8, 1994 as the second single from their fourth studio album Hard to Earn. The song reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #42 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was also featured on the soundtrack of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.
American hip hop duo Gang Starr have released seven studio albums, two compilation albums, thirty-one singles, one promotional single and nine music videos.
"Tapout" is a song released by American hip hop group Rich Gang featuring performances by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj and American rappers Lil Wayne, Mack Maine, Future, and Rich Gang founder Birdman. Produced by Southside & TM88 with co-production and uncredited vocals by Detail, the song is the lead single of the eponymous YMCMB compilation album, premiering on March 12, 2013 and becoming available for digital download on March 19. The song has since peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"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.
One of the Best Yet is the seventh and final studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on November 1, 2019. The album features previously unreleased and posthumous vocals from Guru, who died nine years prior to the album's release. The album features guest appearances from J. Cole, Royce da 5'9", Talib Kweli, M.O.P., and Q-Tip, among others.
"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.
