Hard to Earn | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 8, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
Studio | D&D Studios (New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 58:57 | |||
Label | Chrysalis/EMI Records 7243 8 28435 2 8 F2-28435 | |||
Producer | DJ Premier (producer) Guru (co-producer) | |||
Gang Starr chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hard to Earn | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Robert Christgau | [7] |
RapReviews | [8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The Source | [11] |
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" (featuring Nice & Smooth), "Mass Appeal" (their first charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart), 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.
The single "DWYCK" recorded in 1992 also featured hip hop duo Nice & Smooth. The track "Now You're Mine" originally appeared on the 1992 soundtrack White Men Can't Jump . The single "Mass Appeal" appeared in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 . [12]
Hard to Earn is also the duo's first album to carry the "Parental Advisory" label.
All music is composed by Keith Elam and Christopher Martin, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro (The First Step)" | (Instrumental) | 0:54 | |
2. | "Alongwaytogo" | Guru | 4:13 | |
3. | "Code of the Streets" | Guru | 3:29 | |
4. | "Brainstorm" | Guru | 3:02 | |
5. | "Tonz 'O' Gunz" | Guru | 3:55 | |
6. | "The Planet" | Guru | 5:16 | |
7. | "Aiiight Chill..." | A skit featuring Nas, A.G., Masta Ace, MC Eiht, DJ Scratch, Mister Cee | 3:13 | |
8. | "Speak Ya Clout" | Martin, Elam, Jeru Kendrick Davis, James Heath | Guru, Lil' Dap, Jeru the Damaja | 3:35 |
9. | "Dwyck" | Martin, Elam, Greg Mays, Daryl Barnes | Guru, Nice & Smooth | 4:03 |
10. | "Words from the Nutcracker" | Martin, Elam, Jamal Felder | Melachi the Nutcracker | 1:29 |
11. | "Mass Appeal" | Guru | 3:41 | |
12. | "Blowin' Up the Spot" | Guru | 3:10 | |
13. | "Suckas Need Bodyguards" | Guru, Melachi the Nutcracker | 4:05 | |
14. | "Now You're Mine" | Guru | 2:55 | |
15. | "Mostly Tha Voice" | Guru | 3:38 | |
16. | "F.A.L.A." | Guru, Big Shug | 4:17 | |
17. | "Comin' for Datazz" | Guru | 4:02 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
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Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
1994 | DWYCK | - | - | 25 | 12 |
Mass Appeal | 67 | 42 | 10 | 3 | |
Code of the Streets | - | 83 | 33 | 5 | |
Suckas Need Bodyguards | - | - | 44 | 18 |
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"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.
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