Gang Starr - Moment of Truth

Classic Joint From Guru & Premo..............

Just now hearing this album and it stays in the cd changer.

Top Joints:
Steez
Above The Clouds
JFK 2 LAX
Betrayal
Royalty
Moment Of Truth (My Favorite On The Album) August 18, 2008

A Must Own For Anyone's Hip-Hop Collection...

Ah, how I love this album. Primo delivers some top-notch beats and Guru spits some nice self-conscious rhymes on here. Even though it's approaching its 10th year anniversary, 'Moment of Truth' feels just as fresh as it did back in 1998, and with all of the whack MC's dominating the mainstream hip-hop scene as of late, even more relevant.

From the opening track, 'You Know My Steez', to the rather thoughtful closing, 'In Memory Of...', 'Moment of Truth' is an audio journey of wisdom, mad rhymes, and killer beats.

Even the guests on here did a fantastic job, especially M.O.P. ('B.I.' vs Friendship'). And of course, in terms of vocals, I'll never get sick of Guru's excellent monotone style. It may not be for everyone, but if you want to appreciate some thought-provoking rhymes his style is the way to go.

I highly recommend 'Moment of Truth'. It is one of those rare masterpieces that only comes around every so often. Your hip-hop collection will never be complete without this classic in it. February 11, 2008

JUST DID NOT DO IT FOR ME

now i admit, i love THE MILITIA. this is the song that i listen to this cd for. however, the rest of the album feels just so plain jane. i prefer their earlier material. that stuff was sharper for my taste. i do like their post MOMENT OF TRUTH stuff though with the exception of this album that proceeded this, THE OWNERZ. for me, gang starr is best when guru just lays down that deep gravy river flow to a dope, looped out track. if you like it, cool, but like i said, the earlier ones are the ones i put in my cd or cassette player. February 28, 2007

Above the Clouds

I checked this out because I think Above the Clouds is one of the dopest tracks I've heard. Truth be told the rest of the album isn't close to that track. Sometimes Guru's lyrics are a bit whack-inspirational. They work really well when they fit into the beats nicely. Otherwise his lack of range is exposed. There are a couple throwaways like "the mall," but overall the production is good and everyone into hip hop should know "Above the Clouds." February 23, 2007

Modern-day classic.

Gang Starr were one of the most critically-acclaimed, and recognized hip-hop groups in the golden-age of hip-hop, alongside acts like EPMD, Run-DMC, and Ultramagnetic MC's. The emcee/producer duo brought some of the most innovative music to come out of hip-hop's early stages, and attracted much praise from critics and fans alike. Although they didn't sell like a Public Enemy or an NWA, hip-hop heads and musical afficiandos alike knew that Gang Starr was the ****. However, they left the golden-age behind them after Hard To Earn, and went on a four year hiatus.

Within that time, Guru went virtually unnoticed, while DJ Premier built up his reputation with work on albums by the likes of Nas, Jeru The Damaja, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z. He was acknowledged as one of the finest producers in the game, and everyone, underground and mainstream, wanted some Primo beats on their album. For good reason; I honestly can't acknowledge a single beat Primo's laced that has been, by any means, wack. He's not just consistent behind the boards, he's magnificent, and for the people that don't recognize Primo as one of hip-hop's finest beatsmiths, they quite honestly don't know a lot about hip-hop.

However, with Primo becoming such a high-profile producer, one had to question if he'd left Guru, and his Gang Starr roots behind him; well, Gang Starr returned in 1998, releasing arguably their finest album to date, Moment of Truth. Their sound had effortlessly evolved from golden-age pioneers, to modern-day hip-hop messiahs; at this point in time, they were both identified as two of the most influential figures in hip-hop's illustrious history. This album, Moment of Truth, only solidified their status further, and even pushed it a few notches above where they already were.

Guru's lyrics are still razor-sharp, and even if you dislike the King of Monotone's visceral flow, his words are sure to penetrate your mind, and keep you listening. Guru's mellow delivery is the perfect compliment to Primo's elegant beats, and together, the duo creates an album that, while shifting between dozens of moods, and concepts, is as cohesive as anything that's come before, or after it. There's twenty tracks on this album, and I can say without hesitation that each track is gold; something I don't believe I've ever been able to say about an album with such an exceedingly long track-list. There isn't a single misstep taken by either Guru or Primo, and no track overshadows the next, or falls below the standard set by the previous track; this is not just consistently dope, but as flawless as a hip-hop album can essentially be.

Guest appearances are brilliant, coming from the likes of the Wu-Tang's verbal assailant, Inspectah Deck, the rowdy MOP, the angriest emcee since Ice Cube, Freddy Foxx, or the Houston don, Scarface; each guest delivers a verse alongside Guru, and the chemistry, amazingly, is there on each track. Introspective cuts, such as "Moment Of Truth" and "Betrayal" make up a good majority of the album, while the rest is dedicated to lesser emcees who wanna step to Guru; however, Guru is able to switch up the topics so seamlessly that they never grow tedious.

This album may've come out in the Shiny Suit era, but Gang Starr, as expected, didn't confirm to these ridiculous mainstream standards; they just kept doing their thing, and that's why Gang Starr has remained one of the most influential groups in hip-hop's history, and seminal albums like this continue to drop from them. Pick it up, because it doesn't get any iller. November 30, 2006

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