Gang Starr - Daily Operation

On their third outing, Guru and Premier continue to deliver intellectual hardcore, mixing deft rhymes with serious beatology. Premier continues to mine the jazz vaults, uncovering some seriously dusty grooves, with which he concocts some of the best minimalist hip-hop to ever be committed to wax. Just listen to "The Place Where We Dwell." Made up of nothing more than a looped drum track and scratching, it illustrates the less-is-more aesthetic to a T. Guru once again lets loose with the monotone flow that is his trademark--a flow that tastes like slow-roasted butter. Furthermore, jams like "Ex Girl to the Next Girl" prove that there is such a thing as a good hip-hop love song that exudes street cred rather than syrupy wackness. The album is especially noteworthy for containing the progressive "I'm the Man," which marked the recorded debut of both Jeru the Damaja and Little Dap. Plus, "Soliloquy of Chaos" not only gets the Mensa award for word choice but also serves as an eloquent condemnation of the violence that had become de rigueur at hip-hop shows. --Spence Abbott Amazon.com essentials

They Were Getting Better With The Times (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4.0 stars)

After their sucess of their previous LP Step in the Arena, Guru and Primo hit the masses again with their third full length LP Daily Operation. I believe this was the time where people started recognizing that Gang Starr was here in this Hip Hop thing for longevity, as they evolved from their previous LP. I origonally gave that album a 7, but decided to bump it to an 8 out of 10. Now that I think about it, the majorty of Gang Starr's albums I reviewed have received the same score, with the exception of Moment of Truth which was a perfect 10 in my book.

There are highlights that are floating around the album. A favorite of mine is "I'm The Man" which features Lil' Dap, and Jeru The Damaja. That track alone is a classic. The thing about Guru I always liked was that he was able to get his point across on the majority of the songs that he made, even with his signature monotonoe voice. "Soliloquy of Chaos" is one of those tracks whereas they do a show and erupts in chaos. Another example is "No Shame In My Game" (I like that intro), whereas Guru doesn't sweat any BS and tries to be himself on anything.

As for DJ Premier, you can tell he was much better behind the boards as well. As mentioned before "I'm The Man", he shows you what he can do, especially when it came to Jeru's verse. Other dope beats are on tracks like "Bust Your ****", and "Take It Personal".

The only problem I had with the album was that was too long of an album, at points it seemed like it was a drag. I sort of realized that when I got to track #15. Thats my personal gripe about this album. Overall Gang Starr set it off for '92 with a great album. This is one I would recommend to any Hip Hop fan of the east coast. Peace!

Lyrics: A-
Production: A-
Guest Appearances: B+
Musical Vibes: B+

Top 5 Tracks:
1. I'm The Man (featuring Lil Dap and Jeru The Damaja)
2. No Shame In My Game
3. Soliloquy Of Chaos
4. Bust Your ****
5. Take It Personal

Honorable Mention:
1. Ex Girl To Next Girl
2. Take Two And Pass

Favorite Gang Starr Albums In Order:
1. Moment Of Truth
2. The Owners
3. Daily Operation
4. Hard To Earn
5. Step In The Arena

Haven't Heard:
1. No More Mr. Nice Guy
2. Full Clip (I think that really doesn't count though) May 5, 2008

HIP-HOP CLASSICK!

This album is by far one of the best hip-hop albums/Cd's to EVER be released. It's sad to see new jacks that have no idea what real legitimate hip-hop is have the nerve to come on here and attempt to give a review.
To enlighten the ignorant, Gangstarr IS the top 5 hip-hop group in rap music. Dj Premier is the most talented producer to ever lay down tracks while Guru blesses each beat with a dope flow and flawless delivery. Step In The Arena is neck and neck to me with Daily Operation, with Hard to Earn, Moment Of Truth coming right afterwards keeping this music respectable. If it wasn't for Gangstarr I would have stopped listening to rap many years ago. Peace to the fam Verbal Threat as always. March 20, 2008

Next to step into the arena.......

This album is one of their best. Step into the arena is slightly better due to certain singles that appear on that album. Daily operation is dope from the album cover with the picture of Malcolm in the background, to the dope production by Premo, on down to Guru's lyrics. What really makes this album dope is the perfect marriage between the lyrics and the beats. Not that they are in union on other albums, but they appear to be a nearly flawless union on this album. My favorites on this album are.......THE WHOLE ALBUM, front to back. The lyrics and beats married on this album and gave birth to some DOPE HIP HOP. One star reviewers go eat a warm plate of cow dung. February 24, 2008

The Foundation

One emcee and one DJ using classic hip-hop/rap origins of loops and turntable wizardry collectively known as Gang Starr return for their third LP titled Daily Operation. Chanting "...go Brooklyn..." loops for "The Place Where We Dwell" giving props to the borough and what to expect traveling there. Tales of dealing with relationships over a jazzy groove illuminated by the horn arrangement on "Ex Girl To Next Girl". "Soliloquy Of Chaos" hastily moves along with the uncompromising violin sample. The unique "I'm The Man" featuring Little Dap & Jeru the Damaja contains three seperate tracks for each rapper / emcee to plead their case sculpted for each individual. Over the agressive drum kicks "Take It Personal" foundation is found with three simple piano chords also found on "B.Y.S.". Speaking of religion and beliefs as a follower of the Nation of Islam "2 Deep" is celebrated by a glass of champagne. "Conspiracy" holds a message for African Americans to awaken from our state of mind. The self-proclaimed moniker of the "Hardcore Composer" is composed with a deep bass setting the tone. "Much Too Much (Mack A Mil)" is another highlight for the album as they regress to their strength of upbeat jazz loops but delivered in slow motion for smokers on "Take Two And Pass". Concluding at the same pace with Guru's lyrical assualt "...with information like CNN / I can take you there and then / the rest is up to you to choose..." on "Stay Tuned" signified that Gang Starr will continue to deliver their signature sound. Members DJ Premier and the Guru completely produced this entire project including three instrumental interludes without any flaws or fillers. January 1, 2008

Gang Starr's statement of superiority

While it wasn't their groundbreaking album (that'd be Step in the Arena) nor their best (in my opinion Moment of Truth), "Daily Operation" is perhaps the most important album of the Gang Starr discography, the one that put them on top of the early-90s east coast hip hop world and established Guru and Premier as hip hop legends. Widely imitated but never duplicated, this album helped define the jazzy hip hop sound that became synonymous with New York hip hop for years to come. Musically "Daily Operation" ranks with Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother and A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders as the greatest albums of an era. DJ Premier's productions are incredible, using a wide range of instrumentation including horns, keyboards, and some clever sampling to make a sound that is rich and tasteful, while maintaining a street feel with the grimy hooks and tough drumbeats. Some of these tracks are just masterpieces in themselves, and the prominence of sampled "Daily Operation" beats over the years is a testament to this. Guru holds his own on the mic as always. While not yet the wise teacher he would become on Moment of Truth, Guru drops knowledge and wisdom more than he ever had to this point, but also maintains a foot in the street with his classic bragadagio and battle raps. Religion starts to play a part in some of his rhymes, and he is supported by some guests from the young Gang Starr foundation including Group Home and Jeru the Damaja. This is a rare album where you can just pop it in and play it without ever wanting to skip a track. Overall, "Daily Operation" is fantastic, one of the very greatest albums of hip hop's golden age.

After an instrumental intro, albeit one that shows every bit of Premo's genius, the album begins with the short and gritty "The Place Where We Dwell," where Guru praises his hometown of Brooklyn over a tough, simple beat. "Flip the Script" has a great beat and hook and some nice rhymes, just a solid song. Perhaps the group's best known song appears here, "Ex Girl to Next Girl." This song has gorgeous horns in it, and Guru tells likable tales of female troubles, and this song shows everything lovable about the early-90s rap style. Over truly luscious strings, Guru addresses one of his prevalent pet-peeves, violence at rap concerts, on "Soliloquy of Chaos." Lil Dap and Jeru the Damaja are introduced on "I'm the Man," a great track full of very clever battle raps and punchlines. "Take It Personal" is classic Gang Starr material, preceded and succeeded by two excellent instrumental interludes. "2 Deep" is tough lyrically and rich musically, with horns and plentifully creative sampling. My favorite song may be "No Shame in My Game," mostly just because the beat is perfect. This beat is pure joy on a track. "Conspiracy" shows Guru's increasing social consciousness, addressing media injustice and the SAT's unfairness, and the beat features a very nice keyboard line and horn notes. "The Illest Brother" and "Hardcore Composer" are further classic material, and "B.Y.S." is similarly nice. "Much Too Much" makes a great trombone sample into a loop, and Guru does it justice. The laidback weed ode "Take Two and Pass" rounds out the album along with the closer, "Stay Tuned."

All praise that "Daily Operation" has ever received is warranted, but I feel it's still underrated. This album is a classic in every sense of the word. I hate to sound like this, but they really don't make rap albums like this anymore. This is an album I could spend my whole life listening to, in every way it's engineered to perfection. A must buy for any hip hop fan.
April 7, 2007

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