Cormega has one question as he reflects on Hip Hop’s legacy in the culture’s 50th year: Why doesn’t Gang Starr get more love?
The New York-bred lyricist took to Instagram on Sunday (May 28) to ponder why the duo — comprising DJ Premier and late rapper Guru — is often overlooked, despite their achievements and what they’ve brought to the game.
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“Hip Hop 50 year anniversary,” Cormega began. “I have a question? How is a group with one of the most innovative lyricist and a prolific producer who is on the Mount Rushmore of production overlooked? I see list mention groups and exclude Gangstarr that is blasphemy. Some people’s opinion blur the lines of reality. Guru is one of a kind.”
He continued: “He was so smooth that he was able to mesh rap and jazz with his Jazzmatazz project and had listeners that weren’t familiar with jazz intrigued. Together Guru and Premier made a catalog of albums that stood the test of time and should never be excluded from any top group discussion they were elite. Rest in poetic grace Guru. And salute to Premier.”
In 2022, tons of peers got behind Gang Starr when DJ Premier called out Spanish-based fashion retailer Zara for allegedly stealing their logo for a new line of jackets.
Premo uploaded a short video on Instagram showing a leather jacket and a bomber jacket, both featuring a “Never Break” patch on the back that looked an awful lot like Gang Starr’s iconic circle-and-star emblem, which the beloved group has used since 1991.
“No way,” the person filming the video says as they inspect the jackets up close. “Wow.” DJ Premier demanded answers, writing “REALLY??? @zara” in his caption.
DJ Premier’s complaint was met with outrage from many of his rap peers and followers alike, with Pharoahe Monch, Jeru The Damaja, Kardinal Offishall, Termanology and Marco Polo among those expressing their disapproval in his comments section.
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“oooooooooo they gonna have to cut a BIG check for that foulness!!!! @zara y’all [trash],” Polo wrote, while Jeru joked, “Dear @zara could you please jack my logo I would like some of that money y’all about to fork over.”
It’s unclear if the issue was ever resolved but the post has since been deleted from Instagram.
