When Two cats from out of the state of New York blazed on the scene back in the early 90’s a legend in the Hip Hop world of duos was born. Guru hailing from Boston and Premier hailing from Texas had a lot to prove when they decided to represent their states as well as east New York Brooklyn. Well Gangstarr accepted their mission and have been one of the most successful and conscious groups in Hip Hop.
With the release of their latest effort The Owners, GangStarr has proven once again that education through Hip Hop as well as hard beats and rhymes keep the streets listening. The debut single “Skills” encompasses what the true colors of rap music represents. Premier still has a knack for making beats that make the head bob and Guru is still one of the most consistent MC’s to ever bless a mic. They exemplify what being an owner in your own class of Hip Hop means. With tracks like “Sabotage” Guru tells the story of Cesar and Ronnie, two street hustlers that fall victim to the Sabotage of the streets. “Deadly Habits” speaks of not eating swine and facing cats who lace drinks in the VIP section of Clubs as well as the other ails of the world that all may create deadly habits if one is not careful about the path that he chooses. “Nice Girl” is reminiscent of “X to The next” and it shows Guru at his best when speaking of a Queen who seems out of place during their chance meeting.
One of the most eye opening joints on the album features Jadakiss on “Rite Where U Stand.” This joint is straight street and Preme attacks the board so hard that it reminds of us why Gangstarr is where they are today. The rest of the album sound likes a who is who of the streets with guest appearances from Bumpy Knuckles a.k.a. Freddie Foxx, Fat Joe M.O.P Snoop Dogg and big Shug. This is a definite album to cop for the collection and besides that it’s true raw Hip Hop.
