One of the most influential MC and DJ duosGang Starr set new standards for streetwisesocially conscious East Coast rap with a pair of early-’90s touchstonesStep in the Arena (1991) and Daily Operation (1992)whose appeal has only grown over the decades. Beginning with these classic releaseslisteners and critics heaped mounds of praise upon and — the former because of his socially conscious lyrics and no-nonsense stancethe latter because of his DJ- beatmaking and jazzy sound. Following Step in the Arena and Daily Operationbecame one of New York’s most in-demand producerscrafting hits for the city’s finest MCsincluding and . likewise collaborated with plenty of well-known artists — — on his solo debutJazzmatazzVol. 1 (1993)and its series of follow-ups. Following Hard to Earn (1994)the duo’s fourth Gang Starr collaboration overalland began focusing primarily on their solo projectsreuniting infrequently for Moment of Truth (1998) and The Ownerz (2003). ‘s death in 2010 left an unfillable void in hip-hopbut eventually issued new Gang Starr material in the form of One of the Best Yet (2019)featuring previously unreleased verses from and appearances from the likes of and .

(born in Boston) and (born in Houston) began working together in 1989. founded Gang Starr a couple years earlier and had already established a working relationship with . The partnership of and as Gang Starr led to a formative debut albumNo More Mr. Nice Guy (1989)including the featured single “Words I Manifest” and the DJ-spotlight track “DJ Premier in Deep Concentration.” Between albumsin 1990and contributed “Jazz Thing” to the Mo’ Better Blues soundtrack. Gang Starr subsequently moved to Chrysalis Records for their second albumStep in the Arena (1991)on which they perfected the approach of their debut — a starkhard-hitting jazz-rap production complete with ‘s masterful DJ cuttingover which ‘s battle-rap-hardened yet smoothly delivered lyricsoften thoughtfulslyand streetsmarttake flight. Gang Starr’s third albumDaily Operation (1992)furthered the duo’s approach stylistically; widely considered an East Coast rap classicit’s arguably and ‘s finest workalong with its predecessor.

Beginning in 1993and began working separately. ‘s debut albumJazzmatazzVol. 1 (1993)took the so-called jazz-rap to a new levelfeaturing jazz musicians such as and along with guest vocalists such as (of ) and French rapper . Meanwhileproduced six tracks for ‘s solo debutReturn of the Boom Bap (1993)and in 1994 he proceeded to produce three tracks for ‘ debutIllmatic (including “N.Y. State of Mind”); two for ‘s debutReady to Die (“Unbelievable,” an unreleased remix of “Machine Gun Funk”); five for the self-titled debut of ‘ project; the entirety of ‘s debutThe Sun Rises in the East; and a handful of remixes for various artists. Amid all of this activityand found time to record their fourth albumHard to Earn (1994)which was more hardcore-fashioned — as was the at the time in the wake of ‘s uprising — than past Gang Starr albums. The album spawned the duo’s biggest hit“Mass Appeal,” their first to reach the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 67)and their eighth single to enter Billboard’s rap chart.

Following Hard to Earnand resumed their solo activity. released JazzmatazzVol. 2: The New Reality (1995) and a various-artists compilationGuru Presents Ill Kid Records (1995)while produced the bulk of Livin’ Proof (1995)the debut of Gang Starr affiliates (a duo featured on Hard to Earn). Also in 1995produced three tracks on KRS-Onethe rapper’s second solo album; and two tracks on Hold It Downthe third album by ; as well as assorted remixes and one-off productions. While remained more or less inactive during 1996-1997stayed busyproducing the entirety of ‘s Wrath of the Math (1996); five tracks on ‘s Kollage (1996); six on ‘s Firing Squad (1996); three on ‘s debutReasonable Doubt (1996); one on ‘ It Was Written (1996); two on ‘s second albumIn My LifetimeVol. 1 (1997); two on ‘s Life After Death (1997); four on ‘s Jewelz (1997); two on ‘s The 18th Letter (1997); and two on ‘s Necessary Roughness (1997).

In 1998after four years between albumsGang Starr returned with Moment of Truththeir first album to chart at number one (on the R&B/Hip-Hop album chartthat is; it peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 overalltheir best showing). Moment of Truth was a significant departure from past Gang Starr effortsvery much contemporary in ; for examplethe album features numerous guests () and bore little trace of the duo’s jazz-rap beginnings. The lead single“You Know My Steez,” became the second Gang Starr hit to break into the Hot 100 (peaking at number 76). A double-disc retrospectiveFull Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)subsequently marked the duo’s ten-year anniversary. In the years that followedand continued to focus on their own work. continued his Jazzmatazz seriesbeginning with a third volumeStreetsoul (2000); he also released solo rap albumsbeginning with Baldhead Slick & da Click (2001). The next releaseVersion 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005)arrived on his new label; the album featured beats by Solarwho would prove to be an important contributor on additional releases. The fourth volume of Jazzmatazz (2007) included the typical array of guest vocalists and instrumentalists and was issued along with the “raw” companion disc Guru’s Jazzmatazz – The Timebomb: Back to the Future Mixtape. Guru 8.0: Lost and Found (2009)the rapper’s next full-lengthfollowed shortly thereafter. continued his production activityworking with superstars such as and as well as underground rappers such as and ; he even dabbled in mainstream popmost notably working extensively with on her double-disc album Back to Basics (2006)including the Top Ten hit “Ain’t No Other Man.”

As for Gang Starrand did reunite during the early 2000s for The Ownerz (2003)a celebrated return to formbut the reunion proved short-livedleaving back-catalog collections such as Mass Appeal: The Best of Gang Starr (2006) to fill the void. died at age 43 on April 192010 after battling cancersuffering a heart attackand for a time falling into a coma. Throughout the 2010ssteered projects such as Get Used to Us (2010)the collaboration Kolexxxionand two albums with as (issued in 2014 and 2018). He continued to work with veterans and up-and-comers alikefrom and to Westside Gunnand Benny the Butcher. Near the end of the decadereleased One of the Best Yetthe first Gang Starr album in 16 years. The producer adeptly utilized previously unreleased verses from and contributions from a deep roster of contemporaries and pupilsincluding and . ~ Jason BirchmeierRovi