Gang Starr Album: “Daily Operation”

I just bought this album this year, 2003, and I like it. I'm 17 years old, and alot of kids I know like Lil' Jon and think 50 Cent is the premiere MC. I happen to know extremely differently. I'm not usually into jazz-rap myself, but Tribe and Gang Starr's music is to phenomenal to just pass up. Guru has never been a slouch on the mic to me, and can still kill most of these so called "MC's" out there now. He has skill, passion, focus, and doesn't try to be the realest, but is because he was trying to help the black community on this album, not be the hardest. His rhymes perfectly match Premo's beats on here, some of the smoothest production I've ever heard. This album makes me want to kick a window in sometimes, because I'm so afraid hip-hop will never be quite the same, and though the underground still release some good albums, we never get to hear from alot of the best artists. Anyway, I'm getting off subject. Classic, legendary, masterpiece. They all describe this album. Shout out songs go to Ex Girl To Next Girl, I'm The Man, and No Shame In My Game.

I've been listening to hip hop since 1989, and I feel that this CD is the best hip-hop CD ever released. As a rule, Guru and Premier are both flawless, but this CD is a masterpiece.

Guru's delivery is smooth and smoky but very edgy. His rhymes always have a strong message. At the same time, he can still voice a great put down track. He doesn't sing, but somehow he creates the aura of a great jazz singer. Who else can do all this?

Premier's work has a minimalistic quality that only works this well in the hands of a truly gifted DJ. His selection of beats, loops, and samples is so varied musically. Unlike today's rap producers who pick a hit song and play it under an MC, Premier pulls together samples and loops to create something new.

The tracks cover social issues ("Conspiracy", "Soliloquy of Chaos"), relationships ("Ex Girl to Next Girl"), bragging bravado "Flip the Script" and "BYS"), and more. This is artistry that doesn't forget that great hip-hop always has an streetwise grittyness. Essential for anyone who loves music!

While Guru's "Jazzmatazz" series is often overloaded with guest stars, the note perfect LP's he makes with D.J. Premiere are often near flawless collections of hip hop accented with jazz samples and live instrumentation. While 1994's "Hard To Earn" would move completely away from this sound, this 1992 release finds the Brooklyn duo mining this fertile ground for some of the richest sounds, textures and rhymes to be found anywhere in rap music. Classics like "Ex Girl To Next Girl", "Flip The Script" and "The Place Where We Dwell" are perfect examples of thier sterling approach and perfectionist tendencies. My personal gem from this LP is the side one closing "2 Deep" with it's jazzy cymbals, deep bass drops and regal horn section, you'll want to repeat this one several times. While Guru's laconic flow does grow tiresome over the course of an entire LP, Primo's production chops never cease to amaze and look for a great cameo from Jeru The Damaja on the 3 part brag-fest "I'm The Man" as he drops a funky verse over an old (but brilliantly deployed)Charles Mingus bass sample, it's addictive. The last 10 years have been more than kind to this LP, it's a classic.

Gang Starr really put out some classic ish here. This is one of those albums that you may dismay as being sub-par, or even bad first listen if you arn't into underground, but you soon relize how this album is a gem. DJ Premeir, and Guru have been putting out classic material sence the late 80's, with there first full album "No More Mr. Nice Guy". Premo is widely regaurded as one of the finest producers to ever grace the boards in hip hop history, and his partner in crime Guru is known as The King Of monotone Rap.

This is artistically a incredible peice of work. Guru & Premo put out a style of Rap that wasnt commen in the 90's, and is non-existant now! A Minimalistic Producer known for playing a melody of three keys, and a obsession for scratching teaming up with a monotone soft spoken slow tempo rapper. Sound like a weird combonation right? Wrong... If Being a Hip Hop duo was a marrige Gang Starr would have been couple of the year for 10 years straight. This is the type of album you have to spend some time listening to, sure I have my favorite songs of the batch, but they are all solid, and the way Premo mixed together the songs, and even transitions is strokes of genius. Sure you can listen to "Im the man" 5 times, but you will get the full effect of "Im The Man" in the way Gang Starr men't for you to hear it if you listen to the tracks leading to it.

Everything seems timed perfectly. Strong in your face, phony rapper, and conspiracy theorys come in at the proper time for a full listen thru. The Interludes are also excellently timed. After hearing "Im The Man" you want something a little chill, & relax, so Premo follows it up with "92 Interlude" a soft short, but sweet 30 second paino riff. And even the intro is a great beat, than instead of it sounding like a new track they programmed it to go immediatly into the next track, cause the beats mix together. Guru lyrically is sharp, and he does not need much help, with only 2 guest appearences, and literally 2 guest appearences, sence premo controlls all the hook's with mastery Guru shows his lyrical powress, consistently spitting 30 plus bars in his monotone serious voice every track, except the interludes. In this album DJ premier seems to be the Architect, and Guru seems to be the foundation. Premier uses his mastery of beatmaking, programming, mixing, scatching, and especially sampling to construct a masterpeice around Guru's lyrics which are the foundation. Bottomline, you gotta pick this up if your a Hip Hop Head.

This is undeniably one of GangStarr's - and hip-hop's - classic albums. Guru and DJ Premier merge here to create a further evolution of the GangStarr sound. We find Primo in top form here, laying down track after track of jazzy, dusted beats. His influence on genres such as downtempo, acid jazz, and breakbeat aren't emphasized enough (so recognize!!) and can be seen plainly here. Some of my all-time favorites are here: "Take It Personal", "Soliloquy of Chaos", and "Ex Girl". Can't miss.