THE GOOD NEWS:
Hip-Hop at its illest. As of now, this is the album of the year. Premier comes with the beats you love, and Guru's lyrics are his best yet. The guest appearances are even really nice.

THE BAD NEWS:
Not much. . . it may seem a little too "smooth" for some people compared to Gang Starr's earlier, more "hardcore" records.

Wondering why the review's so late? I was givin you time to get the last one straight. . . Seriously, there are a few reasons why I haven't written a review in over a month. First of all is the Boogiemonsters. I had almost completed their review, which I was going to put out a few weeks ago, probably, but then I lost their CD. So I could release the review. Its status is pending, and (just to let you know) it'll probably be on the "Next Time" list for quite a while, at least until I find the CD. Another reason why this review is late is that there have been some serious things going on in school as well as with my personal life. I really can't get too deep into them here. . . And last but not least, I'm just getting kinda lazy. I promise I won't wait a month between this and my next review, okay?

Well, here's that album that everyone's been talking about. . . Gang Starr's Moment of Truth. For those that don't know, Gang Starr is probably the definition of "REAL" Hip-Hop. Those unfamiliar with their music may believe they're some sort of gun-glorifying gangsta rap group, due to the name "Gang" Starr, but in reality, they're quite the opposite. Always bringing a positive message to the table, Gang Starr is a jazz-influenced rap duo made up of DJ Premier (on the turntables and production) and Guru (on the microphone). Easily one of the most historically important rap groups of the 90's, Gang Starr is now on their fifth album. However, these cats have made almost as much noise seperated from each other as they have together. DJ Premier is one of the most respected producers in all of Hip-Hop, having lent his often-imitated style to records by KRS-One, Rakim, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, M.O.P., and even The Lady of Rage. Guru (that stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), has released two Jazzmatazz albums, which were, in my opinion, very nice fusions of Jazz and Hip-Hop. And outside of the basic duo of Primo and Guru, there is the "Gang Starr Foundation," which included rappers like Group Home and Big Shug, as well as one of my personal favorites, Jeru The Damaja (who himself has released two excellent albums produced by Premier).

One thing that has remained true for all Gang Starr or Gang Starr-related releases is the high level of quality. I personally do not own and have never heard their debut album, No More Mr. Nice Guy, but from what I've heard, it's supposedly an excellent debut. Following were Step in the Arena amd Daily Operation, both Hip-Hop classics, in my opinion. The boys hit a bit of a slump on 1994's Hard To Earn, but the album was still great. Just not a classic. I should also mention that Guru's two solo ventures were a success (not in a commercial sense, but an artistic one), and the tracks Premier would produce for other artists were generally the best on their respective albums (check out my review of Rakim's The 18th Letter for a display of this). Well, now Gang Starr's moment of truth has come, and with their new LP, they obviously decided to show that true Hip-Hop isn't dead yet.

Moment of Truth starts off with the first release off the album, "You Know My Steez." This one, just like almost every other track on the album, is just beyond ill.

	"Who's the suspicious character strapped with the sounds profound
	 Similar to rounds spit by Derringers
	 You're in the Terrordome like my man Chuck D said
	 It's time to dethrone you clones, and all you knuckleheads"

Somehow Guru sounds a bit different than he used to. . . I'm not sure how, but he does sound just as dope as before. . . even doper, actually.

"I'm like the Wizard and you look lost like Dorothy"

	    	  "Subtractin other rappers who lack over Premier's tracks
		   Severe facts have brought this rap game to near collapse
		   So as I have in the past, I will bash
		   Droppin lyrics that be hotter than sex and candle-wax
		   And one-dimensional emcees can't handle that"

That "subtractin other rappers who lack over Premier's tracks" has been rumored to be a dis on Jeru The Damaja. . . who knows. I've been sorta out of the circle for the last month or so, so I'm not really sure how the rumored beef between Gang Starr and Jeru turned out (supposedly Jeru got kicked out/left the Gang Starr Foundation).

                             "On the microphone you know that I'm one of the best yet"

As dope as this cut seems, I'd have to say it's actually one of the weaker tracks on the album, to tell the truth.

Track #2 is "Robbin Hood Theory." This is one of those Gang Starr songs with a political vibe to it. Nothing too deep is revealed here, but Guru is just letting his thoughts out on some things, keeping it positive. Plus, the beat's nice.

   "I seek sun, deceive none, for each one must teach one
    At least one must flow and show the structure, of freedom"

		  "Necessary by all means, sort of like Malcolm
		   Before it's too late, I create the best outcome
		   So I take this opportunity, yes to ruin the
		   Devilish forces f*ckin up my black community"

   	   "God is Universal, he is the Ruler Universal
	    For those who can't follow that spells GURU when in my circle"

Next up is "Work." This previously appeared on some soundtrack. . . Caught Up, I think? I'm not really sure. . . anyway, this is a nice track. I'm glad they included this on here. I don't buy soundtracks very often, as they're sorta like listening to the radio, which I don't even do much as it is, except it's even worse in that most of the songs on the typical soundtrack aren't even good enough to get played on the radio. . . I hate it when I have to go buy a soundtrack for some track that wasn't on, say, KRS-One's album, and then all of the tracks on the soundtrack are wack except KRS's. Don't you hate that, too? Anyway, Gang Starr didn't let anyone down by putting this one on Moment of Truth.

"You cornballs get stonewalled, blackballed I own y'all
 The veteran, runnin my plan I'm the better man
 Crazy raw, doin my job like the mob
 Blazin y'all, and disappearin in the fog
 Or a mist, and chicks can't resist what I kick
 They be beggin for attention or some more of the diznick"

Should I have put an asterisk in "diznick"? Nah. . . screw it.

Anyuway, "Work" is a nice track, but one of my favorites would have to be "Royalty." The first time I heard this, I cringed. K-Ci and JoJo, of Jodeci fame, guest-star here. I was thinking, "what the hell? is this a lame attempt to sell out?" Indeed, with K-Ci and JoJo Hailey (who had guest-sang on songs by Tha Dogg Pound and 2Pac in the past) coming off of a huge hit with "All My Life," this seemed a bit TOO radio-friendly at first. But, after a while, I got to really liking the whole song, R&B (yup, Rap and Bullsh*t) chorus and all. You can't front on Guru's lyrics or Primo's beats.

		 "One of the meanest and the cleanest
		  And still I'm kind of feindish when I'm at this
		  Been doin this for eons, peons best to catch this
		  Vision of excellence, precise rappin ability
		  Bout to make some dead presidents, mackin a million, G"

	"K-Ci, JoJo and Primo, creepin to the top"

Guru's lyrics here are REALLY nice, as are Premier's beats. And yeah, those Hailey brothers sound pretty good, too. They do have some talent, I'll give them that.

Well, so far, the album has been ILL. It only gets iller with "Above The Clouds." This may just be Premier's all-around best beat on the album (he samples John F. Kennedy. Now how ill is that?! I mean, we've all heard George Bush sampled a ton of times, but somehow this seems just really dope), and the lyrics are KILLER.

   "I self Lord and Master shall bring disaster to evil factors
    Demonic chapters, shall be captured by Kings"

									"Accompanied by Deck plus the DJ you respect"

			    "I leave scientists mentally scarred, triple extra large
			     Wild like rock stars who smash guitars
			     Poison bars from the Gods bust holes in your mirage
			     And catch a charge shake em down like the riot squad
			     And they deserve ruin like ancient Rome
 			     I span the universe and return to Earth to claim my throne
		    	     The maker, owner, plus soul controller
			     Ayatollah rest in the sky, the cloud's my sofa
			     Stand like Collossus, regardless to whom or what
			     Numerous attempts at my life, so who to trust
			     Who but us, to supply you with the fire?
			     The burning truth, 150 Absolut proof
			     On the mic like Moses spoke in golden scribe
			     Survivor of the oldest tribe whose soldiers died
			     I notified families, we shed tears and more
			     but our hands are the ammo cause the battle's still on
			     Sound the horn, we come rumblin through the function
			     Precise laser beam technique to touch somethin
			     When we die hard, to build the monument to honor us with
			     Humongous effect in the world we could have conquered it"

Supposedly Guru and Primo will be on a track on Inspectah Deck's new album. If "Above The Clouds" is any indication, we're in for another treat. . . then again, maybe they'll just stick this track on there again. You wouldn't think so, but you never know; they did put "B.I.B.L.E." on Killah Priest's Heavy Mental. . .

The next track, "JFK 2 LAX," is sorta an expansion of the album's cover art. . . Guru raps about his confrontations with the law. I'm really not familiar with the situation here, as I hadn't heard anything about it before this song. . . It's something about a gun.

  	  "Yo they got me handcuffed, I'm down in central booking
	   Things are f*cked up, the way my future's looking"

"The D.A. says they got me on a felony"

   	   	     			      "The streets are war, that's what brothers carry weapons for" 

	                  "What's the story, what happened when I went to L.A.?
			   Mixin sh*t up? No, out there I got family
			   Nothin happened, mind your business yo step"

And I don't even have to tell you that the beat was bangin.

Next track features some guy named Hannibal (I've never heard of him before, but he has a cool name). He does a nice job. You know Guru and Premier came correct as usual.

		"Like most dudes, I love this hip-hop, and this rap stuff
		 But I don't like the shows, where the ignorant act up
		 While some'll be rippin it, they be in the crowd wildin
		 Flippin on kids, for the chains and medallions
		 Or the kid they don't like, from a beef from way back
		 And decide that's the night, perfect time for payback
		 It's wack for the group, plus the others who came
		 To see a fat ass show, instead there's bullets aflame"

"Society puts the squeeze on MC's like iron grips of death
 From here on in peace and blessings long cherish your breath"

Following "Itz A Setup" is the title-track of the album, "Moment of Truth." I REALLY liked this one. It sorta reminds me of "Count Your Blessings" off of Guru's Jazzmatazz II album in that he seems to be speaking of the same basic topics. It's all introspective here, getting deep and emotional over a laid-back Primo beat. I really dig this one and can relate to what Guru's saying.

   "I ain't no saint, therefore I cannot dispute
    That everyone must meet their moment of truth"

		"Actions have reactions, don't be quick to judge
		 You may not know the harships people don't speak of
		 It's best to step back, and observe with couth
		 For we all must meet our moment of truth"

  			     "Suicide? Nah, I'm not a foolish guy
			      Don't even feel like drinking, or even gettin high
			      Cause all that's gonna do really, is accelerate
			      The anxieties that I wish I could alleviate"

	 "I'm ready to lose my mind but instead I use my mind
	  I put down the knife, and take the bullets out my nine
	  My only crime, was that I'm too damn kind"

This brings us to "B.I. Vs. Friendship." M.O.P. guest-stars here, repaying a favor to DJ Premier for his production work on their LP Firing Squad. They do a cool enough job, pretty much just yelling stuff. But the main issue here is what Guru's saying. I mentioned above about the possible Gang Starr vs. Jeru The Damaja beef, and this track may deal with it. . .

   "Son you're supposed to be my man, but you ain't wise enough to realize
    This is B.I., see I wanna taste the whole cake
    Some things in this industry, sh*t be so fake
    Make no mistake, if you're my man you'd understand
    About the plan, to stack hundreds of grands"

						   "You my man like I said so all the best
					 	    You shoulda known we do sh*t differently than all of the rest"

	  "It's time for us to get mad more, juice in the game
	   You're buggin son  that's word to Billy and Fame
	   So I'ma stay the game, that we play to win 
	   So I don't care what you say to her or say to him
	   The object son, is to excel and lead
	   And niggas be bluffin fallin for nothin but greed"

As you can see, it's not like Guru and Jeru have some traditional "let's battle" type beef. Guru even says that he's "his man." It's more like Jeru doesn't feel like getting into the "Hollywood" element as much as Guru and Primo. And Gang Starr might be mad at Jeru for dissing a few rappers that they don't necessarily have anything against (like Puff Daddy and Foxy Brown). Then again, maybe this isn't even about Jeru, so who knows?

The halfway point of the album is reached with "The Militia." I swear, the album just keeps coming with extremely dope songs. . . they just don't stop. This one features Big Shug and Freddie Foxxx. I don't know much about Freddie Foxxx, aside from the fact that he appeared on a couple of tracks on BDP's Sex and Violence album. But the verse he kicks here. . . it's just so ill. It fits Premier's beat (which is also "so ill") perfectly.

		  "You niggas owe me for my rhymes, I come to collect
		   For you dope fiend niggas in rap, I here to inject, check
		   My style is water baby, spread it around
		   But when you niggas don't flow it right and f*ck up my sound
		   I get down, in '89 I spit the buck in the face
		   Of every emcee that came in the place, a scar you'll never erase
		   Emcees are only recognized for their flows
		   I'm worldwide for the bitches, that I turned into hoes
		   You heard me spit it on Jew-elz, that's how it goes
		   For all them faking ass niggas and how I bust up they nose
		   And while your nose is drippin, and drainin blood
		   I'll be standing over you screamin, 'Nigga, WHAT, WHAT?! Nigga WHAT?!' "

      "I'm in the control of my game, you must respect me like the ref,
       Uh-huh, you disrespect. . . you get the tech"

Before he says "you get the tech" (where I put those dots), there's this little sample of a gun clicking. . . it's amazing how extremely dope it sounds. . . it just fits in so well. . . I'm not sure if a gun has sounded so dope since I saw Terminator 2 for the first time.

			  "When you speak of who's the dopest emcee, I don't come up
			   But when you speak of who's the livest emcee, I stay what up, what's up?"

I'd like to hear Freddie Foxxx rapping over some more Primo beats. . . it really does work well.

And, this streak of dopeness just doesn't stop. The next song, "The Rep Grows Bigga," is probably my favorite on the album. It starts with this goofy intro thing, though. . . that's kinda lame. But once the song kicks in, it is extremely dope. The beat is really repetitive, but in a good way. Guru's lyrics deal with making it big, after years of hard work.

	"Two businessmen, Guru and Preim, we enterprised
	 Too strong to be stepped on, creatively wise
	 The dedicated ministers of underground sound
	 When we're doin our thing, you know we don't f*ck around
	 No matter how bizarre and different you think you are
	 Your team wouldn't dream of competeing with Gang Starr
	 Premier in the rear with the beats and cuts
	 And Guru with the mic ready to tear sh*t up
	 Take us out the game, nigga?  How you figure?
	 The name is well kept, and the rep just gets bigga"

After "The Rep Grows Bigga," the album hits a bit of a slump for about five tracks. . . now, don't get me wrong, these are still some dope, dope, dope tracks, and would probably be the best tracks on most good albums. But compared to the way they were going, it just sorta lets me down a bit. . . it gets TOO laid-back for a while. I don't really feel like commenting on tracks #12-16 individually (damn, this review is already too long), but I'll say they're really dope (better than anything on Hard To Earn, even), but just not quite what preceded it.

Or followed it, for that matter. Gang Starr is back in form for "The Mall." This is an extremely memorable track, featuring two guys (who I've never heard of) named G-Dep and Shiggy Sha. The subject matter is. . . well, the mall. When I first heard it, I thought it was either some sort of social commentary on the Capitalist system of "pimps and ho's" or a parody on materialistic rappers, but it's not. It's just about making money, and spending it in a mall. I know, I know, it sounds like something Lil Kim would write about, but this is actually one of my favorite cuts on the album. The beat is ill, the verses are nice, and you've gotta love that chorus.

		      "Most times I'm casual, but easily I switch
		       To some fly sh*t, like some silk suits by Paul Smith
		       And purchase some kicks by Kenneth Cole
		       Cop a Hilfiger, or Polo goose, for when it's cold
		       Armani, and Gaultier specs cover my eyes
		       The definition of jiggy so you best to recognize"

Ooooh. . . Guru just said "jiggy". . . that word just keeps popping up everywhere nowadays, doesn't it?

"At the mall, I'm baggin up, much more than gear
 Victoria, be whisperin mad Secrets in my ear
 She wanted me to knock her in the back of Foot Locker
 I chuckled as she kicked more game than soccer"

Jeez. . . "kicked more game than soccer". . . that's just one of those ultra-goofy Guru lines that could be considered wack but is in reality really dope because it's so goofy. That's one of the things I love about Guru's lyrics. The silliness. And the thing is. . . I'm not even sure if he even intends his rhymes to be so goofy sometimes. :) I was sorta disappointed. . . I mean a song about shopping at the mall, guys? I honestly thought there was more to it than that at first, but, as far as I can tell, there isn't. I guess it's possible that it's a sarcastic dis of sorts. . . whatever, the song is still awesome.

Guess who shows up on track #18, "Betrayal"? Scarface. Yep, that Scarface, the same one whose My Homies I tore into pieces last review (I've been getting tons of e-mail complaining about that, actually). Remember how I said in there that "now he's just an absolutely pathetic example of an emcee"? Well, maybe that's not entirely true. . . I really liked this song he did with Gang Starr. It allowed me to give Face a little respect back after that so-called album I reviewed last month. Here, Guru and Scarface kick some lines about how people are shady, that no one can be trusted. Premier comes slower this time, which definitely fits Scarface's story-telling flow.

  "Scandalous, money greed and lust
   In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
   Plus, there's no justice, it's just us
   In fact, watchin yo back, it be must
   And each and everyday around the way gats bust
   And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
   It's called betrayal"

		   "So now he's pacin as the time moves slowly
		    Can't wait to face Shaquille in the paint and school Kobe
		    Kept his grades and stayed up under naighborhood functions
		    And then a group of knuckleheads came through dumpin
		    So now he's sittin on the sidewalk bleedin
		    Fell into a puddle of his own blood and stopped breathin
		    And everybody in the neighborhood still grievin
		    But destiny caught up with his ass and he got even"

Next up is "Next Time." A boastful track, Guru let's everyone know he's on top.

"So just perhaps, you wanna challenge my style of rap
Talkin bout you bust caps, we know that's just a pile of crap
The underground is where I dwell at
It's where I find my heaven, and where you find your hell at"

	 "You seen me in action so act you been knowin
	  The G-U-R-U, of the Gang, I've been flowing
	  Just like the river Niger all the way to the Hudson
	  Had so many lyrics stashed, and I couldn't wait to bust some
	  Lately, I've watched this game evolve and elevate
	  So now I push my music like drug dealers push weight
	  Straight like that, straight out the gate
	  Cuz it's never too late, to set this f*ckin record straight"

The album draws to a close with "In Memory Of..." Not one of the best tracks on the album, but still really dope. Guru pretty much gives shout-outs to a bunch of folks that died recently. It's dope, and ends the album on a nice note.

Wow. That was one dope album. Once again, Gang Starr has done it. Everyone expected Premier to come as ill as usual with his tracks, but what really surprised me was Guru. As one of the sole Martin Luther Kings in a political Rap world filled with Malcom X's, he just keeps getting more mature with every release, and sounds totally different than your average rapper. It's not just "mostly tha voice," but his whole attitude, as well. This time around, his lyrics were his nicest yet, always with a message involved. I was truly surprised by his superb performance on Moment of Truth, even though he's already one of my favorite emcees of all time. Whenever someone would ask me to name my Top 5 rappers, I would usually put Guru up there. This album totally confirms it: Guru is one of the greats. This time around he's not into all the braggadocio of past efforts, but he definitely makes up for it with his deep thoughts on all kinds of topics. And, like always, Guru sometimes has lyrics that are so hilariously goofy (some might say "wack"), that they're incredibly dope. Like "lemonade was a popular drink and it still is." :) I was sorta bothered by the way he put more emphasis on money and material things on this album than on all of his past albums, as can be seen in "The Mall," but even with this, he's still keeping it real. Don't worry, he's not on some Jay-Z-Junior M.A.F.I.A.-The Lox tip or anything. He might like money and sex, but that's not all he raps about. All of his doubters (and there are plenty of folks that don't give Guru the respect he deserves, believe me) had to give him a hand for his lyrics on Moment of Truth. A prop and a half goes to The Guru.

And what about those guest-appearances? Seriously, EVERYONE sounds better over a Primo beat. I thought Scarface was all washed up, but rapping on "Betrayal" made him sound like the same ol' deep Scarface of the past. Inspectah Deck kicks an incredible verse on "Above the Cloud," and sounds way better than he did on anything from Wu-Tang Forever (okay, aside from his verse on "Triumph"), which sorta shows that in the DJ Premier vs. RZA battle (the topic of many a discussion), Primo has to take it. And who else but Freddie Foxxx comes with possibly the all-around nicest verses of the album? Hell, I even liked K-Ci and JoJo on the album. And I usually can't stand R&B-tinged Hip-Hop. If someone wants to save their career (or at least get a little respect back), working with DJ Premier should be the first thing they do.

A clear improvement over 1994's Hard to Earn, Moment simply shines compared to most albums released in the past few years. Compared to Gang Starr's two previous classics, it doesn't shine quite so brightly however. Step in the Arena and Daily Operation are two really great albums. . . and at this point I'm not quite sure how Moment of Truth stacks up. However, even if it's Gang Starr's third best all-around album, you still NEED to buy this one. I will say that it is by far Gang Starr's most consistent album. Even on Step in the Arena and Daily Operation there were some tracks that I'd usually skip over, only bump when I was in the right sort of mood. But there isn't one track like that on Moment. When was the last time you heard a 20-track album that you could play all the way through, every single time you listened to it? Moment is that album.

Some heads might complain about the more smoothed-out sound of this album, calling it commercial or watered-down. Well, to be honest, it does seem like they went for a couple of radio hits here, especially with the R&B crooning of K-Ci and JoJo on "Royalty." I really don't mind. . . it's not like they sold out. Gang Starr is still hardcore Hip-Hop. No wack samples or anything along those lines are here. They may push a few more units this time around, though. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this album went Gold, and it would be cool to even see it reach Platinum status. But, even if they blow up and became insanely popular (probably no time soon, but you never know) Gang Starr will never lose the Platinum respect they've earned as long they release albums as great as this one.

All in all, this is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. In my humble opinion, it's easily the best Hip-Hop related release since Common's One Day It'll All Make Sense, which in turn was probably the dopest Rap album since Jeru's first one. If I'm putting it up there in the company of those greats, you know it has to be a classic. On that note, it is still way to early to call this the album of the year, with releases by Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, The Coup, and my man Aceyalone still not released or just not in my CD player yet, but I see this album as being hard to out-do. Guru and Primo are on top, at least for the time being.

---Steve Clark

Did I get it wrong? E-mail me at stevec@netnitco.net with all comments or questions you may have.

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