Gang Starr Step In The Arena (Chrysalis, 645 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022) -- It's been quite a turnaround this year for the Brooklyn-based duo known as Gang Starr. After a falling-out with their old label, Wild Pitch, the duo took their show on the road, made appearances on "Back To Back Rhyming" from Lord Finesse's LP and soon thereafter caught the attention of Spike Lee. That resulted in a collaboration with jazz saxophonist Brandford Marsalis on "Jazz Thing" from the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack and an eventual deal with Chrysalis. Their second LP, Step In The Arena, borrows the more stylistically sophisticated, classier samples of jazz, funk/soul and straight-up streetwise hip-hop. DJ Premier's extensive musical knowledge helps him to create sparse beats that rousingly mesh with distinctive samples, loops and scratches to create sharply enticing bass-lines which range from early Motown funk on "What You Want This Time?" to hypnotizing jazzy textures. Overall, his DJ work is the perfect backdrop of G.U.R.U.'s lyrics that promote the group's positive philosophy in "Street Ministry," "Say Your Prayers," "As I Read My S-A" and "Precisely The Right Rhymes." Gang Starr reminds us just how creative and boundless rap can be. Also experience: "Step In The Arena," "Form Of Intellect," "Execution Of A Chump," "Beyond Comprehension" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow." - CMJ New Music Report (January 11, 1991). Images: Hip Hop Connection.
