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Slice of poetic truth from Gangstarr
Check out Moment of Truth sound clips at
By Jesse Orleans Christopher Martin is delusional. The legend of the man professionally known as DJ Premier has kept kids waiting for each new Gangstarr joint like it was an addendum to ancient scripture. Like he's always done for Gangstarr rapper Guru, and like he did for Nas, Jeru, and M.O.P., Premier is once again in insane form on Gangstarr's latest, Moment of Truth. I hate to start with the best, but "Royalty" (one of the first singles) is one of hip-hop's best moments in the past few months. With K-Ci and JoJo lacing the track with the most precise amount of soul, Guru gets scientific like he never has before, blessing us with jewels like "check it/ the ground be hot under our feet/ so we be listening to beats to keep the cipher complete/ wherever you are baby paw/ remember that your essence is divine son/and let it shine son/ as we refine son/ ay yo this shit'll blow your mind son." Premier puts his five percent in with a never-ending, seemingly circular piano loop over a typically tight and distinctive drum track. Other triumphs include "Above the Clouds," a dope collaboration between Guru and Inspecktah Deck (Wu-Tang son); and the spine-splitting beat on the M.O.P.-augmented posse cut "B.I. vs Friendship."Overall, the album exceeds expectations--not because of Premier's production artistry (which was expected due to his impeccable rep alone)--but because of Guru's best performance yet over the length of an entire album. The smooth monotone for which Guru is notorious has always left me missing the raw illness of a flow like, say, Ghostface Killah's, but this time it reflects not a lack of energy but a stronger focus on Guru's part. Over the past couple of years Keith Elam (Guru) has evidently seen his share of adversity, and he sets out on this edition with a mission to conquer the incorrect. Regardless of Premier's expected creative discipline, Moment of Truth belongs to Guru. In dealing with the world within him and the world around him, Guru achieves a level of thematic unity rare in music today. This is an album, not, like Nas's last effort, a collection of singles. No illusions of crossover have infiltrated the Gangstarr camp, and the dedication to real music is evident in every nuance. To me, Guru is still not as routinely ill as MCs like the RZA, Rakim or any other true master, but his spirit shines through the speakers. If you listen to the album as an extended sermon rather than trying to break the rhymes down line-by-line, you can't help but appreciate that no matter how Guru speaks, he always speaks the truth. In spite of a handful of weak moments (you'll know them when you hear them) Moment of Truth is an affirmation that individual struggle produces a common bond, and that even in the shady industry of today's hip-hop world, some things never change. (Virgin Records)
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