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Album Review
by Adrian Stoic
26-6-2003
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| GangStarr are 'The Ownerz' of old-skool |
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GangStarr: 'The Ownerz'
(Virgin)
GangStarr: no dispute over the old-skool cred
GangStarr’s ‘The Ownerz’, the veteran rap duo’s first album since 1998’s ‘Moments Of Truth’, certainly lives up to its title. Producer/turntablist DJ Premier (i.e. Premo) and rapper Guru (also known for the Jazzmatazz side-project) blast a disc that has a point to prove. And it does it brilliantly, with its deadly beatz, hooky melodies, poignant rhymes and even scratching, to show how (if not where and why) did the Rap-hood stray.
“The concept of ‘The Ownerz’ involves how people are renting and leasing Hip-hop,” Guru stated few months ago. “At this point in the game there’s a lot of people exploiting it, and calling the s**t they’re doing ‘Hip-hop’ even though their music is watered down. But we feel strongly about the love that we have for this music, and that we’re true owners of a purer form.”
To achieve the ambition the two have invited some notable guests to add more flavour to the tracks that are already brimming with quality. GangStarr still believe that Hip-hop is the ‘street poetry’, the mirror of black America’s reality and not the form hijacked by Eminem or R&B artists who cop-out to drag it to the level of pop music.
Long the act maintaining the standard against which Hip-hop’s wayward sons should be measured, GangStarr top every self-respecting B-Boy/B-Girl’s list of all-time greats. “I’m 35 years old, man,” comments Premo on the rap pioneer’s ability to sidestep the fickle fashions of contemporary Hip-hop, “and what are we supposed to do, be there rhyming about how much ice we got? Kids can rhyme about, ‘I’m pushing a new Bentley,’ because they wanna brag that they got something. I had s**t already. I had bracelets and the lion rings and the gold fronts in my mouth when I was 20. It was cool. I loved it.”
‘The Ownerz’ is the reality-check then, starting with a spoken ‘Intro’ that is followed, after a pronouncement of, “On that note, let’s get back to the programme”, with a mighty funky rhythm of ‘Put Up Or Shut UP’ that moves even deeper on ‘Sabotage’ that contains a sample of Brown Sugar’s ‘Bump Me’. Other samples are really ace, from The Temptations’ ‘Gonna Keep Tryin’ Til I Win Your Love’ to Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Kung Fu’.
‘Rite Where You Stand’ features Jadakiss, ‘Who Got Gunz’ is mic’d by Fat Joe and M.O.P., ‘Capture (Militia Pt. 3)’ is busted by Freddie Foxxx, Snoop Dogg gets to drop vox on ‘In This Life…’. Still, a couple of band’s own cuts, such as ‘PLAYTAWIN’, ‘Riot Akt’ and ‘Same Team, No Games’, really sum up the “GangStarr doin’ it again/ Rulin’ it again”, as ‘Skills’ boasts. And, bloody right!
If you wez goin’ “insane in da brain” to be toyin’ with investing in Beyoncé’s lovey-dovey debut album, save yourself a diss-a-pointo and redirect your monies into GangStarr and see how pale it all has become. ‘The Ownerz’, yo bro!
8.6/10
Adrian Stoic
26-6-2003
GangStarr album ‘The Ownerz’ is released 23 June 2003 on Virgin
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