In honor of the legendary and perpetually undervalued MC, I've compiled a list of my top 5 Gang Starr tracks:
5) "Rite Where U Stand (ft. Jadakiss)" - Guru could make aggressive and even violent narratives feel like appropriate glimpses into a life far different from the dominant suburban conception of America.
4) "She Knowz What She Wants" - You may not like everything he has to say ("Never fall victim to a chicken you was stickin'/Even if you think the punanny might be finger-lickin"), but you've got to admit there's a thoughtfulness and complexity here very rare in the rap world.
3) "Full Clip" - Guru's balance between (seemingly) genuine thuggery and clever lyrical constructs are on complete display with lines like"so that's all for you I'm wiping out your whole team/I'll splatter your dreams with rhymes to shatter your schemes."
2) "Code of the Streets" - There's no chorus here, just a relentless and hypnotic beat by DJ Premier and Guru's urban commandments.
1) "Moment of Truth" - Straight up street preachin' over an epic string arrangement. "Nobody's invincible no plan is foolproof/We all must meet our moment of truth."
Bonus: Blue Sky Black Death - "Floor Chalk (Best Reprise) (ft. Guru & Chief Kamachi)" Some pretty epic production from the hip hop underground.
