Name: Hard to Earn
Brand: Gang Starr

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

B002174101

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

LPx2

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Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2014-11-11

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Unive­rsal

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

00602547001139

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Total Cap

Artist

Gang Starr

Genre US

Hip Hop

Label US

Virgin

Gang Starr was an East Coast hip hop duo consisting of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their unique style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop, helping to pioneer the New York hip hop sound. Founded in 1985 by Keith Elam (then known as Keithy E. The Guru) and DJ 1,2 B-Down (also known as Mike Dee), Gang Starr released several successful singles and albums throughout their career.

After splitting in 1989, Guru continued under the name Gang Starr and teamed up with DJ Premier (then known as Waxmaster C). Together, they released their first single "Words I Manifest" along with the album No More Mr. Nice Guy in 1989. Their catalog includes highly respected albums such as Step in the Arena (1991), Daily Operation (1992), Hard to Earn (1994), and Moment of Truth (1998).

Gang Starr's influence on the music industry is evident through their collaborations with various producers and their track "Jazz Thing," which was featured on Spike Lee's film Mo' Better Blues soundtrack. With a fusion of jazz and hip hop, Gang Starr left a lasting impact on the genre.

​On "ALONGWAYTOGO," the second track from Gang Starr's Hard to Earn, rapper Guru draws a line in the sand between the "counterfeit" and the "legit" and challenges the listener, "If you don't know what you're doing, how the hell can you be real?" He goes on to explain that being "real" means walking the streets with a pistol in your belt and no bodyguards, ready to rumble when you don't get your "props." What he never bothers to explain is why this macho "Shaft" fantasy is more real than earning a business degree at Morehouse College and becoming a jazz fan (which is what Guru did in his earlier life as Keith Elam). Outflanked on the hip-hop/jazz front by Digable Planets and Us3, Gang Starr try to reestablish their hardcore credentials with an album that finds Guru rapping about sucker MCs and pistol-packing homeboys while Premier loops funky but repetitive beats behind him.

Hard to Earn

Music US