After a ten year tenure in the rap game, the duo of Guru and DJ Premier known as Gang Starr are indeed gurus of their art. They have never gained extreme mainstream success, with their first gold album, "The Moment Of Truth", having been released in 1998. They have, however, stayed true to the game. Guru provides the verbal approach, with lyricism that will catch you off-guard. His steady and powerful mic skills will lead you through new avenues of thought which you might not have perceived possible for a rap artist. DJ Premier is one of the most renown old skool dj's of all-time. His production hasn't been limited to just Gang Starr tracks. His cuts have appeared on songs by such artists as Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Jay-z. This album is a great demonstration of his evolution as a DJ, his beats are the prototype for true underground success. The beats are simple, occasionally too repetitive, along with scratches which break up a possibly annoying flow. Far too often an artist finds success behind the mask of a great beat, only to fade out like the sun behind a cloud when they can't put any content behind the rest of their work. This isn't the case with Gang Starr. The Premier's simple, but catchy beats and Guru's lyrical prowess make for a combination that has brought them success for a decade.

This album, "Full Clip: A Decade Of Gang Starr" is exactly what it says it is. A compilation of all the best songs that Gang Starr has brought forth between 1989-1999, including three new cuts. Gang Starr is unique though, unlike most old skool artists, Gang Starr has changed with the times, and seems to be gaining in popularity and success as times passes by.

Of the 37 tracks on this double album, a fair number can be considered hits. I can't give justice to all the songs, so I'll only describe a few. "Royalty" is by far one of my favorite songs of all time. What is most amazing, is that upon first listen, I hated the song, but with each listen it drew me in. R&B legends-in-the-making, K-Ci & Jojo, put down the chorus and then how can you go wrong.

"You Know My Steez" has a simple beat, and catchy scratch. This hit will have you ad-libing along with Guru. The remix of this song is even better with Kurupt & Death Row's Lady Of Rage putting their thing down too. It was previously only released on vinyl, but it made this double album.

The three new songs, "Full Clip", "Discipline" featuring Total, and "All 4 Tha Ca$h" continue to take Gang starr's skills to another level. The story behind "All 4 Tha Ca$h" will have you thinkin. "Discipline" shows a level of maturity on Guru's part that only the strongest MC's can mentally portray. The single, "Full Clip" has a great beat and will snatch you up.

Gang Starr avoids the mass appeal by keeping it real. Their style is true to the rap game. Guru and DJ Premier have silently made their names legendary, but with authority. Guru's dedicated ability to take a deep subject and deal with it maturely while expressing it as a rap, is amazing. He has no doubt been a relatively positive influence on the thought patterns of rap listeners. Unfortunately, this double album loses marks for the simple and repetitive beats which do get annoying in a few songs. But to change that, would be to change Gang Starr's style.

This double album is not for the hip hop fan who loves to be bought by the first listen. This is headphone music for the rap fans who are true to the rap game at heart. If your heart is true to the game, then this album should already be in your hands by now. If you enjoy old skool rap then you should also seriously think about buying this album. Unfortunately if you like to jump on the hip hop mainstream bandwagon, then this album probably won't satiate your thirst.

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(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written July 20, 1999