Having been in the rap game since 1988, the duo of Guru (emcee) and Premier (deejay), continue to maintain their weight on their mission for their first platinum album. Their last album, 1998's Moment of Truth saw them reach gold status for the first time riding the momentum created by the amazing single 'Royalty.' Nearly five years later the duo known as Gang Starr are back on the prowl with The Ownerz.

The Ownerz is yet another impressive release as DJ Premier again puts down beats portraying a timeless landscape of the hip-hop sound, but simultaneously provide club potential while staying true to the streets. Guru's "king of the monotone" vocals make for a great complement to the maturity, knowledge and consistency found within his lyrics. He gets political on tracks like 'Riot Akt' where he takes it back to Public Enemy days by speaking up in support of his community. He also gets cocky on tracks like 'Put up or Shut Up,' but still provides a solid message for young aspiring rappers.

The lead single, 'Skills' is a captivating head-bopper demonstrating the skills possessed by Gang Starr. The only skit, 'Hiney,' is a hilarious ode to those rappers whose lyrical content makes like a room with a skunk - empty. The hook on 'Deadly Habitz' will draw you in to the underlying Guru autobiography. Most interesting are the featured artists. The oft-hated Jadakiss makes a strong appearance on 'Rite Where U Stand' surprising some and impressing all. Snoop Dogg drops in on 'In This Life...' and sheds his gangsta stance for the consciously minded Gang Starr collaboration. Fat Joe & M.O.P. complement the street-anthem 'Who Got Gunz' better than any other emcee could ever dream.

Gang Starr has refined a style true to the streets, but unfortunately this doesn't result in the fun sound that often drives album sales. Evidently Guru and Primo aren't concerned since they've been at it since '88. There's nothing riskι about The Ownerz, it's just some pure refined hip-hop built from the minds of two of the game's finest.

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