B. Cox reviews Gang Starr's classic fourth album Hard To Earn as it turns 30. After the critical success of 1992's Daily Operation, Guru and DJ Premier took a brief hiatus to pursue individual projects. Guru launched his Jazzmatazz series and Premier became one of the most sought after producers in industry, working with the likes Jeru the Damaja, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and KRS-One. Coming back to record their fourth, the group wanted to prove that they were versatile and wanted to show that they could stray from their jazz-sampled sensibilities on their previous album and could rock with a different sound.
Heavily involved with the project was the Gang Starr Foundation, a collective that was aligned with the duo that included the likes of Jeru, the hip-hop duo Group Home, Big Shug, Freddie Foxx (Bumpy Knuckles), Afu-Ra among others. The project featured Jeru, both Lil Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker and Big Shug. Unlike Daily Operation, the album was produced under a wider variety of musical influences.
The album featured two classic singles: "DWYCK" with hip-hop duo Nice & Smooth (which was supposed to be originally on Daily Operation and "Mass Appeal". The album was critically acclaimed upon release and reestablished Gang Starr as a force within hip-hop. It also served as a forerunner to a number of different albums over the next 18 months that were credited as being pivotal to the New York hip-hop scene being a power center once again in the hip-hop landscape.
Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online
Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise!
Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod
Build Your Own Amazing Podcast Website In Less Than 5 Minutes!
https://www.podpage.com/?via=ivecre8
Show Notes
UDiscoverMusic: "Hard To Earn": Gang Starr's Statement of Purpose
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/gang-starr-hard-to-earn-feature/
Albumism: Gang Starr's 'Hard To Earn' Turns 25 | Anniversary Retrospective
https://albumism.com/features/gang-starr-hard-to-earn-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective
Billboard: DJ Premier talks about Gang Starr's 'Hard To Earn' 25 Years Later: "That Album, I Had A Chip On My Shoulder"
https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/gang-starr-moment-of-truth-dj-premiere-interview-8501991/
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vault-classic-music-reviews-podcast/donations
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.