The Ownerz [PA]

Performer: Gang Starr
Artist: Jadakiss; Snoop Dogg; Fat Joe; M.O.P.; Big Shug; Freddie Foxxx; Uncle Reo; Krumb Snatcha; Smiley; Boy Big
Engineer: Eddie Sancho; Dexter Thibou; Anthony Ruotolo
Producer: DJ Premier; Guru
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Gang Starr: Guru, DJ Premier. Additional personnel: Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, M.O.P., Boy Big, Uncle Reo, Krumbsnatcha, Freddie Foxxx, Big Shug. Recorded at D&D Studios and Avatar Studios, New York, New York. Gang Starr: Guru, DJ Premier. Recorded at D&D, Avatar Studios, New York, New York. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Audio Mixer: DJ Premier. Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; D&D Studios, New York, NY. Photographer: Daniel Hastings. Unknown Contributor Role: Snow. Working as Gang Starr for over 15 years, Guru & DJ Premier have more than earned their reputation as one of the most skilled, intelligent hip-hop outfits ever to grab the microphone and work the turntables. With Gang Starr's prior release, the underrated HARD TO EARN, seemingly in the distant past (five years), THE OWNERZ reflects the deliberate nature of the meticulous duo. While Premier earned legendary status as producer on some of rap's most enduring records, he seems to do something extra for his home team, and THE OWNERZ may be his tightest work yet. From the Curtis Mayfield-esque opening of "Sabotage" to the deliriously offbeat feedback and horns of "Who Got Gunz," there's not one false note. Add Guru's patented, steady-but-unassuming swagger, and THE OWNERZ is precisely what the hip-hop world expects from Gang Starr, another classic.

Spin (9/03, p.115) - "...The melodies behind DJ Premier's secret-handshake beats are sweeter, but Guru is as bluntly eloquent as ever, delivering every rhyme as if it were a hard-nosed Brooklyn koan." - Rating: B Uncut (9/03, p.97) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Best of all are Premier's inventive backing tracks, hotwired with weird strings, unexpected piano and horn riffs....A class act still in their prime..." Vibe (6/03, pp.153-4) - 3 1/2 out of 5 - "...Gang Starr's formula is both straightforward and timeless....It brings back the power of the basics in an ever-evolving rap landscape..."

Striking the perfect balance between street cred and sophisticated musicality, Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr emerged as hip-hop pioneers in the late 1980s with their sophisticated, jazz-influenced (but still funk-based) sound. They are the rare rap troupe who command respect from every corner of the rap spectrum, as evidenced by their track record of collaborations, including everyone from jazzman Branford Marsalis to Brooklyn gangster rap-dudes M.O.P. DAILY OPERATION and HARD TO EARN remain among the classic albums of the genre. Guru would go on to release a groundbreaking series of jazz-rap collaborations entitled JAZZMATAZZ.

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