One of the Best Yet
seemed almost unimaginable until 2019. A few years earlier,
DJ Premier
acquired unreleased
Guru
vocals from
DJ Solar
, his ex-partner's close associate. Reportedly consisting of 30 recordings made from 2005 through 2009 -- the year before the MC died of cancer -- they were deemed by
Premier
to be sufficient raw material for a seventh
Gang Starr
album, the first since
The Ownerz
. The producer reanimates the vocal tracks, none of which amount to more than a couple verses or a hook, as only the master craftsman can, and calls upon many
Gang Starr Foundation
members, other peers, and a small number of younger artists for reinforcement.
never held back from expressing his dissatisfaction with the state of hip-hop, but his prevailing disgruntled monotone here -- at its lowest when "rap" is rhymed with "crap" -- often clashes with the justifiably reverential and adrenalized energy of the guests. In "What's Real," for instance,
Royce Da 5'9"
marvels at the presence of
's ashes in the studio, urging "Let his children eat off the proceeds," only a couple tracks after the late legend himself spits, "You used to support your fam off of this/Now you can't even buy Spam off of this." More striking is the anachronistic "Family and Loyalty," undeniably a moving and nostalgic high point but spiked with a rather voluble, very 2010s verse from
J. Cole
. That said, stitched together as it is,
is a priceless benefaction.
was no doubt compelled to see it through for himself and the memory of his deteriorated union with
. That regard for the
legacy is felt throughout the set, a gratifying listen for anyone who can get past
's incapacity to authorize it. Consequences notwithstanding, hearing
the Guru Keithy E
match wits with
M.O.P.
,
Freddie Foxxx
Big Shug
Jeru the Damaja
, and
Group Home
, along with
Q-Tip
and
Talib Kweli
-- all over
's impeccable flips and scratches -- is an unexpected delight. ~ Andy Kellman