There's no other way to say it. Gang Starr's posthumous album The Best One Yet is a beautiful thing. How DJ Premier managed to keep this one a secret for so long is an astounding feat, proof that patience is among the best attributes one can possess. Now that the wait is finally over, and hip-hop fans can once again hear the late Guru's iconic voice, it feels like there couldn't have been a better time for its arrival. In many ways, the Gang Starr stand embodies the golden era, sample-based production and boom-bap beats.
On "What's Real," Guru and Preem links with Group Home and the PRhyme lyricist Royce Da 5'9", who ultimately went on to forge his own path with the DJ. In the first official collaboration between Royce and Guru, Nickle absolutely bodies the set, spitting bars that cement him as one of the best to ever do it behind a mic. "Preem blowin' weed, he a master on the courts, I'm a student with the rap that's spewin' passion on the chorus," he spits. "While the smoke is in the air, feel like voodoo's on the floor, cause we got the actual ashes of Guru on the boards." Stream the project in full right here, and long live Gang Starr.
Quotable Lyrics
Preem blowin weed, he a master on the courts
I'm a student with the rap that's spewin' passion on the chorus
While the smoke is in the air, feel like voodoo's on the floor
Cause we got the actual ashes of Guru on the boards
