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Soul Strut 100: # 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena

RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
edited December 2012 in The Soul Strut 100
I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.

# 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena



The list so far:

# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
# 66 - Al Green - Im still in love with you
# 65 - The Beatnuts - Street Level
# 64 - Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater (1970)
# 63 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & the Soul Brother
# 62 - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
# 61 - The J.B.???s - Food For Thought
# 60 - Don Blackman (1982)
# 59 - Niagara - (Tiddies)
# 58 - Can - Ege Bamyasi
# 57 - Whatnauts - On the Rocks
# 56 - The Mohawks - Champ
# 55 - McDonald and Giles (1971)
# 54 - Darondo - Let My People Go
# 53 - Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping
# 52 - Beastie Boys - Paul???s Boutique
# 51 - Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
# 49 - Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
# 48 - Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
# 47 - James Brown - In The Jungle Groove
# 46 - Bill Withers - Still Bill
# 45 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
# 44 - Silver Apples - S/T
# 43 - Mobb Deep - The Infamous
# 42 - Lyn Christopher (1973)
# 41 - Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson


Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.

About


Step In the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on January 15 1991. Initially, the album was rated 3.5 out of 5 mics in The Source magazine.[4] In his review, Reef wrote: "Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop's underground heritage." In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Hip Hop Albums.[5] In 2007, it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN.com.[6] The song "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" was remixed by DJ Premier for use in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV as well as "Step In the Arena" was on the video games Skate It and Skate 2 .


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_In_the_Arena

Related Threads

TIMELESS: DJ Premier Revisits Gang Starr???s Step In The Arena

Favorite Gangstarr (Did We Do This Already)?

GANGSTARR - one of the best yet !?

Young Jeezy: Thug Motivation 101 = Modern Classic?

Media




  Comments

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts


    Want, no, NEED!!...???STEP IN THE MARINA??? POSTER!!!
  • badder_than_evilbadder_than_evil 951 Posts
    My favourite Gang Starr LP and in my top 3 Hip Hop LP's.

    Premo killed the beats on every track.
  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    "Premo killed the beats on every track"


    My gateway to Gang Starr at full length. We played this to death here in the South.
  • DJCireDJCire 729 Posts
    Even the love/chick cuts are dope ("Lovesick" & "What you want this time")... and I hate those types of cuts...
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    As I Read My S-A
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    batmon said:
    As I Read My S-A

    one of a few beats from the premo catalogue i've heard him kinda dismiss. he called it "happy shit".
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    batmon said:
    As I Read My S-A

    one of a few beats from the premo catalogue i've heard him kinda dismiss. he called it "happy shit".

    Whats your opinion?
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    An undeniably great record, by any standard. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite GangStarr LP between this and Daily Operation.

    When I first moved back to NYC after college in 1991 I moved into Williamsburg a few blocks from the W-burg bridge, my roommates and I had an incredibly cheap loft (1200 bucks for almost 3000 sq feet). We had been playing this record all spring, and we found the loft not knowing that the video for "Just To Get A Rep" was shot literally around the corner. Once we did realize it we were convinced that we were destined to find this space and make our fortune, it just had to be. Shit didn't work out that way, but this record will always remember that feeling of being 21 and ready to take over the world.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    batmon said:
    As I Read My S-A

    one of a few beats from the premo catalogue i've heard him kinda dismiss. he called it "happy shit".

    Wow, that's crazy. I think that one is dope as hell. He killed the scratching on there, too.

    I remember being so ridiculously excited when I copped that tape. I slapped it into my Walkman with the auto-reverse function, and it stayed there for at least a solid week. Just that tape, over and over and over.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Glad that the New Orleans Saints made the cover of this great LP.
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    batmon said:
    SIRUS said:
    batmon said:
    As I Read My S-A

    one of a few beats from the premo catalogue i've heard him kinda dismiss. he called it "happy shit".

    Whats your opinion?

    it was never one of my faves but i never understood why out of evey song he'd made he singled that beat out for criticism. this was a interview from the early 00's if i'm remembering correctly. i think part of it was that rappers kept asking him for beats that sounded just like SA and he wanted to move on.
  • Juan CocktolstoyJuan Cocktolstoy 216 Posts
    I could never get enough of Gangstarr. I remember watching "Manifest" on Video Jukebox and I was sold. But this album happens to be my favorite of Gangstarr's. The beats, the samples, the voice, the entire package! Speaking of the voice, my wife doesn't really listen to rap or hip-hop for that matter but she always loved to hear me play a Gangstarr song. Hell, she can even identify a Premier beat when I play it after a few notes. "Check the Technique" had crazy bass and that crisp clap throughout that made you want to "dance ya ass off hops". I had the "Step in the Arena" tape but this song I also bought the maxi-single too!!

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  • Campag_RecordCampag_Record 238 Posts
    SIRUS said:
    batmon said:
    As I Read My S-A

    one of a few beats from the premo catalogue i've heard him kinda dismiss. he called it "happy shit".

    One of my favourite tracks for sure.





    Incredible LP and not dated.
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    I got this for my 13th birthday from a good friend. We are still good friends and this album is undoubtlely one of the most important of all time for me. The Beats, the lyrics, the delivery. I also remember that at the time when Premo was giving interviews, he alsways bigged up Graf writers and that whole "street b/w jazz" style was super important for me at the time. A true classic. This made me grow from being a kid to being a teenager :pasue: ....
  • francois parkerfrancois parker formerly know as Parkz. 125 Posts
    I was completely obsessed with this album, shouting about it from the rooftops, it really had an effect on me.
    I'd say they were top of the hip hop game when this dropped, beats and rhymes.
    I never felt quite the same way about a Gangstarr album again, I mean I like them all, but this was something else.
    Guru mentioned in an interview that he had to dumb down after this album, which I always thought such a shame and highly noticeable.
  • ScottScott 420 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Glad that the New Orleans Saints made the cover of this great LP.

    Also Primo is repping the Minnesota North Stars. Two teams that naturally go together (?)
  • countmaculacountmacula 196 Posts
    Guru with the Ewings!!!
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Scott said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Glad that the New Orleans Saints made the cover of this great LP.

    Also Primo is repping the Minnesota North Stars. Two teams that naturally go together (?)

    Being that Primo is originally from Houston, him being a hockey fan at all is kinda weird.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    easily the best gangstarr record for me. moment of truth might be next. followed by daily ops

    i mean check the technique is unbelievable.
    just to get a rep?!?! forget about it.
    i love the kole param loop too
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Scott said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Glad that the New Orleans Saints made the cover of this great LP.

    Also Primo is repping the Minnesota North Stars. Two teams that naturally go together (?)

    Being that Primo is originally from Houston, him being a hockey fan at all is kinda weird.

    i just watched a hilarious snoop and nardwar interview where snoop talks about how he turned into a big hockey fan. great stuff
  • Juan CocktolstoyJuan Cocktolstoy 216 Posts
    countmacula said:
    Guru with the Ewings!!!

    Helllsyeah... I remember watching that video with my friends and we were geeked over those white Ewings!! After that, we all had a pair... we couldn't get the gold link chains though... He was rockin them on the front cover as well.

  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    stratasphere said:
    "Premo killed the beats on every track"

    Hey,

    The above quote sums my view of Preem's work on "Step in the Arena." More than that, he made (to me) the single biggest come-up on the beat tip since DITC after producing on Lord Finesse's second album. Anyway, Guru and Preem came into their own on "Step in the Arena", and my joints were "Check the Technique" (I love that "California Soul" jernt to this day), "Just to Get a Rep", and "Who's Gonna Take the Weight." "Step in the Arena" is a true hip hop classic, and I'm glad it was recognized for the Soul Strut 100.

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak
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