Gang Starr NO MORE MR. NICE(EX)

Gang Starr: The Guru Keithy E (rap vocals); DJ Premier (turntables, samples).
Additional personnel: Damo D-Ski (vocals).
Producers: Gang Starr, The Guru Keithy E., Mark The 45 King.
Includes liner notes by Reginald Dennis.
Digitally remastered by Carlton Batts (Frankford Wayne).
Audio Remasterer: Carlton Batts.
Recording information: Air Wave Studio; Such A Sound.
Photographer: Janette Beckman.
Gang Starr's first release, 1989's NO MORE MR. NICE GUY, is a true gem. The album offers a glimpse of genius in progress. These early DJ Premier tracks stand the test of time, though many are at a faster tempo than his typical creations. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY helped create the jazz aesthetic that would dominate East Coast hip-hop music for the next six or seven years.
"Jazz," an ode to the genre that greatly influenced DJ Premier, is a history lesson demonstrating both group members' musical knowledge. "Manifest" is undoubtedly the most memorable cut on the album, and the song that catapulted the duo into hip-hop's hall of fame. Also included on the set is the remix of "Positivity" a hard-hitting banger that heralds the Premier style adopted on the scores of important hip-hop albums with which the DJ was involved throughout the 1990s.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop