No More Mr Nice Guy
While Public Enemy and the Ultramagnetic MCs were bringing the noise, the duo of Guru and DJ Premier were enrolling for jazz classes under the name Gang Starr.No More Mr. Nice Guy, their debut, is ironically the closest Gang Starr ever came to perfecting their style. They use the requisite James Brown samples (on "Gotch U" and "Manifest") but add jazz piano and upright bass over smooth rap lyrics. It works because the jazz style creates a unique, organic texture that never loses its flavor. It also works because DJ Premier is a force to be reckoned with (the classic DJ cut "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration" name-checks hip-hop contemporaries like Rakim, scratched out over the sweet piano of Kool and the Gang's "Summertime"). Definitely a new-school classic.--Todd Levin