They weren't making any group efforts, but it's not like they were just fucking around. Both members managed to keep themselves busy. DJ Premier was producing for any and every artist that asked, making himself the go to guy as far as boom bap and scratches go. Guru on the other hand, expanded on the groups jazz influences, embarking on a solo career that I'm sure everyone would like to forget about. Those are a couple album that I promise will never pop up on this site. The Jazzmatazz series actually received general critical acclaim but most fans found it odd listening to Guru over something that wasn't produced by DJ Premier. That pretty much covers all the nonsense in between the groups fourth and fifth album, so I can assume that everyone is up to speed.
To the surprise of even Gang Starr, Moment Of Truth ended up being the groups most commercially successful release, selling over five hundred thousand copies. (we call that going gold in the business) The album also delivered the groups first big radio hit, Royalty, giving the some mainstream exposure. I usually regard this, along with Hard To Earn, as my favorite Gang Starr alums, as Moment Of Truth is the easiest to sit down and listen to from front to back. (even though it's like eighty fucking minutes long) I tend to stick to my opinions, but I need to review this anyways for completions sake. But hey, everyday's a good day for some Gang Starr, right?
1. You Know My Steez
Moment Of Truth's first single opens the album up with a resounding "we're still better than all the shit you've been listening to since Hard To Earn". Seriously, this song is absurdly amazing. Guru sounds crisp as ever, while Primo's drums might break your headphones. So if you value your music listening equipment, keep it at a low volume. If you're a real man, though, walk around your neighborhood blaring this shit out a boombox, making sure you're being as ignorant as possible. I don't even known what the hell I'm talking about now, so I'll just stop.
I'm going to sounds really weird, but this is the first Gang Starr song I ever heard, as it was recommended to me by my reviewing partner. Out of all the songs to pick, I must say that's incredibly strange. Obviously I liked it enough to buy all their album, but it's still funny to me. After a contrived as fuck intro, Guru takes on all the problems of society in his rhymes, doing so in incredible depth and clarity. Still love this song today.
3. Work
Quite possibly the greatest thing Gang Starr ever created. Everything done on this track is performed to perfection, but nothing touches Primo's magnificent instrumental. Since it's Primier we're talking about, the drums obviously bang but so does every other little instrument thrown in there. Guru's pronunciation of the word "top" (ti-dop) makes in laugh every single time I hear it. I'm almost positive that it's not official, but there's a remixed version of this thing circling the internet featuring Big L. It's in your best interest to check that one out as well.
4. Royalty (Feat. Feat. K-Ci & Jojo)
Here's that previously mentioned radio-friendly song. I'm assuming it was forced upon them by their record company, as I'm sure the label had no idea this thing was actually going to sell copies. The singing on the hook is pretty annoying but the song as a whole isn't bad at all. After the song ends, Primo goes on a long ass rant toward other fake ass producers and those who reveal where the get their samples.
5. Above The Clouds (Feat. Inspectah Deck)
An incredible collaborative effort with wu tang's Inspectah Deck. If you're up on your killa beez knowledge today, you might remember that the rebel INS was actually at the top of his game in 98, although he was still known as the underrated one of the group. But yeah, Primo's beat is one of the best on the album, but I might be biased since he was going for a deliberate wu feel. Guru manages to not sound too out of place and everything works out nicely.
6. JFK 2 LAX
Wow, I forgot how stacked the fist half of this album was. Here we have yet another fan favorite, where Guru shows off his storytelling talents. In this tale, he recalls the events that occurred after a gun, without it's serial number, was found in his luggage. Even though he's still arrested in the story, he turns the song into a heart felt speech about believing in yourself. I was never able to get into this as much as other listeners seemed to, though.
7. It's A Setup (Feat. Hannibal)
Similar to "Soliloquy Of Chaos" the rappers focus on some of the senseless violence that occurs at live show. Guru manages to just barely not get blown out of the water by Hannibal Stax, as he delivers a more than impressive verse. Primo's gives another great beat, making the song sound fantastic. There's a skit towards the end that does no more than set up more the next track, hence you can skip it with reckless abandon.
8. Moment Of Truth
Here we have a title track that I don't completely hate. In fact, it's one of my favorites from the album. Primo's beat is a little overly dramatic but it still sounds nice in context. Guru talks about Karma, and taking responsibility for your actions. Another verse is thrown in at the end, where he just attacks rappers. I've always loved the line where he proclaims himself as, "the king of monotone". Good shit.
Another interlude goes by before guru is able to expand on his relationship with M.O.P. Lil Fame and Billy Danze both sound surprisingly good over the boom bap instrumental (it's not that hard to sound good, though, when you have DJ Premier producing for you). Like I said, Guru always sounds good with these guys and this song is no exception.
10. The Militia (Feat. Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx)
Fan-fucking-tastic song. Freddie Foxxx annihilates everything in front of him, as this was the start of his comeback, but Guru and Big Shug hold their own. Primo and Freddie would later go on to form the group "Bumpy Knuckles" but they still haven't been able to top this track. Can't say much more about "The Militia", it's amazing.
11. The Rep Grown Bigga
The interlude performed by an unnamed guest is more than unnecessary, but once the song starts Guru expands on the groups earlier track "Just To Get A Rep". The sequel is just about as good as the original, as Guru's lyrics and confidence has only gotten better. Primo's beat left a lot to be desired, though. Still a pretty good song.
12. What I'm Here 4
One of the more boring songs on the project. Like any other group, a twenty track album is bound to have some filled and that's exactly what we have here.
Moment Of Truth takes a huge change of tempo, as we move into the lone track produced by Guru. Keith's ladies song feels completely out of place and destroys a lot of the albums momentum. I said that Momentum Of Truth is the group easiest album to sit through and listen to the entire thing, however there's no way I'm going to listen to this again. It does make me realize how ridiculous the rumors about Guru being gay are, though. Still, this is easily the worst song on the album.
14. New York Strait Talk
No, this isn't the geography lesson you were looking for, but Guru is back to normal after that horrendous last track. Primo's drumline and scratching sound good and compliment Guru's flow to perfection. Very nice. If you were here for the geography lesson, a strait is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies.
15. My Advice To You
Yet another song where Guru is talking to a friend who he feels needs to take responsibility for his actions. If Guru believes even half the shit he is saying, then he's the worlds most accountable person. This song is decent enough.
16. Make 'Em Pay (Feat. Krumbsnatcha)
Not even going to pretend to know who the hell this guest feature is, but he got his damn pizza chains mixed up, which this song is ultimately known for. I don't remember anything else from his verse so I guess that says something about him. Guru's verses are very intense, a different tone from the rest of the album but it still manages to to work. Overall though, this is just another song that mixes into the rest of this albums rather bland second half.
17. The Mall (Feat. G-Dep & Shiggy Sha)
One of the weirdest and most out of placed songs in Gang Starr's career. From a group talking about accountability and Karma, this song comes off incredibly materialistic. I'm sure no one bought this album in hopes of hearing Guru talk about what he buys at the mall. A lot of this material comes from the guest, though. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he eventually signed with Puff Daddy at Bad Boy Records. Thankfully, Primo's beat saves this track from being terrible.
18. Betrayal (Feat. Scarface)
To my knowledge, Scarface was the first dirty south rapper to appear on a Premier track. He's a personal favorite of mine and doesn't disappoint when aligned with East Coast rappers. Both rapper's storytelling is top notch, as Guru nicely adjusts to the change of pace. One of my favorite's from the album
19. Next Time
Not bad, not great. It is boring, though, and really shouldn't have made an appearance on an album that already had it's fair share of filler.
20. In Memory Of...
The final track actually has three things in one: an outro, shoutouts to loved ones that passed away, and an actual song. Guru and Premier actually provide a touching tribute to their fallen friends and end Moment Of Truth on a high note.
Rating: 4/5
Moment Of Truth is another addition to the incredibly consistent catalog. So consistent in fact, that this is their third album to receive four stars from me, while also having a 4.5 star masterpiece under their belt. That's very impressive. After another listen, I'd say this is their third best work, next to Daily Operation and Hard To Earn. Gang Starr expanded their sound even farther on their fifth album, making for their most accessible effort to date. The first half of this album is as good as anything the group has recorded, containing some of my favorite songs. While nowhere close to bad, the second half tends to drag on a bit and contains it's fair share of filler. Still though, a couple of the albums best songs are found in the back half. The surplus of guest features also separates Moment Of Truth from the rest of their work. A couple of guest were terrible, but Inspectah Deck, Scarface, and Freddie Foxxx all deliver stellar performances. This is actually the album I would recommend most to a new fan, as it's very accessible and easy to get into.