Gang Starr – Step In The Arena
Tracklist
| A1 | Name Tag (Premier & The Guru) | 0:36 | |
| A2 | Step In The Arena | 3:36 | |
| A3 | Form Of Intellect | 3:37 | |
| A4 | Execution Of A Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2) | 2:39 | |
| A5 | Who's Gonna Take The Weight? | 3:54 | |
| A6 | Beyond Comprehension | 3:10 | |
| A7 | Check The Technique | 3:55 | |
| A8 | Lovesick | 3:22 | |
| A9 | Here Today, Gone Tomorrow | 2:16 | |
| B1 | Game Plan | 1:06 | |
| B2 | Take A Rest | 4:18 | |
| B3 | What You Want This Time? | 2:39 | |
| B4 | Street Ministry | 1:21 | |
| B5 | Just To Get A Rep | 2:39 | |
| B6 | Say Your Prayers | 1:20 | |
| B7 | As I Read My S-A | 2:35 | |
| B8 | Precisely The Right Rhymes | 3:22 | |
| B9 | The Meaning Of The Name | 2:53 |
Companies, etc.
- Recorded At – Calliope Studios
- Recorded At – Firehouse Studio, NYC
- Recorded At – Such-A-Sound Studio
- Mastered At – Masterdisk
- Produced For – Gang Starr Productions, Inc.
- Published By – Gifted Pearl Music Inc.
- Published By – Almo Music Corp.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Chrysalis Records, Inc.
- Copyright © – Chrysalis Records, Inc.
- Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation
Credits
- Art Direction, Design – Marc Cozza
- Design [Logo] – Rick Patrick
- Engineer – Yoram Vazan (tracks: B3 to B6)
- Liner Notes – The Guru*
- Lyrics By – Keith E.E.*
- Management – Empire Artist Management, Inc.*
- Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
- Music By [Beats], Scratches – DJ Premier
- Photography By – Renee Cox
- Producer, Mixed By – Guru
Notes
All songs recorded at Calliope Productions - New York, NY, except for
What Do You Want This Time, Just to Get A Rep, Street Ministry and Say Your Prayers recorded at Firehouse Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Form Of Intellect, Precisely The Right Rhymes and The Meaning Of The Name recorded at Such A Sound Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Direct Metal Mastering (DMM).
Some copies of this release have gold "Lent For Promotional Use Only" stamp over barcode.
What Do You Want This Time, Just to Get A Rep, Street Ministry and Say Your Prayers recorded at Firehouse Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Form Of Intellect, Precisely The Right Rhymes and The Meaning Of The Name recorded at Such A Sound Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Direct Metal Mastering (DMM).
Some copies of this release have gold "Lent For Promotional Use Only" stamp over barcode.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Barcode (Text): 0 9463-21798-1 4
- Barcode (Scanned): 094632179814
- Matrix / Runout (Label side A): F1 21798 A
- Matrix / Runout (Label side B): F1 21798 B
- Matrix / Runout (Runout side A): MASTERDISK DMM F1-21798-A5 DMM SP 1-1
- Matrix / Runout (Runout side B): MASTERDISK F1-21798-B5 DMM SP 1-2
- Pressing Plant ID (In runouts): SP
- Rights Society: ASCAP
Other Versions (5 of 57)
View All| Title (Format) | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | |||
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Recently Edited
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Step In The Arena (CD, Album) | Chrysalis | F2 21798 | US | 1990 | ||
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Recently Edited
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Step In The Arena (LP, Album) | Chrysalis | 0946 3 21798 1 4 | Europe | 1990 | ||
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Recently Edited
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Step In The Arena (LP, Album) | Cooltempo | 1C 064 - 3 21798 1 | 1990 | |||
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Recently Edited
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Step In The Arena (Cassette, Album) | Chrysalis | F4 21798 | US | 1990 | ||
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New Submission
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Step In The Arena (Instrumentals) (LP, Promo, White Label) | Chrysalis | GS 21798 | US | 1990 |
Recommendations
Reviews
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I can’t believe they even attempted to cram so many minutes of music onto side A of this LP. With such presumably thin grooves, the sound quality must be dismal. Can anyone report on how this side sounds? -
Edited 14 years agoWow, no comments on this impeccable release, is the honor really all mine? I can the day and even where in the store I first found my copy of this album. This is the first real Gang Starr album, as "No More Mr. Nice Guy" was more a haphazard collection of various material, some not even recorded together. This record clearly had a mission, and was conceived much moreso as a whole. In other words, the magic between Guru and Premier really gelled right here. Here, in my opinion, is also where you can really see Primo's production style come to fruition, although he'd already had credits such as with Lord Finesse. Just with the intro of "Name Tag", the setting of mood with a simple chopped loop as an introduction is classic Gang Starr, and really feels different for the time period. The tempos are not as aggressive as on "No More Mr. Nice Guy" but still several tracks keep it moving as it was 1990, but most notably the attack is far more focused. Tracks like "Just To Get A Rep," "As I Read My S-A," "Step In The Arena," and the still-ripping "Check The Technique" show that this newly-reformulated crew was not messing around. The heads nod, the lyrics kick, and the beats (many of which became iconic) are just beautiful in their efficiency. I believe most people check in on this group with the next album and its more intense, slower wordplay and Gang Starr Foundation guest stars, but overlooking "Step In The Arena" would be a huge mistake. This is the essential place to start in learning about this monstrously influential and just downright professional rap group.
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