Moment of Truth (Gang Starr album)

Moment Of Truth
Studio album by Gang Starr
Released	March 31, 1998
Recorded	1997–1998; D&D Studios New York City
Genre	East Coast hip hop, Hardcore Hip Hop [1]
Length	78:37
Label	Noo Trybe, Virgin
Producer	DJ Premier, Guru
Gang Starr chronology
Hard to Earn (1994) Moment of Truth (1998) Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[4]
RapReviews	[5]

Moment of Truth is the fifth album by hip hop duo Gang Starr.

Overview

Released four years after its previous album, Hard to Earn, this album could be perceived as a comeback, with a newer, updated style of the group's already-established jazz-tinged hip-hop, as stated by Guru in the introduction.

The album is the group's most commercially successful album to date. Moment of Truth debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 7, 1998.^[6] The lead single, "You Know My Steez," became the duo's second Billboard Hot 100 appearance in 1997, peaking at #76. Spin magazine ranked it as the #16 album of 1998.^[7]

The album features more guest artists than previous Gang Starr releases. Collaborations include songs with Inspectah Deck, Scarface, G-Dep, Freddie Foxxx, K-Ci & JoJo, M.O.P. and more.

The album's title track was featured in the 2011 Matthew McConaughey film The Lincoln Lawyer.^[8][9][10] The title track also appeared in the soundtrack of the 2001 video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer (s)	Length
1	"You Know My Steez"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:07
2	"Robbin Hood Theory"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:44
3	"Work"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:57
4	"Royalty"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, K-Ci & JoJo	5:11
5	"Above the Clouds"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Inspectah Deck	3:41
6	"JFK 2 LAX"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:34
7	"Itz a Set Up"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Hannibal Stax	3:49
8	"Moment of Truth"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:07
9	"B.I. vs. Friendship"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, M.O.P.	4:37
10	"The Militia"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx	4:48
11	"The Rep Grows Bigga"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:55
12	"What I'm Here 4"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:45
13	"She Knowz What She Wantz"	Guru,DJ Premier(co produced)	Guru	3:00
14	"New York Strait Talk"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:14
15	"My Advice 2 You"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:31
16	"Make Em Pay"	Guru,DJ Premier(co produced)	Guru, Krumbsnatcha	4:21
17	"The Mall"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, G-Dep, Shiggy Sha	3:40
18	"Betrayal"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Scarface	5:29
19	"Next Time"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:06
20	"In Memory Of…"	DJ Premier, Guru	DJ Premier, Guru	3:50

Samples

• "You Know My Steez"
  • "Flash It To the Beat" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
  • "Real Hip Hop" by Das EFX
  • "Drowning in the Sea of Love" by Joe Simon
  • "Shadowboxing" by GZA/Genius
  • "Usual Suspects" by Big Noyd
  • "Grid Iron Rap" by Method Man
  • "Shadowboxin'" by GZA feat Method Man
  • "B Side Wins Again" by Public Enemy
• "Robbin Hood Theory"
  • "The Day After the Dawn" by Albert Dailey
  • "Capricorn" by George Duke
• "Work"
  • "Prove Your Love" by Fleetwood Mac
  • "Devil In The Dark" by The Manhattans
  • "UFO" by ESG
  • "Closer to God" by Krumbsnatcha
• "Royalty"
  • "Let's Do It In Slow Motion" by Latimore
  • "DWYCK" by Gang Starr
• "Above The Clouds"
  • "JFK Speech on Space Flight" by John F. Kennedy
  • "Two Piece Flower" by John Dankworth
  • "Superman - The Man from Krypton: Part II" by Peter Pan Records
  • "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest
• "JFK 2 LAX"
  • "It's Time to Break Down" by The Supremes
• "It'z A Set Up"
  • "Coldblooded" by James Brown
  • "Beyond Yesterday" by Les McCann
• "Moment Of Truth"
  • "Let's Fall in Love All Over" by Billy Paul
  • "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by Gang Starr
• "B.I. vs. Friendship"
  • "Come Live With Me" by Isaac Hayes
• "The Militia"
  • "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles
  • "Dark Shadows Theme" by Robert Cobert Orchestra
  • "Windmills of Your Mind" by Barbara Lewis
  • "If Headz Only Knew..." by Heather B.
• "The Rep Grows Bigga"
  • "Come Dancing" by Jeff Beck
  • "Listen to the Man" by Kev E Kev & AK B
  • "Just to Get a Rep" by Gang Starr
  • "DWYCK" by Gang Starr
  • "C.R.E.A.M" by Wu-Tang Clan
  • "Fakin' Jax" by INI
  • "Off The Books" by The Beatnuts
• "What I'm Here 4"
  • "R.S.V.P" by Nat Adderley
• "She Know What She Wantz"
  • "Sunnin' and Funnin'" by MSFB
  • "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" by De La Soul
• "New York Strait Talk"
  • "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
  • "It's My Thing" by EPMD
  • "The Natural" by Mic Geronimo
  • "Bastards" by Ruthless Bastards
• "My Advice 2 You"
  • "I'll Love More Than You'll Ever Know" by Cold Blood
  • "Metal Thingz" by Street Smartz
• "Make 'Em Pay"
  • "You're Something Special" by Five Special
  • "Livin' Proof" by Group Home
  • "Repent Walpurgus" by Procol Harem
• "The Mall"
  • "Ain't No Stopping Us Now (Special Disco Version) by McFadden & Whitehead
  • "The Rainmaker" by The 5th Dimension
  • "Big Ole Butt" by LL Cool J
• "Betrayal"
  • "Deliver the Word" by War
• "Next Time"
  • "A Good Man Is Gone" by Monk Higgins & by Barbara Mason
  • "I Shot Ya(Remix)" by LL Cool J
• "In Memory Of..."
  • "Here's That Rainy Day" by Paul Horn
  • "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11]	14
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[12]	51
French Albums (SNEP)[13]	70
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14]	94
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15]	28
UK Albums (OCC)[16]	43
US Billboard 200[17]	6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18]	1

Singles

Chart positions from Billboard magazine

Year	Song	Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1997	"You Know My Steez"	76	32	5	2
1998	"The Militia"	–	68	38	–

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)

References

1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/moment-of-truth-mw0000025923
2. Allmusic review
3. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA322&dq=rolling+stone+gang+starr&cd=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=gang&f=false. Page 322
4. EW review
5. RapReviews review
6. starr&terminclude=&termexact= "RIAA Announces Gold And Platinum Awards" Check |url= value (help). riaa.com. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
7. "Spin Magazine's Albums Of The Year". rocklist.net. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
8. Barrone, Matt. "Review: "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Starring Matthew McConaughey)". complex.com. Complex Magazine. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
9. "The Lincoln Lawyer - Soundtracks". imdb.com. IMDb. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
10. Jagernauth, Kevin. "'The Lincoln Lawyer' Soundtrack Features Erik B. & Rakim, Gang Starr, deadmau5 & More". indiewire.com. Indiewire. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
11. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Gang Starr.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
13. "Lescharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
14. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
16. "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
17. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Gang Starr.
18. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Gang Starr.