Step In the Arena

Step In the Arena
Studio album by Gang Starr
Released	January 15, 1991
Recorded	1990 Calliope Productions in New York, New York Firehouse Studios in Brooklyn, New York Such-A-Sound Studio in Brooklyn, New York
Genre	East Coast Hip Hop
Length	50:37
Label	Chrysalis/EMI Records 0946 3 21798 2 1 F2-21798
Producer	DJ Premier, Guru
Gang Starr chronology
No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989) Step in the Arena (1991) Daily Operation (1992)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]
Select	[3]
The Source	[4]

Step In the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on January 15, 1991.^[5] In 2007, it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN.com.^[6] HipHopDX called it "the album that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team."^[7]

Reception

Initially, the album was rated 3.5 out of 5 mics in The Source magazine.^[4] In his review, Reef wrote: "Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop's underground heritage."

Legacy

In addition to IGN.com and HipHopDX's accolades, the album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[8] In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Hip Hop Albums.^[9]

In popular culture

The song "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" was remixed by DJ Premier for use in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.^[10] "Step In the Arena" was on the video games Skate It and Skate 2,^[11] and "Just to Get a Rep" was on Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.^[12]

Track listing

1. "Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)"
2. "Step in the Arena"
3. "Form of Intellect"
4. "Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)"
5. "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"
6. "Beyond Comprehension"
7. "Check the Technique"
8. "Lovesick"
9. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"
10. "Game Plan"
11. "Take a Rest"
12. "What You Want this Time?"
13. "Street Ministry"
14. "Just to Get a Rep" (short version)
15. "Say Your Prayers"
16. "As I Read My S-A"
17. "Precisely the Right Rhymes"
18. "The Meaning of the Name"
19. "Credit Is Due" [Japan-only bonus track]

Samples

Beyond Comprehension

• "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band
• ""Keep on Movin'" by Soul II Soul

Check the Technique

• "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw
• "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" by Marley Marl
• "To Da Break of Dawn" by LL Cool J

Just to Get a Rep

• "E.V.A." by Jean-Jacques Perrey
• "Funky for You" by Nice & Smooth

Love Sick

• "Trying to Make a Fool of Me" by The Delfonics
• "Never Had a Dream" by Ohio Players
• "Pain" by Ohio Players
• "I Need Love" by LL Cool J
• "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground

Say Your Prayers

• "Wilford's Gone" by The Blackbyrds

Take a Rest

• "Give It Up" by Kool & the Gang
• "Funky Miracle" by The Meters
• ""T" Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye
• "Right on for the Darkness" by Curtis Mayfield
• "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang
• "UFO" by ESG
• "Poetry" by Boogie Down Productions
• "Taxing" by Special Ed

Execution of a Chump

• "Don't It Drive You Crazy" by Pointer Sisters

Form of Intellect

• "Better Half" by Maceo Parker
• "Dope Beat" by Boogie Down Productions
• "Holy War (Live)" by Divine Force
• "Funky Technician" by Lord Finesse

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

• "Crosswind" by Billy Cobham
• "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic
• "Just Rhymin' With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane
• "Ease Back" by Ultramagnetic MC's

Name Tag (Premier & the Guru)

• "Fantasy Interlude" by The Originals

Precisely the Right Rhymes

• "Outside Love" by Brethren
• "Magdalena" by Leo Sayer
• "Droppin' Science" by Marley Marl

Step in the Arena

• "Never Let 'Em Say" by Ballin' Jack
• "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning
• "Four Play" by Fred Wesley and The Horny Horns
• "The Day You're Mine" by Big Daddy Kane

Street Ministry

• "Leaward Winds" by Billy Cobham

The Meaning of the Name

• "Reading the Comics" by Fiorello La Guardia
• "With Respect to Coltrane" by Tom Scott

What You Want This Time

• "Nose Job" by James Brown
• "Life (Is What You Make It)" by Frighty & Colonel Mite

Who's Gonna Take the Weight?

• "Parrty" by Maceo Parker
• "To Da Break of Dawn" by LL Cool J

As I Read My S-A

• "Easy to Be Hard" by Kole & Param

Credits

• Guru - rap, production, mixing
• DJ Premier - beats, scratch, production, mixing
• Lisle Leete - piano, engineering
• Shlomo Sonnenfeld - engineering
• Yoram Vazam - engineering
• Howie Weinberg - mastering
• Marc Cozza - art direction, design
• Rick Patrick - logo

Charts

Album

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[13]	36
US Billboard 200[14]	121
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15]	19

Singles

Year	Song	Chart position
		Hot Rap Singles
1991	"Just to Get a Rep"	5
	"Who's Gonna Take The Weight?"	9
	Lovesick	11
	"Step In The Arena"	5

References

1. Swihart, Stanton. "Review: Step In The Arena - Gang Starr". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
2. Hoard, Christian. Review: Step In The Arena - Gang Starr. Rolling Stone :322. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
3. "Review: Gang Starr - Step In The Arena, Cooltempo". Select (EMAP Metro) (March, 1998): 88.
4. Reef (February, 1991) Step In The Arena Album Review. The Source.
5. http://www.allmusic.com/album/step-in-the-arena-mw0000320773
6. "Top 25 Hip Hop Albums—Music Feature at IGN".
7. "TIMELESS: DJ Premier Revisits Gang Starr's "Step In The Arena". hiphopdx.com. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
8. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
9. Columnist. The 100 Best Rap Albums. The Source. Retrieved on 2010-12-07.
10. "Music stations: THE CLASSICS 104.1". gta4.net. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
11. "EA Unveils Eclectic Soundtracks for Skate It and Skate 2". ea.com. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
12. "Thrasher: Skate and Destroy". ea.com. 1999-06-12. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
13. "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
14. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Gang Starr.
15. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Gang Starr.