Gang Starr was the duo of Guru and DJ Premier, formed in Boston in 1985 and foundational to East Coast hip hop and jazz rap. Premier's chopped jazz loops under Guru's baritone made Daily Operation (1992) and Moment of Truth (1998) golden-age essentials; the posthumous One of the Best Yet (2019) closed the book. Explore Gang Starr vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Gang Starr formed in Boston in 1985 around Guru, with the classic duo solidifying after DJ Premier joined in 1988. They are widely regarded as one of the foundational duos of East Coast hip hop and jazz rap. The duo released six studio albums together between 1989 and 2003 before going on hiatus following Guru's serious illness. Guru died on April 19, 2010 from cardiac arrest following a battle with multiple myeloma. DJ Premier released the posthumous One of the Best Yet (2019), constructed from previously unreleased Guru vocal sessions paired with new Premier production. Guru also led the parallel Jazzmatazz project (1993-2007) collaborating with jazz musicians.
Gang Starr's sound combines East Coast hip hop, jazz rap, conscious hip hop, and golden age hip hop with DJ Premier's signature jazz-sampling production approach (extensive use of obscure jazz, soul, and R&B samples with chopped, looped drum breaks) paired with Guru's distinctive baritone vocal delivery. Their work is widely cited as defining the jazz rap subgenre alongside A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
Original Wild Pitch and Chrysalis pressings of the early Gang Starr catalog are foundational items in hip hop collecting. Multiple anniversary editions and box sets have been released across the catalog.
Listeners new to Gang Starr typically start with Moment of Truth (1998) or Daily Operation (1992).
