Step in the Arena

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Step in the Arena
Studio album by
Gang Starr
Released1990 (liner notes)
January 15, 1991 (commercial release)
Studio
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length50:37
LabelChrysalis/EMI Records
0946 3 21798 2 1
F2-21798
ProducerDJ Premier, Guru
Gang Starr chronology
No More Mr. Nice Guy
(1989) 		Step in the Arena
(1990) 		Daily Operation
(1992)
Singles from Step in the Arena
  1. "Just to Get a Rep"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Take a Rest"
    Released: February 14, 1991[1]
  3. "Lovesick"
    Released: April 11, 1991[2]
  4. "Step in the Arena"
    Released: August 29, 1991[3]
  5. "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"
    Released: 1991

Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, printed as a 1990 release,[4] and commercially released on January 15, 1991.[5] In 2007, it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN.[6] HipHopDX called it "the album that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team."[7]

Background[edit]

Filmmaker Spike Lee was a fan of Gang Starr's debut No More Mr. Nice Guy, particularly the song "Jazz Music". As Lee was filming Mo' Better Blues at the time of the album's release, he felt the duo needed to expand on the song's theme - which became the single "Jazz Thing". Lee introduced them to a poem written by Lolis Eric Elie, which group member Guru converted to a rap, as the poem didn't rhyme. The song caught the attention of Chrysalis Records, who offered them a deal based on "Jazz Thing". However, DJ Premier said the label had gotten the wrong idea of the group, stating: "When they signed us, they thought we were going to do records like "Jazz Thing" all the time. When we were just doing that for Mo' Better Blues".[8]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB[9]
NME8/10[10]
Q[11]
Record Mirror5/5[12]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Select4/5[14]
Sounds[15]
The Source3.5/5[16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[17]

In his review for The Source, Reef wrote: "Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop's underground heritage."[16]

Legacy[edit]

In addition to IGN.com and HipHopDX's accolades, Step in the Arena was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[18] In 1998, it was included in The Source's "100 Best Albums" list.[19]

In popular culture[edit]

The song "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" was remixed by DJ Premier for use in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.[20] "Step In the Arena" was on the video games Skate It and Skate 2,[21] and "Just to Get a Rep" was on Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.[22]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)"0:36
2."Step in the Arena"3:36
3."Form of Intellect"3:37
4."Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)"2:39
5."Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"3:54
6."Beyond Comprehension"3:10
7."Check the Technique"3:55
8."Lovesick"3:22
9."Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"2:16
10."Game Plan"1:06
11."Take a Rest"4:18
12."What You Want This Time?"2:39
13."Street Ministry"1:21
14."Just to Get a Rep"2:39
15."Say Your Prayers"1:20
16."As I Read My S-A"2:35
17."Precisely the Right Rhymes"3:22
18."The Meaning of the Name"2:53
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
19."Credit Is Due"4:51

Personnel[edit]

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

Charts[edit]

Album[edit]

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 141
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 36
US Billboard 200[25] 121
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26] 19

Singles[edit]

Year Song Chart position
Hot Rap Singles
1990 "Just to Get a Rep" 5
1991 "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?" 9
Lovesick 11
"Step In The Arena" 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Take a Rest - Gang Starr | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Lovesick - Gang Starr | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Step in the Arena - Gang Starr | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Per album liner notes.
  5. ^ a b Swihart, Stanton. "Step in the Arena – Gang Starr". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  6. ^ "Top 25 Hip Hop Albums—Music Feature at IGN".
  7. ^ Arnold, Paul (January 25, 2011). "TIMELESS: DJ Premier Revisits Gang Starr's "Step In The Arena"". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  8. ^ Cho, Jaeki. "DJ Premier Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records". complex.com. Complex. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  9. ^ Mack, Bob (January 25, 1991). "Step in the Arena". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  10. ^ Halasa, Malu (January 12, 1991). "Gang Starr: Step in the Arena". NME. p. 26.
  11. ^ Cranna, Ian (March 1998). "Gang Starr: Step in the Arena". Q. No. 138.
  12. ^ Blackmore, Richie (January 19, 1991). "Gang Starr: Step in the Arena". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  13. ^ McLeod, Kembrew (2004). "Gang Starr". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 322. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Higginbotham, Adam (February 1991). "Mo' Better Rap". Select. No. 8. p. 69.
  15. ^ Mardles, Paul (January 19, 1991). "Walk This Way". Sounds. p. 40.
  16. ^ a b Reef (February 1991). "Gang Starr: Step into the Arena". The Source. No. 18. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  17. ^ Whitehead, Colson (1995). "Gang Starr". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  18. ^ Pickering, Andy (2006). "Gang Starr: Step in the Arena". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 659. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  19. ^ "100 Best Albums". The Source. No. 100. January 1998. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  20. ^ "Music stations: THE CLASSICS 104.1". gta4.net. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  21. ^ "EA Unveils Eclectic Soundtracks for Skate It and Skate 2". ea.com. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  22. ^ "Thrasher: Skate and Destroy". ea.com. 1999-06-12. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  23. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing December 16, 1991". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  24. ^ "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  25. ^ "Gang Starr Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Gang Starr Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
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