The Best Gang Starr Songs (Ranked)

Gang Starr is one of the most prolific and legendary hip hop duos of all time. The Houston and Boston connection via New York City brought us hip hop masterpieces for over three decades. The consistent delivery and lyrics of Guru is the perfect combination with banging DJ Premier produced beats.

Everyone has their favorite lists of Gang Starr songs. In fact, we are always making lists about the best things to watch or listen to. To this point most of our lists have been writer preference and highly subjective. But not today.

In order to properly do justice to the Gang Starr canon, I need to go above just listing off my favorites. If that was the case, JFK2LAX is the greatest Gang Starr song of all-time. Period.

So I’ve developed a scientific methodology to rank all 139 Gang Starr songs from worst to best. It was painful. It took time. And there was peer review.

R.I.P Guru

What songs are in scope?

We tried to capture all widely released Gang Starr songs. This includes:

• No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989), including three 2001 reissue bonus tracks: “Dedication”, “The Lesson”, and “Here’s the Proof”
• Step in the Arena (1990)
• Daily Operation (1992)
• Hard to Earn (1994)
• Moment of Truth (1998)
• Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999), songs previously unreleased “Full Clip”, “Discipline”, and “All 4 the Ca$h” and songs previously released on Soundtracks and Singles-only-releases that appear on the compilation are included in the scorecard. Songs that appear on the compilation from previous studio albums are not ranked twice
• The Ownerz (2003)
• One of the Best Yet (2020)
• Based on our review there are a total of 139 tracks eligible for inclusion, including intros and interludes
• If you want to let us know what we missed, please go start your own website and do this shit!

The Mean’s Methodology

There was a lot of thought about how to rank the Gang Starr catalogue. My decision was to develop a methodology that looked at the input from both Guru and Premier in the song’s success. I also ranked for songs with cuts, which are a hallmark of the group’s classic songs. I also want to rank the songs within the context of their release date and the album they were released on. It was sort of a mess but the results make sense.

The Procedure

Songs were categorized by album. Each song was listened to during the scoring process. Here’s an overview of the ranking factors and methodology used to score each song.

1. DJ Premier (1-10). This ranked DJ Premier’s contribution to the songs. This includes the beat, speaking parts, and cuts, etc.
2. Guru (1-10). Naturally, Gang Starr is Guru and Primo. So both members get a 1-10 category. Flow, delivery, lyrics, and content were my main sub-factors for rating Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal’s category
3. Features (-5). Every song that had a guest feature received a 5 point deduction. The goal was to normalize the tracks and penalize those that aren’t the pure blueprint of Gang Starr classics
4. Feature Value (0-5). After discounting songs with features, I wanted to provide an opportunity for songs where the feature made the song better or more of a classic. This isn’t the same as a feature being a “dope verse”. There are a lot of those in the anthology of Gang Starr. For example, “Above the Clouds”, featuring Inspectah Deck, is an example of a feature that helped create a classic. Other features, notably those on their latest album, the Guru posthumous “One of the Best Yet”, were more of the filler variety, than an organic collab. And therefore, not receive the full +5 in this category
5. Cuts (0-3). A staple of Primo. Cut selection and execution were taken into place in this factor. No cuts in a song equal a rating of zero.
6. Rating in the Context of Release Date (0-5). This ranking factor is designed to balance out the element of time across releases. It’s hard for an older song to be compared a more recent track for a variety of factors. Not only in terms of the artist’s development but also in the context of what was going on in hip hop music at the time.
7. Recognizability (0-3). This factor gives extra credit for songs with commercial success and staying power over the years. Like, yooo I remember this track!
8. Length of the Song (0-1). A minor adjustment to deduct points for very short tracks. Most likey to affect intros and interludes
9. Qualitative Overlay. On some tracks, I applied a subject matter expert (SME) qualitative overlay. That SME is me. Don’t like it, get your own website. Plus, it didn’t have a material impact on the rankings (~10% of songs received an overlay that ranged between -1 and +2).
10. Overall Scorecard Rating. The totals for the first 9 factors are summed as the overall scorecard rating. The maximum allowable scorecard rating was 32 regardless of the qualitative overlay category
11. Top 5 Song on Album (5-1). The Top 5 songs of each album when rated by Overall Scorecard Ranking received additional points. Up to five points were allocated to the Top 5 songs on each album in descending order. This factor was included to balance the disparity between stronger albums (e.g. Moment of Truth) and older more dated works (e.g. No More Mr. Nice Guy). Otherwise, the stronger album could dominate the top of the ratings. In the case of the Full Clip compilation, only the 3 original tracks were eligible for this category.
12. Final Rating % (Total Points / Possible Points). To normalize the results on a scale of 0% to 100%, points were aggregated and converted to a percentage by dividing by the total possible points of 37.

Key Takeaways

• Only one song achieved a perfect 100% rating
• Daily Operation and Moment of Truth dominated the Top 10 with 3 entries a piece
• I tried to be objective as possible when ranking the songs and tried my best not to overrate my personal favorites
• There are so many elite songs by Gang Starr. Anything in the Top 50 is a strong rating. Any song above a 50% score is generally a classic by any hip hop metric
• I was harsh on some songs. Critical ratings don’t mean the songs suck, it’s just rated in the context of the collection

All Gang Starr Songs Ranked – Top 139 through 101

 

139. “NYGz / GS 183rd” (Interlude) – One of the Best Yet – 1.35%

138. “(Hiney)” – The Ownerz – 2.03%

137. “Keith Casim Elam” (Interlude) – One of the Best Yet – 2.97%

136. “One of the Best Yet (Big Shug Interlude)” – One of the Best Yet – 5.41%

135. “Daily Operation (Intro)” – Daily Operation – 13.51%

134. “Game Plan” – Step in the Arena – 17.57%

133. “Gusto” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 21.62%

132. “Words from the Nutcracker” – Hard to Earn – 23.65%

131. “Conscience Be Free” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 24.46%

130. “Intro (HQ, Goo, Panch)” – The Ownerz – 27.03%

129. “24-7/365” – Daily Operation – 28.38%

128. “Werdz from the Ghetto Child” (featuring Smiley The Ghetto Child) – The Ownerz – 29.27%

127. “Cause and Effect” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 29.73%

126. “Street Ministry” – Step in the Arena – 29.73%

125. “Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)” – Step in the Arena – 29.73%

124. “’92 Interlude” – Daily Operation – 31.08%

123. “Dedication” (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 31.08%

122. “DJ Premier in Deep Concentration” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 32.16%

121. “Intro (The First Step)” – Hard to Earn – 32.43%

120. “The Lesson” (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 32.43%

119. “Gotch U” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 32.43%

118. “Aiiight Chill…” – Hard to Earn – 35.14%

117. “As I Read My S-A” – Step in the Arena – 35.81%

116. “Precisely the Right Rhymes” – Step in the Arena – 36.49%

115. “What You Want This Time?” – Step in the Arena – 36.49%

114. “2 Steps Ahead” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 37.03%

113. “Business or Art” (featuring Talib Kweli) – One of the Best Yet – 37.16%

112. “Positivity” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 37.84%

111. “Take a Rest” – Step in the Arena – 37.84%

110. “Beyond Comprehension” – Step in the Arena – 38.51%

109. “Say Your Prayers” – Step in the Arena – 41.76%

108. “Check the Technique” – Step in the Arena – 41.89%

107. “Natural” [Japan Bonus Track] – The Ownerz – 41.89%

106. “Take Flight (Militia, Pt. 4)” (featuring Big Shug and Freddie Foxxx) – One of the Best Yet – 42.57%

105. “Lovesick” – Step in the Arena – 42.57%

104. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 43.11%

103. “Lights Out” (featuring M.O.P.) – One of the Best Yet – 43.24%

102. “Form of Intellect” – Step in the Arena -43.92%

101. “Flip the Script” – Daily Operation – 44.59%

 

All Gang Starr Songs Ranked – Top 100 to 51

100. “Bring It Back Here” – One of the Best Yet – 44.59%

99. “What’s Real” (featuring Group Home and Royce da 5’9″) – One of the Best Yet – 44.59%

98. “So Many Rappers” – One of the Best Yet – 45.68%

97. “F.A.L.A.” – Hard to Earn – 45.95%

96. “Knowledge” (featuring Damo D-Ski) – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 45.95%

95. “So Wassup?!” – You Know My Steez single – 45.95%

94. “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” – Step in the Arena – 46.49%

93. “Hit Man” (featuring Q-Tip) – One of the Best Yet – 46.62%

92. “Comin’ for Datazz” – Hard to Earn – 47.30%

91. “Here’s the Proof” (2001 Re-issue Bonus Track) – No More Mr. Nice Guy -47.30%

90. “The Sure Shot” (Intro) – One of the Best Yet – 47.30%

This is one of the only intro style tracks to rank high on our list. This is because it includes some insight into Gang Starr on stage, and is a medley of so many classic joints. Love it.

89. “Blowin’ Up the Spot” – Hard to Earn – 48.65%

88. “Itz a Set Up” – Moment of Truth – 48.65%

87. “Gotta Get Over (Taking Loot)” – Trespass OST – 48.65%

86. “Riot Akt” – The Ownerz – 49.32%

85. “Nice Girl, Wrong Place” (featuring Boy Big) – The Ownerz – 50.00%

84. “Positivity (Remix)” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 51.08%

83. “Stay Tuned” – Daily Operation – 51.35%

82. “Hardcore Composer” – Daily Operation – 51.35%

81. “The Illest Brother” – Daily Operation – 51.35%

80. “Get Together” (featuring Ne-Yo and Nitty Scott) – One of the Best Yet – 52.03%

79. “Eulogy” – The Ownerz – 52.16%

78. “Brainstorm” – Hard to Earn – 52.70%

77. “B. Y. S.” – Daily Operation – 53.38%

76. “Much Too Much (Mack a Mil)” – Daily Operation – 53.38%

75. “Words I Manifest (Remix)” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 54.05%

74. “In This Life…” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Uncle Reo) – The Ownerz – 54.05%

73. “ALONGWAYTOGO” – Hard to Earn – 54.05%

72. “Jazz Thing (Video Mix)” – Mo’ Better Blues OST – 54.05%

71. “The Meaning of the Name” – Step in the Arena – 55.41%

70. “Tha Squeeze” [Japan Bonus Track] – The Ownerz – 55.41%

69. “Betrayal” – Moment of Truth – 56.08%

I was surprised where the Gang Starr collab with Scarface ranked once the process was done. A great collaboration between hip hop legends but not enough to move it higher on the list. I have to assume the differentiation of this song actually hurt it a little in the ranking process.

68. “The Place Where We Dwell” – Daily Operation – 56.76%

67. “Bless the Mic” – One of the Best Yet – 57.43%

66. “Suckas Need Bodyguards” – Hard to Earn – 57.43%

65. “Deadly Habitz” – The Ownerz – 57.43%

64. “Premier & The Guru” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 59.46%

63. “She Knowz What She Wantz” – Moment of Truth – 59.46%

Guru is a smooth mofo.

62. “Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)” – Step in the Arena – 60.81%

61. “Robbin Hood Theory” – Moment of Truth – 60.81%

60. “Capture (Militia Pt. 3)” (featuring Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx) – The Ownerz – 61.49%

Sort of like The Godfather III. Necessary but not what you hoped for.

59. “Speak Ya Clout” – Hard to Earn – 62.16%

58 .”You Know My Steez (Three Men and a Lady Remix)” – The Militia single – 62.16%

57. “Conspiracy” – Daily Operation – 62.84%

56. “The ? Remainz” – Suckas Need Bodyguards single – 62.84%

55. “The Planet” – Hard to Earn – 63.51%

54. “Put Up or Shut Up” (featuring Krumbsnatcha) – The Ownerz – 63.51%

53. “The Militia II (Remix)” – Belly OST – 64.19%

52. “Jazz Music” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 64.86%

Love this jam. One of the early Gang Starr songs that made everyone realize Guru and Premier were here to stay

51. “In Memory Of” – Moment of Truth – 64.86%

All Gang Starr Songs Ranked – Top 50 to 26

50. “Zonin'” – The Ownerz – 64.86%

 

49. “Peace of Mine” – The Ownerz – 64.86%

48. “Who Got Gunz” (featuring Fat Joe & M.O.P.) – The Ownerz – 64.86%

An unforgettable beat. Magical collaboration. Was surprised this ranked so low, but gun raps by Guru and co., are generally less engaging than his other more powerful lyrics.

47. “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?” – Step in the Arena – 65.54%

46. “Mostly Tha Voice” – Hard to Earn – 65.54%

The king of monotone with his own throne.

45. “Same Team, No Games” (featuring NYG’z & H. Stax) – The Ownerz – 65.54%

44. “Discipline” – Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr – 66.89%

The first of the three originals included on Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr. All three songs exhibit the diversity of Guru and DJ Premier’s styles and catalogue.

43. “Take Two and Pass” – Daily Operation – 66.89%

This Gang Starr classic off of Daily Operation received a +1 qualitative overlay point due to it being a straight LOUD jam.

42. “Soliloquy of Chaos” – Daily Operation – 67.57%

41. “Just to Get a Rep” (12″ version) – Just To Get A Rep single – 68.24%

40. “The Mall” – Moment of Truth – 68.24%

MAKE MONEY-MONEY GO SHOPPPING!

Real heads know.

39. “1/2 & 1/2” – Blade OST – 68.92%

A BANGER with M.O.P. appeared on the Blade Original Soundtrack before being included on the Full Clip compilation.

38. “Now You’re Mine” – Hard to Earn – 70.00%

37. “My Advice 2 You” – Moment of Truth – 70.27%

36. “New York Strait Talk” – Moment of Truth – 70.27%

It was always fascinating how the group that essentially defined the New York 90’s hip hop sound were from Boston, Massachusetts and Houston, Texas. Regardless, they adopted NYC and left their mark in hip hop history.

35. “Rite Where U Stand” (featuring Jadakiss) The Ownerz 70.27%

34. “Make ‘Em Pay” Moment of Truth 70.95%

33. “Work” Moment of Truth 70.95%

32. “2 Deep” Daily Operation 71.62%

31. “All 4 tha Ca$h” Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr 71.62%

The beat on this track is dirty. The drums hit hard with the tense piano sample is the perfect backdrop for Guru’s true crime rap. Second best original song on Full Clip.

30. “Royalty” – Moment of Truth – 71.62%

29. “B.I. vs Friendship” – Moment of Truth – 71.62%

28. “From a Distance” (featuring Jeru the Damaja) – One of the Best Yet – 71.62%

27. “Credit Is Due” – Love Sick single – 72.30%

26. “What I’m Here 4” – Moment of Truth – 72.30%

 

All Gang Starr Songs Ranked – The Top 25

#25 through 11

25. “Next Time” – Moment of Truth – 72.97%

A shocking, yet deserving, perfect 10 on this Primo beat. And a 9.5 by Guru sets off the top 25 accordingly with this deep cut.

24. “Just to Get a Rep” – Step in the Arena – 72.97%

23. “JFK 2 LAX” – Moment of Truth – 72.97%

My personal favorite Gang Starr song. Guru wears his heart on his sleeve like no other track in their catalogue on JFK2LAX. The soul-filled yet simple beat draws the listener into the world of Guru’s introspection in a truly magnificent track off of Moment of Truth.

22. “The Ownerz” – The Ownerz – 73.65%

21. “I’m the Man” (featuring Lil Dap and Jeru the Damaja) – Daily Operation – 74.32%

This song gets a +2 qualitative bonus for being Jeru the Damaja’s first appearance on a Gang Starr record. Don’t agree? I’LL TAP YA..JAW!

20. “Tonz ‘O’ Gunz” – Hard to Earn – 77.03%

19. “The Rep Grows Bigga” – Moment of Truth – 77.03%

18. “Family and Loyalty” (featuring J. Cole) – One of the Best Yet – 77.03%

17. “Step in the Arena” – Step in the Arena – 79.73%

16. “PLAYTAWIN” – The Ownerz – 79.73%

15. “The Militia” – Moment of Truth – 80.41%

A +0.5 point bonus for Bumpy Knuckles’ verse. WHAT? WHAT? WHAAAAT?

14. “Bad Name” – One of the Best Yet – 80.41%

13. “Sabotage” – The Ownerz – 81.08%

12. “Manifest” – No More Mr. Nice Guy – 82.43%

1989. This song was years ahead of its time and defined 90’s hip hop…in the 1980’s.

11. “No Shame in My Game” – Daily Operation – 83.78%

The TOP 10 Gang Starr Songs Ever

10. “Code of the Streets” – Hard to Earn – 83.78%

The Top 10 naturally starts with a tie. Did you know that Guru is the lead producer on this track and DJ Premier is the co-producer?

9. “Above the Clouds” – Moment of Truth – 83.78%

If it was up to my homie VasaB, this is #1. But The mutha-fucking Mean gets to decide so it ends up at #9. Dope track on my favorite Gang Starr album. IMO the 3rd best song on Moment of Truth.

8. “Ex Girl to Next Girl” – Daily Operation – 86.49%

7. “DWYCK” – Hard to Earn – 87.84%

OOOH LA LA A WEE WEE! I want to get blunted my brother. Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.

Is there a song in hip hop with more sampled lyrics than DWYCK?

6. “Skills” – The Ownerz – 87.84%

5. “Take It Personal” – Daily Operation – 91.22%

4. “You Know My Steez” – Moment of Truth – 91.22%

Some might consider this Gang Starr’s greatest hit. In fact, it would have been #3 on this list if not for a -0.5 deduction for Guru reusing lyrics previously released on House of Pain’s Fed Up remix.

3. “Moment of Truth” – Moment of Truth – 94.59%

The titular track on Moment of Truth is an all time great song. As Guru wrestled with legal battles his emotional intelligence is on full display on this track. A perfect 10 on the beat by DJ Premier and a perfect 10 for Guru’s verses. The only thing that makes this track fall short of #1 is the lack of Primo cuts.

2. “Mass Appeal” – Hard to Earn – 95.27%

This song just drops. The loop is only 2 bars long but is one of the most recognizable beats in history. A hip hop classic.

1. “Full Clip” – Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr – 100.00%

The lead song on Gang Starr’s Full Clip compilation is the epitome of their sound. One of only three originals on the compilation this song defines everything that is Gang Starr. This song is the only song to receive a perfect score in our methodology