Anyone who’s followed East Coast hip-hop can go on-and-on about Gang Starr. Originally formed in 1987, the group was seen as the scion of another land-mark East-Coast duo, Eric B. and Rakim. Comprised of Guru and DJ Premier, the group released several classic albums in the early '90s including Step in the Arena, Daily Operation, and Moment of Truth. The recipe of DJ Premier’s inspired jazz-samples and Guru’s slick-rhyme skills established the group as hip-hop giants on the same tier as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
Although Gang Starr kept recording together (the group's latest CD was released in 2003), the Guru started to branch out with his own solo project -- The Jazzmatazz series. Beginning with the first volume in 1993, Guru has released three more volumes of the series to date. The Best of Guru’s Jazzmatazz culls the best 15 tracks from the first-three volumes, along with three remixes.
The production throughout the CD is top-notch. Fully realized arrangements replace the jazz-samples that represented the iconic sound of Gang Starr. As the title indicates, each track is infused with jazz instrumentation. An eclectic mix of jazz artists contributes their talents to the mix including Donald Byrd, Ronnie Jordan, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Branford Marsalis. As the list suggests, the instrumentation on the CD is diverse: trumpets, alto and soprano saxes, flutes, and electric keyboards flow throughout the proceedings. And each track hosts bouncing-drum tracks and sleek bass lines.
However, jazz artists aren’t the only guests at the party. Erykah Badu, Chaka Kahn, Angie Stone, Jamiroquai, and The Roots, as well as many contemporary R&B singers and rappers, effectively lend their talents to the collaborations. The R&B singers that appear on some of the tracks are a welcomed surprise. Their work is fresh and melodic, offering a reprise to the annoying R&B-rapper collaborations that sustain talent-less hacks like 50 Cent.
Article comments
1 - Asia
Gurus Jazzmatazz vol. 4 is his latest and greatest of the Jazzmatazz albums. The way Guru flos on Super producer Solars tracks is like a breath of fresh air. Guru speaks about the issues of the world. Its a must have album.
2 - CO524
Wonder why they only did songs from the first 3 albums, Jazzmatazz 4 was a brilliant album had one classic track after another. Should have added "Cuz I'm Jazzy" or "This is Art" and what about "Kiss the World", what song is more relevant right now? I read somewhere that Guru wasn't involved with putting the best of together and they didn't even ask for his input. I find that insulting when this is his legacy.
3 - Zack Williams
I was wandering the same thing about why none of Volume 4 was included. I wouldn't be surprised if Virgin Records compiled the album without his input though. We all know the record companies could care less about what their artists think or want.
4 - CO524
Should definitely check out the latest album. Its the first Jazzmatazz mixtape, picked it up yesterday, banging tracks, dope lyrics. Produced again by Solar who did Jazzmatazz 4, something both Jazzmatazz fans and the underground heads can feel. Its called the Timebomb Back to the Future.
5 - cloudblues
dose rather seem strange that this record receives attention that maybe should be shared with guru's very latest.suggests some sort of collusion between industry and magazines.props for printing this though-blues,cloud