On
Step in the Arena,
DJ Premier and
Guru hit upon their mature sound, characterized by sparse, live jazz samples,
Premier's cut-up scratching, and
Guru's direct, unwavering streetwise monotone; but, with
Daily Operation, the duo made their first masterpiece. From beginning to end,
Gang Starr's third full-length album cuts with the force and precision of a machete and serves as an ode to and representation of New York and hip-hop underground culture. The genius of
Daily Operation is that
Guru's microphone skills are perfectly married to the best batch of tracks
Premier had ever come up with.
Guru has more of a presence than he has ever had, slinking and pacing through each song like a man with things on his mind, ready to go off at any second.
Premier's production has an unparalleled edge here. He created the minimalist opening track, "The Place Where We Dwell," out of a two-second drum-solo sample and some scratching, but is also able to turn around and create something as lush and melodic as the jazz-tinged "No Shame in My Game" without ever seeming to be out of his element, making every track of the same sonic mind. For an underground crew,
Gang Starr has always had a knack for crafting memorable vocal hooks to go with the expert production, and they multiply both aspects on
Daily Operation. Every song has some attribute that stamps it indelibly into the listener's head, and it marks the album as one of the finest of the decade, rap or otherwise. ~ Stanton Swihart