Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta

First and foremost, I must give muchos grazias to mon frere Stretch Nav who's put together the in depth coverage on a true legend of the hip-hop game. With no further ado:


People know Gangstarr....or are familiar with his work with nearly every major hiphop artist: Jigga, Nas, Snoop, Mos Def, MOP, Rakim, KRS, Common, BIG, Gangstarr Foundation...and/or have heard his recent output with NYG'z, Blaq Poet, Christina Aguilera, Termanology and the Nike "Classic" track. My point is, is that Preem has always been nice with his.

Here is the first of a few entries on Primo's lesser-known moments. Below are five sureshots from the nineties that not a lot of peeps know about. This is some NAV tha G.O.D. hiphop knowledge being dropped here..........nah'mean. How many people knew that Emma Bunton had one of her early solo tracks remixed by Preemo? I kid you not....and it's dope. I was trying to get it played on hospital radio when it came out in '99 but the haters (my co-presenter) did not want it. He did insist however, on playing "Mambo Number Five" on every show. Anyway, DJ Premier-we salute you.




D'n'D Allstars feat. Mad Lion, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, Fat Joe, Smif N Wessun, Jeru The Damaja-1,2 Pass It



A song that epitomises the term, "posse cut". A classic from 1995 with some of the hottest acts of that year. Who do you think rips it? I would say Fat Joe, KRS One and Jeru....Mad Lion is one of the funniest artists I've ever heard.




Group Home-Livin' Proof



Title track from their overlooked debut album from late '95. This is a head-nodder: A signature, stripped-down Primo number, complete with scratches on the hook that sample Inspectah Deck from C.R.E.A.M. A lot of his tracks were very minimalistic around this time and the samples and sounds he was using were unheard of (see Jeru's Come Clean). Melachi Da Nutcracker and Lil' Dap aren't the best rappers, but this is definitely a gem. The album is definitely worth investigating, one of very few albums entirely produced by Premier outside of Gangstarr.





Jeru The Damaja-Me Not The Paper Remix



Great, hard-to-find remix from early 1997. Nice usage of piano keys. Primo's music became more accessible in the late nineties, but he was able to move with the times.....




Freddie Foxxx-Part Of My Life



...as this track from early-mid 1999 shows. I bought this record from Major Flavas in London when it came out. It was, and still is, big. The chorus is ill and Freddie is intense on the mic on this one. Foxxx does justice to the beat and is one of the best to rhyme over any Works Of Mart.





Emma Bunton feat. Guru-What I Am (Gangstarr remix)



How many people would have believed this collaboration then? How many would have believed this collaboration now? Lol. Released in 1999, this is surprisingly good...Guru's verse and the violins are just right. After I heard this, I had a new-found respect for Emma Bunton.

And there we leave it friends and colleagues, jaws agape at this marvelous man whose mystical powers lend freshness to even the stalest of pop stars. Britney, take note. Thanks again to Nav and I'll get on him (pause) to hook up more Primo rarities ASAP.