Moment of Truth (Gang Starr album)

For other uses, see Moment of Truth (disambiguation).

Moment Of Truth
Studio album by Gang Starr
Released	March 31, 1998
Recorded	1997–1998; D&D Studios New York City
Genre	East Coast hip hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
Length	78:37
Label	Noo Trybe, Virgin
Producer	DJ Premier, Guru
Gang Starr chronology
Hard to Earn (1994)Hard to Earn1994 Moment of Truth (1998) Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr1999

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone
Entertainment Weekly	B+
RapReviews

Moment of Truth is the fifth album by hip hop duo Gang Starr.

Overview

Released four years after its previous album, Hard to Earn, this album could be perceived as a comeback, with a newer, updated style of the group's already-established jazz-tinged hip-hop, as stated by Guru in the introduction.

The album is the group's most commercially successful album to date. Moment of Truth debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 7, 1998. The lead single, "You Know My Steez," became the duo's second Billboard Hot 100 appearance in 1997, peaking at #76. Spin magazine ranked it as the #16 album of 1998.

The album features more guest artists than previous Gang Starr releases. Collaborations include songs with Inspectah Deck, Scarface, G-Dep, Freddie Foxxx, K-Ci & JoJo, M.O.P. and more.

The title track also appeared in the soundtrack of the 2001 video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer (s)	Length
1	"You Know My Steez"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:07
2	"Robbin Hood Theory"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:44
3	"Work"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:57
4	"Royalty"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, K-Ci & JoJo	5:11
5	"Above the Clouds"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Inspectah Deck	3:41
6	"JFK 2 LAX"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:34
7	"Itz a Set Up"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Hannibal Stax	3:49
8	"Moment of Truth"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:07
9	"B.I. vs. Friendship"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, M.O.P.	4:37
10	"The Militia"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx	4:48
11	"The Rep Grows Bigga"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:55
12	"What I'm Here 4"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:45
13	"She Knowz What She Wantz"	Guru,DJ Premier(co produced)	Guru	3:00
14	"New York Strait Talk"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	4:14
15	"My Advice 2 You"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	2:31
16	"Make Em Pay"	Guru,DJ Premier(co produced)	Guru, Krumbsnatcha	4:21
17	"The Mall"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, G-Dep, Shiggy Sha	3:40
18	"Betrayal"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru, Scarface	5:29
19	"Next Time"	DJ Premier, Guru	Guru	3:06
20	"In Memory Of…"	DJ Premier, Guru	DJ Premier, Guru	3:50

Samples

• "You Know My Steez"
  • "Flash It To the Beat" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
  • "Real Hip Hop" by Das EFX
  • "Drowning In The Sea of Love" by Joe Simon
  • "Shadowboxing" by GZA/Genius
  • "Usual Suspects" by Big Noyd
  • "Grid Iron Rap" by Method Man
  • "Shadowboxin'" by GZA feat Method Man
  • "B Side Wins Again" by Public Enemy
• "Robbin Hood Theory"
  • "The Day After the Dawn" by Albert Dailey
  • "Capricorn" by George Duke
• "Work"
  • "Prove Your Love" by Fleetwood Mac
  • "Devil In The Dark" by The Manhattans
  • "UFO" by ESG
  • "Closer to God" by Krumbsnatcha
• "Royalty"
  • "Let's Do It In Slow Motion" by Latimore
  • "DWYCK" by Gang Starr
• "Above The Clouds"
  • "JFK Speech on Space Flight" by John F. Kennedy
  • "Two Piece Flower" by John Dankworth
  • "Superman - The Man from Krypton: Part II" by Peter Pan Records
  • "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest
• "JFK 2 LAX"
  • "It's Time to Break Down" by The Supremes
• "It'z A Set Up"
  • "Coldblooded" by James Brown
  • "Beyond Yesterday" by Les McCann
• "Moment Of Truth"
  • "Let's Fall in Love All Over" by Billy Paul
  • "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by Gang Starr
• "B.I. vs. Friendship"
  • "Come Live With Me" by Isaac Hayes
• "The Militia"
  • "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles
  • "Dark Shadows Theme" by Robert Cobert Orchestra
  • "Windmills of Your Mind" by Barbara Lewis
  • "If Headz Only Knew..." by Heather B.
• "The Rep Grows Bigga"
  • "Come Dancing" by Jeff Beck
  • "Listen to the Man" by Kev E Kev & AK B
  • "Just to Get a Rep" by Gang Starr
  • "DWYCK" by Gang Starr
  • "C.R.E.A.M" by Wu-Tang Clan
  • "Fakin' Jax" by INI
  • "Off The Books" by The Beatnuts
• "What I'm Here 4"
  • "R.S.V.P" by Nat Adderley
• "She Know What She Wantz"
  • "Sunnin' and Funnin'" by MSFB
  • "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" by De La Soul
• "New York Strait Talk"
  • "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
  • "It's My Thing" by EPMD
  • "The Natural" by Mic Geronimo
  • "Bastards" by Ruthless Bastards
• "My Advice 2 You"
  • "I'll Love More Than You'll Ever Know" by Cold Blood
  • "Metal Thingz" by Street Smartz
• "Make 'Em Pay"
  • "You're Something Special" by Five Special
  • "Livin' Proof" by Group Home
  • "Repent Walpurgus" by Procel Harem
• "The Mall"
  • "Ain't No Stopping Us Now (Special Disco Version) by McFadden & Whitehead
  • "The Rainmaker" by The 5th Dimension
  • "Big Ole Butt" by LL Cool J
• "Betrayal"
  • "Deliver the Word" by War
• "Next Time"
  • "A Good Man Is Gone" by Monk Higgins & by Barbara Mason
  • "I Shot Ya(Remix)" by LL Cool J
• "In Memory Of..."
  • "Here's That Rainy Day" by Paul Horn
  • "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart	14
U.S. Billboard 200	6
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums	1

Singles

Chart positions from Billboard magazine

Year	Song	Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1997	"You Know My Steez"	76	32	5	2
1998	"The Militia"	–	68	38	–

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)

Samples

Betrayal -War - Deliver The Word

Next Time -Monk Higgins - A Good Man Is Gone

Above The Clouds -John Dankworth - Two-Piece Flower