Five Best Songs from Gang Starr’s ‘Step in the Arena’ Album

The funky "Form of Intellect" is centered around the importance of knowledge and being an intellectual. Featuring a sample of KRS-One's line, "Intelligent but not yet equivalent" (from "Dope Beat"), Guru commences his lyrical dissertation. "Like a supervisor he who is wiser than the others / Cause they need someone to advise them to discover / Things that they don't know so the papers I will check / Then they'll start to grow to this form of intellect," he raps. Overall, the late rapper breaks down the importance of thinking for oneself over dope breaks provided by DJ Premier.

"I was raised like a Muslim...prayin' to the East / Nature of my life relates rhymes I release," spits Guru on the jazzy track, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight. Produced by DJ Premier, the song features a sample of Maceo & the Macks 1973 tune "Parrty," along with distorted noise in the vein of a Bomb Squad production. On the song, Guru drops extensive quotables in between Premo's scratched-in hooks. Gang Starr may not be the torchbearers for the new generation as they were to rap fanatics of past, but DJ Premier remixing "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" for use in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV has made it a timeless song. Hopefully, it will encourage millennials worldwide to search out and discover the brilliance of this dynamic duo.

One of Step in the Arena's finest moments comes courtesy of "Execution of a Chump," which sees Guru flexing his knack for storytelling and analytical musings. Rapping "I knew this chump see, he tried to play me / He was my right hand man, but he betrayed me," the late rhymer begins to spill about conniving fair-weather friends and his disdain for opportunists. Elsewhere, Guru details his own run in with a chump while lamenting the lack of honor in these days and times. "Stepped to him quietly, he copped a plea / Told him to fix it or I'd have to catch a body / In this society, there's many snakes / Don't be too eager when you're seeking a break," he raps. "Execution of a Chump" features one of the more refined arrangements on the album with its dusty drums and infectious piano keys occupying prime real estate within your memory bank from the second you hear the song in full.

Guru and DJ Premier come correct with the title track that also doubles as one of the first hits to establish them as underground stalwarts. Following a exhibition of turntablist wizardry by Premo, Guru wastes no time tearing into the track, spitting "Once you step in the arena, cheater / You're gonna be amazed when you gaze at the armor on this leader / Fully clad and glad to fight a cause, I won't pause / Fear is a joke, slowpoke, I'm like claws." Premo holds court on the hooks, while Guru turns in one of his more impressive lyrical performances, making for a enticing and engaging rap tune. The final single released from the album, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Rap Songs chart and one of the many standouts on the collection.

"Stick up kids is out to tax!" Those words, which were originally spoken by Nice of Nice & Smooth, are one of the main draws of the brilliant song, "Just To Get A Rep." On the track, Guru warns listeners to respect the shooter, spitting "Brothers are amused by others brother's reps / But the thing they know best is where the gun is kept." Elsewhere, Guru kicks a cautionary tale of a stick-up kid that gets marked for death. "At the sight of a four-fifth, I guess you just might / Wanna do a dance or two / Cause they could maybe bust you for self or with a crew / No matter if you or your brother's a star / He could pop you and jet without a getaway car," he raps. are spat matter-of-factly and comes across as sage wisdom from a street veteran. The stick-up kid's heartless deeds eventually come back to haunt him in the worst way by the song's end, but it was Guru's sagely wisdom and message that resonated deeply with rap fans back when it was released. Arguably, "Just to Get a Rap" is one of the most popular songs in the Gang Starr discography and a major standout on their stellar album.

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