Ownerz [Enhanced]

Gang Starr | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00009XG2V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,396 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro (HQ, Goo, Panch)

2. Put Up Or Shut Up featuring Krumbsnatcha

3. Werdz From The Ghetto Child featuring Smiley

4. Sabotage

5. Rite Where U Stand featuring Jadakiss

6. Skills*

7. Deadly Habitz

8. Nice Girl, Wrong Place featuring Boy Big

9. Peace of Mine

10. Who Got Gunz featuring Fat Joe & M.O.P.

11. Capture (Militia Pt. 3) featuring Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx

12. PLAYTAWIN

13. Riot Akt

14. (Hiney)

15. Same Team, No Games featuring NYG'z & H. Stax

16. In This Life... featuring Snoop Dogg & Uncle Reo

17. The Ownerz

18. Zonin'

19. Eulogy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gang Starr Stays Solid, June 24, 2003

By 

"phillicapri" (modesto, california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: OWNERZ (Audio CD)

It is sad that we are in a society that promotes mindless [stuff] like 50 cent, nelly, and ja rule. I dont even listen to the radio, or watch mtv anymore because all they do is play the same songs over and over, im sick of that nonsense. I wish more people would understand just how great Gang Starr is. The street-smart, monotone flows of the Guru, and the perfect production by Premier goes overlooked by more commercialized, mainstream releases. After listening to this cd for the first time, my fear of Gang Starr selling out disappeared. Not their best cd, but it is great in it's own way, and outstanding compared to everything else out there today. Im very happy to say that Gang Starr is still my favorite rap group, and that they have not sold out like jay z, snoop dogg, and anyone who gets their beats from the Neptunes. 10/10 -IF YOU ARE A HIP HOP FAN, BUY THIS ALBUM, AND EVERY OTHER GANG STARR RELEASE.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Remnants of a lost era..., July 14, 2003

By 

Phil Watts Jr. (Petersburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ownerz (Audio CD)

GANGSTARR. Probably the closest Hip-Hop will ever get to it's own Rolling Stones or Santana.

Gangstarr is the last surviving MC/DJ duo. Ever since NO MORE MR. NICE GUY (an album that even THEY consider as a CHEAP DEMO-TAPE), they have consistantly put out banger after banger. With Keith "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal" Elam, with his trademarked mellowed-out monotone voice, and Chris "DJ Premier/Primo" Martin, with his trademarked 'always-imitated-never-duplicated' beatwork, these two have stood the tests of time, with many of their recording still sounding great after all those years. While most longstanding Hip-Hop artists wind up changing up to keep with the times while losing sight of what made them great, Gangstarr hardly ever changed, except only giving themselves slight updates (Like Primo going from original loops to sample-chopping), and have still remained relevant.

After their last masterpeice, MOMENT OF TRUTH (and the following DECADE OF HITS comp), many of us (myself included) were getting a little worried about these guys. Guru got himself involved in some WACK projects, like the un-jazzy JAZZMATAZZ III: STREETSOUL and the absolutely horrid BALDHEAD SLICK & THE CLIQUE (Ouch...it hurts to even TYPE that title) compilation record. Meanwhile, Primo started spreading himself PAPER-THIN by giving out beats to EVERYBODY, from Jigga to Sauce Money, from LL to Limp Biskit. Now if you're handing out beats to Limp Biskit, YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN!!! These guys, Primo in particular, started to prostitute themselves to BUSTA-RHYMES-levels. It got to the point where the only way I could ever prepare myself for their next album is by AVOIDING as much of their material as possible, until the next album is released. People asked, will they EVER meet the challenge? Will their next album be as strong as their past work?

Yes...and no.

All the things that made them great before are still intact. Guru may not be the greatest MC by todays standards (but then again, WHAT STANDARDS?), he still gets the point across, which is all you can ask for. Whether it's about dissin' punk MC's ("Rite Where U Stand" w/ Jada), telling gritty street stories ("Sabatage"), playing the teacher ("Deadly Habitz"), or just flowin' ("Skillz"), he still has it in him. Meanwhile, Primo's sample-chopping standards still provides some awesome beats, from the Blaxploitation-influenced 'Sabotage', to the smoothed out "Skillz", to the menacing "Capture", Primo won't be relinquishing that GREATEST PRODUCER crown anytime soon.

...BUT (remember, I said 'Yes...AND NO!'), there are times where these guys get a little lax in their duties. It's pretty wierd for them to go from Guru's so-so Ex-Girl-2-Next-Girl attempt in "Nice Girl Wrong Place" (with off-key singing loser Boy Big), to having Primo SCREAM AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS about the hot garbage on the radio! Fat Joe proves that he's the Jealous One Envying everyone's success by recycling Biggie's rhymes in "We Got Gunz". Snoop Dog sounds absolutely BORED with his verse in "This Life", and Krumbsnatcha should've kept his "HINEY" skit to himself. Guru does get lazy in "Peace of Mine" ("That ain't Hip-Hop/that's something else/you're better off back on the ave. doing something else". Okay.) and gets even worse on 'Zonin'. Frankly, I would've replaced those tracks with "Battle" (their contribution to M&M's 8 MILE soundtrack) in a heartbeat.

It's these flaws that keep this record from being on level with their past work. Many may wonder if they would've put out a much better effort if they hadn't have spreaded themselves so thin the past couple of years. In my mind, they could've...easily.

But for now, I'm just happy that he finally have a half decent album this year!

Now, if only we could get Pete Rock & CL Smooth back together, then we'll really be back to business!

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Albums of 2003, but Slightly Disappointing, January 23, 2005

By 

withthebeatzwiththerhymez - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ownerz (Audio CD)

For those that grew up on Gang Starr and witnessed their growth, from the amateurish "No More Mr. Nice Guy" to the mind-blowing "Moment of Truth," "The Ownerz" is a disappointment. It could be argued that after creating one of the best hip-hop albums of all time in 1998, Guru and DJ Premier had no where to go but down, and that regression is evident on "The Ownerz." For the most part, the LP tries to rehash the formula used on "MOT" (19 tracks, with a sequel to "Militia" and familiar faces such as Krumbsnatcha and M.O.P.) with minor success. There are moments of brilliance, such as "Riot Akt," "Sabotage," and "Put Up Or Shut Up," and others that make you want to cringe, such as "Eulogy," "Capture," and "Same Team, No Games," with their underwhelming beats and generic formulas. As well, long-time fans will struggle to figure out where Gang Starr stand on social issues, as the uplifting insight of Moment of Truth's "Robbin Hood Theory" flies out the window with "Who Got Gunz." Despite these setbacks, the reality in today's hip-hop genre is that DJ Premier is still one of the greatest producers of all time and Gang Starr continue to be one of the best hip-hop groups around. Like Talib Kweli's "Beautiful Struggle," "The Ownerz" loses points for its lack of creativity but remains superior to much of what the mainstream has to offer. Listen to this album online or borrow it from a friend before purchasing. You may be slightly disappointed or pleasantly surprised. 3.5 Stars.