Hard to Earn [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Gang Starr

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 1994)
• Original Release Date: March 8, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000003JCL
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,267 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
On "ALONGWAYTOGO," the second track from Gang Starr's Hard to Earn, rapper Guru draws a line in the sand between the "counterfeit" and the "legit" and challenges the listener, "If you don't know what you're doing, how the hell can you be real?" He goes on to explain that being "real" means walking the streets with a pistol in your belt and no bodyguards, ready to rumble when you don't get your "props." What he never bothers to explain is why this macho "Shaft" fantasy is more real than earning a business degree at Morehouse College and becoming a jazz fan (which is what Guru did in his earlier life as Keith Elam). Outflanked on the hip-hop/jazz front by Digable Planets and Us3, Gang Starr try to reestablish their hardcore credentials with an album that finds Guru rapping about sucker MCs and pistol-packing homeboys while Premier loops funky but repetitive beats behind him. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm not a huge hip hop fan but...., July 5, 1999

By A Customer

...this is definately my favorite hip hop album easily. Unlike most other rap records, this one is solid start to finish. No crap, just straight up real beats and lyrics. The Guru is one of the best and this album only proves his dedication and heart for the art of rap. DJ Premier???? what else can be said about him? He has the golden touch. Tasteful samples, and killer beats. This one will stay at the top of my collection for years to come. Gang Starr are the illist, by far.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gang Starr(DJ Premiere+Guru), January 12, 2007

By	Velada Carlisle - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a ill all-around CD. YOu have to be a fan of true hip-hop to like it and its energy for rap is alive. Premiere,being my favorite producer anyway) drops dope beat for the 93 era, and Guru keeps the album even with his unique sense of mic presense. Guru has to be the most on-beat MC I've ever listened to. His flow goes so smooth and on top of that, his wordplay and rhyme skill never seem to fail.

My Top 5 tracks
1.DYWCK feat. Nice&Smooth(great feature)
2.Suckas Need Bodyguards
3.Mass Appeal
4.Blowin Up Ths Spot
5.ALONWAYTOGO

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I'll burn out ya' eyeballs, and leave a note in braille." (4 Stars), October 1, 2005

By	Darius F (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

Eric B & Rakim. EPMD. OutKast. Among them; Gang Starr.

A lot of great rap duos have come and gone in the past. At the beginning of the 1990's, Gang Starr established themselves as one of rap's elite duos with albums such as 1991's Step In The Arena, and 1992's Daily Operation. By 1994, DJ Premier had made a name for himself as one of the hottest producers on the east coast, and rightfully so. Somehow, Premo and Guru found time to record their 1994 LP Hard To Earn, another excellent Gang Starr LP.

After hearing the album intro, it's evident that Guru is "angrier" on Hard To Earn, and he kicks some more street lyrics on this album in his trademark monotone. Of course, you'll find a fair share of Guru's signature social commentary on tracks like Code of the Streets, and Tonz 'o' Gunz (the latter, by the way, is NOT glorifying gun violence, it's actually quite the opposite.) Guru also shines on battle tracks like Brainstorm; spitting with a different cadence than his norm creates ill results on this track. Overall, Guru would never be considered the G.O.A.T. emcee, but he was never a slouch on the mic in his Gang Starr days. A lot of people complain that his monotone delivery was weak, but it was a style that was truly his own, and it worked well most of the time over Premier's tracks.

Speaking of Premo, how is he doing on this album? The beats on Hard To Earn are some of Preem's illest; peep the beat on Mass Appeal if you somehow haven't heard it already, it's one of the illest rap tracks ever created, no question. Words From The Nutcracker is a solo by Melachi The Nutcracker (whack) of the Group Home, and it's only 1:28 long, but Premo cooks up an excellent beat that masks how weak the emcee on this track is, and then some. Hell, I wouldn't mind if Melachi rhymed for three more minutes, as long as it was over THIS beat, I'd be a happy man. F.A.L.A. combines some jazzy keys and a hard drum track to create yet another ill track. I could go on and on about how dope Premier's beats on this album are. The only track on the entire 17-track album that suffers from a not-too-great beat is Now You're Mine, but even the worst beat on the album is pretty decent. To be blunt, Premo's a genius behind the boards. His work on Hard To Earn isn't exactly the dopest of his career, but the tracks are consistently dope throughout.

Hard To Earn is without a doubt another quality Gang Starr LP, and although a few weak spots drag it down to a 4-star rating, it's still worth owning for classic tracks like Code Of The Streets, Brainstorm, Tonz 'o' Gunz, DWYCK, and Mass Appeal alone. Not a minute of whack material to be found on here, just 17-tracks of no-nonsense 90's hip-hop. Highly recommended.

Best Moments: Mass Appeal (favourite), Code of the Streets, Brainstorm, Tonz 'o' Gunz, DWYCK feat. Nice 'n' Smooth, F.A.L.A. feat. Big Shug.