Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Step in the Arena (album)

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Released
  
1990

Step in the Arena (1991)
  
Daily Operation (1992)

Release date
  
15 January 1991

Producers
  
DJ Premier, Guru

Length
  
50:37

Artist
  
Gang Starr

Label
  
Chrysalis Records

Step in the Arena (album) theboomboxcomfiles201601stepintheareacove

Recorded
  
Calliope Productions in New York, New York Firehouse Studios in Brooklyn, New York Such-A-Sound Studio in Brooklyn, New York

Genres
  
Hip hop music, East Coast hip hop, Golden age hip hop

Similar
  
Gang Starr albums, Hip hop music albums

Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, released in 1990. In 2007, it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN.com. HipHopDX called it "the album that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team."

Contents

Reception

In his review for The Source magazine, Reef wrote: "Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop's underground heritage."

Legacy

In addition to IGN.com and HipHopDX's accolades, the album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Hip Hop Albums.

The song "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" was remixed by DJ Premier for use in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. "Step In the Arena" was on the video games Skate It and Skate 2, and "Just to Get a Rep" was on Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.

Track listing

  1. "Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)"
  2. "Step in the Arena"
  3. "Form of Intellect"
  4. "Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)"
  5. "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"
  6. "Beyond Comprehension"
  7. "Check the Technique"
  8. "Lovesick"
  9. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"
  10. "Game Plan"
  11. "Take a Rest"
  12. "What You Want This Time?"
  13. "Street Ministry"
  14. "Just to Get a Rep"
  15. "Say Your Prayers"
  16. "As I Read My S-A"
  17. "Precisely the Right Rhymes"
  18. "The Meaning of the Name"
  19. "Credit Is Due" [Japan-only bonus track]

Credits

  • Guru - rap, production, mixing
  • DJ Premier - beats, scratch, production, mixing
  • Lisle Leete - piano, engineering
  • Shlomo Sonnenfeld - engineering
  • Yoram Vazam - engineering
  • Howie Weinberg - mastering
  • Marc Cozza - art direction, design
  • Rick Patrick - logo

    • Songs

    1Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)0:37
    2Step in the Arena3:38
    3Form of Intellect3:40

    References

    Step in the Arena (album) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA