Gang Starr’s “Words I Manifest” was their debut single led by a sample of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia.” An earlier lineup of the group had released some singles produced by DJ The 45 King in 1987 and 1988. No More Mr. Nice Guy was released in 1989 exactly one year after Stetsasonic’s Full Gear and two years before A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory and three years before Digable Planet’s Reachin’ (A New Time And Space) which made them pioneers in jazz rap. DJ Premier’s cuts, scratches and samples of Gillespie, James Brown and Joe Tex was its own band with Guru’s resonant vocals. Gang Starr’s first album did not become a commercial motherlode but they were respected by hip-hop fans, their peers and most of the critics. They were one of the most significant groups of the decade because their pure sonic inventions found a genius way to celebrate past music legacies while forseeing the future. Gang Starr’s catalog No More Mr. Nice Guy was remastered and reissued for a second time in 2022 with the addition of nine bonus tracks. In June of 2023, DJ Premier hinted at new music from Gang Starr on Instagram. One Of The Best Yet was released in 2019, nine years after Guru’s passing.
