Moment_of_Truth_(Gang_Starr_album)
Moment of Truth (Gang Starr album)
1998 studio album by Gang Starr
Moment of Truth is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on March 31, 1998, by Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records. Gang Starr recorded Moment of Truth in sessions at D&D Studios. It is widely regarded as Gang Starr's magnum opus, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.[citation needed]
| Moment of Truth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
| Studio | D&D (New York City) | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop, conscious hip hop, jazz rap,[1] hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 78:37 | |||
| Label | Noo Trybe, Virgin | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Gang Starr chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Moment of Truth | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[5] |
| Houston Chronicle | [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Muzik | 7/10[8] |
| NME | 8/10[9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [10] |
| The Source | 4.5/5[11] |
| USA Today | [12] |
The album is the group's most commercially successful album to date. Moment of Truth debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album sold 97,000 copies in its first week.[13] It went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 7, 1998.[14] The lead single, "You Know My Steez," became the duo's second Billboard Hot 100 appearance in 1997, peaking at #76. Spin magazine ranked it as the #16 album of 1998.[15] Pitchfork also ranked it as the 16th best album of 1998.[16]
The album's title track was featured in the 2011 Matthew McConaughey film The Lincoln Lawyer.[17][18][19] The title track also appeared in the soundtrack of the 2001 video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 as well as an episode during the third season of the television show Mr. Robot. The song Work appears on ESPN promos for SC6 with Michael/Jemele. Work also appeared in the 1998 movie Caught Up starring Bokeem Woodbine and was included on the soundtrack.
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "You Know My Steez" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:07 |
| 2 | "Robbin Hood Theory" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:44 |
| 3 | "Work" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:57 |
| 4 | "Royalty" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, K-Ci & JoJo | 5:11 |
| 5 | "Above the Clouds" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Inspectah Deck | 3:41 |
| 6 | "JFK 2 LAX" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:34 |
| 7 | "Itz a Set Up" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Hannibal Stax | 3:49 |
| 8 | "Moment of Truth" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:07 |
| 9 | "B.I. vs Friendship" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, M.O.P. | 4:37 |
| 10 | "The Militia" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx | 4:48 |
| 11 | "The Rep Grows Bigga" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:55 |
| 12 | "What I'm Here 4" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:45 |
| 13 | "She Knowz What She Wantz" | Guru, DJ Premier (co produced) | Guru | 3:00 |
| 14 | "New York Strait Talk" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:14 |
| 15 | "My Advice 2 You" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:31 |
| 16 | "Make 'Em Pay" | Guru, DJ Premier (co produced) | Guru, Krumb Snatcha | 4:21 |
| 17 | "The Mall" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, G. Dep, Shiggy Sha | 3:40 |
| 18 | "Betrayal" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Scarface | 5:29 |
| 19 | "Next Time" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:06 |
| 20 | "In Memory Of…" | DJ Premier, Guru | DJ Premier, Guru | 3:50 |
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles
Chart positions from Billboard magazine
| Year | Song | Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | Hot Rap Singles | Dance/Electronic Singles Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "You Know My Steez" | 76 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| 1998 | "The Militia" | – | 19 | 7 | – |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[29] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[31] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Moment of Truth – Gang Starr". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- Baker, Soren (April 10, 1998). "Gang Starr: Moment of Truth (Noo Trybe)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Tyehimba, Cheo (April 24, 1998). "Moment of Truth". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- Jam, Billy (March 29, 1998). "Gang Starr, Moment of Truth, Noo Trybe". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- Johnson, Brett (April 26, 1998). "Gang Starr, 'Moment of Truth,' Noo Trybe/Virgin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Batey, Angus (April 11, 1998). "Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- McLeod, Kembrew (2004). "Gang Starr". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 322. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Wilson, Elliott (May 1998). "Gang Starr: Moment of Truth". The Source. No. 104. p. 145.
- "Gold & Platinum - Gang Starr". RIAA. May 7, 1998.
- "Spin Magazine's The 20 Best Albums of 1998". Rocklist. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- "The 50 Best Albums of 1998". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- Barone, Matt (March 18, 2011). "Review: "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Starring Matthew McConaughey)". Complex. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- "The Lincoln Lawyer - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- Jagernauth, Kevin (23 February 2011). "'The Lincoln Lawyer' Soundtrack Features Erik B. & Rakim, Gang Starr, deadmau5 & More". IndieWire. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- "Lescharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
- "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
 | This 1990s hip hop album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |