Moment of Truth (Gang Starr album)

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.

Moment of Truth
Studio album by
Gang Starr
ReleasedMarch 31, 1998
RecordedMay 1997 – January 1998
StudioD&D (New York City)
GenreEast Coast hip hop, conscious hip hop, jazz rap,[1] hardcore hip hop
Length78:37
LabelNoo Trybe, Virgin
Producer
Gang Starr chronology
Hard to Earn
(1994)		 Moment of Truth
(1998)		 Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr
(1999)
Singles from Moment of Truth
  1. "You Know My Steez"
    Released: November 18, 1997[2]
  2. "The Militia"
    Released: July 28, 1998[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
Houston Chronicle[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Muzik7/10[8]
NME8/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
The Source4.5/5[11]
USA Today[12]

Commercial performance

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.

Track listing
# 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

Chart positions

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 –

See also

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Moment of Truth – Gang Starr". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. "You Know My Steez - Gang Starr | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. "Militia - Gang Starr | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. Baker, Soren (April 10, 1998). "Gang Starr: Moment of Truth (Noo Trybe)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  5. Tyehimba, Cheo (April 24, 1998). "Moment of Truth". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  6. Jam, Billy (March 29, 1998). "Gang Starr, Moment of Truth, Noo Trybe". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. Johnson, Brett (April 26, 1998). "Gang Starr, 'Moment of Truth,' Noo Trybe/Virgin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  8. McPhail, Pete (June 1998). "Gang Starr: Moment of Truth (Cooltempo)". Muzik (37): 82.
  9. Batey, Angus (April 11, 1998). "Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  10. 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.
  11. Wilson, Elliott (May 1998). "Gang Starr: Moment of Truth". The Source. No. 104. p. 145.
  12. Jones, Steve (March 31, 1998). "Gang Starr returns for a big 'Moment'". USA Today.
  13. Gang Starr Bows At No. 6 : Rolling Stone
  14. "Gold & Platinum - Gang Starr". RIAA. May 7, 1998.
  15. "Spin Magazine's The 20 Best Albums of 1998". Rocklist. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  16. "The 50 Best Albums of 1998". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  17. Barone, Matt (March 18, 2011). "Review: "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Starring Matthew McConaughey)". Complex. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  18. "The Lincoln Lawyer - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  19. Jagernauth, Kevin (23 February 2011). "'The Lincoln Lawyer' Soundtrack Features Erik B. & Rakim, Gang Starr, deadmau5 & More". IndieWire. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  20. "Gang Starr Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  22. "Lescharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
  23. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Gang Starr – Moment of Truth". Hung Medien.
  25. "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  26. "Gang Starr Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  27. "Gang Starr Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  28. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2021.


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