Gang Starr (@REALDJPREMIER & @GuruGangStarr) feat. J. Cole (@JColeNC) – Family & Loyalty

However, the 16 years that followed were marked by a labyrinth of legal and interpersonal troubles. Guru died in 2010 at age 48. Rap rewrote its narrative over and over. Gang Starr’s legacy did live on, but mostly in underground artists like Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies, the Griselda Records axis, Your Old Droog, Mayhem Lauren and more. (Though it does warrant a mention that all 13 episodes of Luke Cage Season 1 were named after Gang Starr songs).

One thing that the narrative overlooks is that DJ Premier never stopped making his intensely funky, Nineties-head comfort food beats. The rap spotlight strayed to Atlanta trap houses and European dance clubs and Chicago streets and Florida internet connections, but Premier spent a decade and a half quietly making bucketloads upon bucketloads of awesome music for Royce Da 5’9″, Blaq Poet, NYGz, Torae & Skyzoo, Bumpy Knuckles, Big Shug and more. It’s a testament to a unique talent that he’s never lost his touch.

So it’s clear that on One of the Best Yet, Guru’s legacy is in the right hands. The results are, naturally, mostly great. There perhaps isn’t enough of the rapper as one would want – many of the songs are short, the album loaded with guests – but there are moments where it feels like one of the most beloved rap groups in history are picking up right where they left off. Making absolutely no concession to modern rap whatsoever, the M.O.P. collab “Lights Out” kicks off with a vintage Funkadelic sample and Billy Danze shouting “Now fuck who ya crew is, fuck what the true is/Gang Starr forever, fuck what the new is.” “Take Flight (Militia 4)” reunites Guru with the hard-head lineup of Big Shug and Bumpy Knuckles from the long-running series of “Militia” posse cuts.
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Jackie May Sells Port Royal