This is based on my belief that hip-hop albums should fall between 13-16 tracks.

This isn’t to say Illmatic isn’t a classic. This isn’t to say Moment of Truth as is isn’t a classic.

I’m just asking, if you must subscribe to the theory that a hip-hop album should be no more than 16 tracks...what 4 songs are you cutting?

GO!

The Rep Grows Bigga, The Mall

It definitely adds a dimension to the album and that beat is fire

But yeah She Knows is definitely one of the bottom 4 for me, it's probably a better fit on Jazzmatazz Streetsoul.

I’ve just seen people in the past have a strong distaste for it.

Steetsoul is a classic to me! Love that album.

Let’s swap She Knows for Hustlin’ Daze

Maaaaaan.
I don't know if I can read the rest of this post.

I always felt like it sounded too similar to MCs Act Like They Don't Know. Still dope but not as good.

The Mall x 4...Peace...

Basically

Lol

...it is a lot of tracks so great move there

I don't think any of these songs are wack and when I play MoT I let the whole album ride, but....:

Robbin Hood Theory - different lane for Premo, but a little too simplistic for me.

She Knowz - could argue it gives the album a change of pace being that it's not boom-bap like the rest of the songs. I always felt it sounded like it belonged on another album.

New York Strait Talk - I love the scratches on this one, not a bad beat at all, just isn't essential for me.

The Mall - you knew this was coming haha. Honestly, it's only the chorus I don't like, but this would be my fourth removal.

Bonus removal: most/all of the skits. When this album dropped in 1998 I accidently bought the clean version and it doesn't include any of the skits. That clean version is what I listened to for a couple of years before eventually rebuying a used version of the proper album and I prefer the flow of the clean version by far.


__
I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno

Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)

You are absolutely buggin for Robbin Hood and NY Strait

NY Strait may be my favorite joint on the album!

I never knew that the clean versions didn’t have the skits but I can definitely see that.

The skits are just too long.

Preemo’s rant goes on forever

The skit before Rep Grows Bigga made me not even listen to that song.

The skit before Scandalous isn’t needed.

I don’t mind the intro or the skits before Robbin Hood or NY Strait.

>You are absolutely buggin for Robbin Hood and NY Strait
>
>NY Strait may be my favorite joint on the album!

For what it's worth I hesitated the longest on listing NY Strait haha.

Like I said, in real life it doesn't get skippe.

__
I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno

Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)

Royalty
She Knows What She Wants
The Mall
...annnd that's where it gets tough lol

Fk it...Loyalty cuz it's slow and boring

PS Y'all saying NY Straight Talk are TRIPPIN

>Royalty
>She Knows What She Wants
>The Mall
>...annnd that's where it gets tough lol
>
>Fk it...Loyalty cuz it's slow and boring

Am I missing something here?

>
>PS Y'all saying NY Straight Talk are TRIPPIN
>

This I do agree with!

And yeah Kci & JoJo on a GS album...yeah I'm good lol

My Advice to You
Robbin Hood Theory
and, I love G Dep's verse, but push come to shove...I can do without The Mall

My Advice 2 You???!!!

Geez

this was tough...I love everything else, too much.

I feel the fact you had an instant 3 and then had to debate The Mall is what makes it worse lol

You legit went; G Dep vs My Advice 2 You?

Nah bruh

Lol

>My Advice to You
>Robbin Hood Theory
>and, I love G Dep's verse, but push come to shove...I can do
>without The Mall

So w/o thinking She Knows is gone,
but push come to shove you can do w/o The Mall?

I might be one of the biggest Dep fans on Earth, man. The Mall was the first time I ever heard him.

4 songs was tough. Robin Hood and My Advice..., are only there because there aren't 2 songs left that I would get rid of before them...and if he had said to cut 2, then they wouldn't be there at all.

joint is fire.

Favorite song

>This is based on my belief that hip-hop albums should fall
>between 13-16 tracks.
>
>This isn’t to say Illmatic isn’t a classic. This isn’t
>to say Moment of Truth as is isn’t a classic.
>
>I’m just asking, if you must subscribe to the theory that a
>hip-hop album should be no more than 16 tracks...what 4 songs
>are you cutting?
>
>GO!


mileage varies on the skits for me because while they don't bother me I get why they don't do it for some people, but if there's an album that defies my usual line of logic for Hip Hop albums (12-15 songs at most, basically the same as yours) it's this one. I don't think I could cut even one, much less four.

These 4 can go:

The Mall
JFK 2 LAX
Next Time
New York Strait Talk


So surprised folks named any of the first 5 songs.
That entire Side A is just really good and one
of the reasons I love this album so much.

Geez

And I’m really surprised that NY Strait Talk is getting this many votes.

i was about to criticize you as well for it but then i figured i should list mine first. hard to think jfk 2 lax and rep grows bigga would be the ones being cut, two of my favorites. well see.

I’m running this show bro.

But if I must...

The Mall
Rep Grows Bigga
Itz A Set-Up
What I’m Here 4

And I suppose out of my 4, What I’m Here 4 is the most controversial but I’m cutting it for two reasons...

1 the sound slightly strays away from the rest of the production so for me it sticks out a bit

2 topic-wise, I feel You Know My Steez, Work, and Next Time cover the same ground and all do it better so I’m cool with making the cut

Y'all have a good weekend lol

That is maybe the biggest violation of the whole post bro.

So you can go somewhere

>1 the sound slightly strays away from the rest of the
>production so for me it sticks out a bit

Does it though?
It sounds like classic Primo to me.
I mean, the piano sample is amazing.
I always loved how Primo reworked the piano sample for Guru's verse.

I mean...I absolutely love that song so *shrug*

I agree, the piano flip is dope as hell.

I couldn’t listen to this record without Next Time, especially the scratch at the end.

>especially the scratch at the end.

Are the only songs I skip sometimes. If I had to remove two others it would probably be It's A Set Up and B.I. Vs Friendship.

>This is based on my belief that hip-hop albums should fall
>between 13-16 tracks.
>
>This isn’t to say Illmatic isn’t a classic. This isn’t
>to say Moment of Truth as is isn’t a classic.
>
>I’m just asking, if you must subscribe to the theory that a
>hip-hop album should be no more than 16 tracks...what 4 songs
>are you cutting?
>
>GO!

I'm not doing it. LOL. But I would remove or cut down most of the skits.

You Know My Steez, Above The Clouds, Royalty, and Work should definitely get cut off this album. They weigh it down

you couldn't detect utter sarcasm?

come on!

Lol

Do you have a bootleg version with a jacked up tracklist or something ?!

i was completely joking

Sorry for jumping down your throat but it would've been deserved had you been serious haha

I'll admit when I was confused when I first saw that they had a song on the album,
but MAN, it works and one of my favorites.

I have NEVER in my life heard of anyone not liking that joint.

That has to stem from people who think “singer on the hook = wack” and can’t form an opinion past that.

Not that it's a bad song but I would have an easier time cutting that over some of the others

That beat is flames.

And I can almost guarantee to only feel that way because it’s track 19 and by the time it comes on you feel like “I guess I could do without this one”.

Brew is right...beat is flames. Perfect book end with You Know My Steez.

how different people's tastes are. You should do more of these..

It’s interesting to see the differences especially since we all would keep the album at 20 tracks lol

and i know one of them is a wtf but eh, i just never really liked the original militia and why should lie about it. i dont like the hook on it and the beat is kind of generic to me. the verses are great but not enough to overcome the hook.

so my list:
Royalty
Itz A Set Up
The Militia
She Knowz What She Wantz
The Mall

im not really a fan of the type of hook on royalty, at least not with the combination of the beat/verses. the feature on itz a set up brings it down enough to be on the list. the hook for she knowz what she wantz really borders on being bad, if they just let the beat play for the hook it probably wouldnt make the list. its the hook again for the mall.

that said i wouldnt skip any of these but i definitely wouldnt choose them for my best of moment of truth skinny version.

the below wouldnt make my favorites of the album but theyre honestly great and i would have a hard time cutting for a skinny version. at the same time i can see why some people would cut them, some more than others. betrayal almost made the cut list.

Robbin Hood Theory
B.I. Vs. Friendship
New York Strait Talk
My Advice 2 You
Make 'Em Pay
Betrayal
Next Time
In Memory Of...

again, these i do love and wouldnt want to cut. theyre just not on my do not cut at any cost list. lol

You cut 5 and then have another 8 you wouldn’t mind cutting or argue with someone else cutting???!!!?

That’s 13 out of 20 songs.

Do you even like the album? Lol

oddly enough after giving it a listen yesterday i like it more than i ever have.

really the 8 songs i listed are ones that i didnt keep in rotation back when i first heard it. so going through it yesterday i realized how much better it is than i remember. i think at least half of those 8 songs would move to no way i would cut them after more listens. i dont know why i didnt keep them in rotation before.

i am realizing that as much as i thought i was someone that listened to albums its mostly not true. i would usually pick my favorites after a listen or two and rarely go back to other songs except for my favorite albums.

so the songs i didnt list i would definitely look to put in a best of gang starr. the 8 i listed i might not, mostly due to how many great songs they have. i do think some of them might make the cut though.

basically every beat is great on the album, even militia. i think that one just doesnt hit me because of how many other great beats in that style primo has. basically every verse is dope too, i knocked itz a set up. maybe it isnt great, it wasnt bad.

so its all in the hooks, there are some hooks that are not my style and some that are kind of bad. these is in regards to the first 5 songs i listed.

the other 8 i listed and the 7 i didnt are all great to me and would be my perfect moment of truth. those 7 are the ones that i shake my head at if someone would cut.

Itz A Set-Up is a fair cut imo because it’s not a stand out and has a lesser known guest spot.

With that said, I do like that joint and they kept it short so it doesn’t hold the album back at all.

I get people saying She Knows...I just don’t agree because I like that song and think it adds the needed female joint.

The Mall is another easy cut imo because the hook and concept are ultimately wack.

I cut Rep Grows Bigga because the interlude already makes me skip it plus it’s just kind of slow and while I liked it, it was never a standout to me.

Some of these other picks though, NY Strait Talk, My Advice, Make Em Pay, Royalty, The Militia...y’all are fucking crazy.

Lol

im pretty sure im the only one that cuts militia and fine if my vote is invalidated on that lol

the other 4 have been listed by others.

those 8 tracks are drawing too much attention lol i just wanted to list them for full disclosure. im not pushing for them to be cut.

the skits/interludes are something else i was curious about. i was editing songs back then so i would cut out any interludes at the beginning or end so i figured the interludes were separate tracks. i could see how annoying it would be to have to sit through an interlude before you get to a song that you dont absolutely love.

this album having 20 full blown songs AND some skits/interludes and still being loved so much is amazing. they really did a great job with the music. i didnt take the skits/interludes into consideration on cutting songs.

The interlude thing to me would be more annoying if it was place before a song I absolutely loved because then I would have to fast forward. In the case of Rep Grows Bigga I just skipped right to What I’m Here 4 which is why I cut Rep.
I never would listen to that song so it’s not a must for me because it’s the only song I already would skip.

I play it now, but in 98...nah.

i love it BUT listening through the album yesterday i could see that maybe its too simple? i always felt like it was one of those songs most people probably skip but that i love. i love how simple it is and its kind of different, beat wise at least.

Make Em Pay & My Advice To You??
Opinion disqualified!

That Krumb verse got verse of the month!

that is because i cut them back when i first heard it so i would be lying if i said i couldnt see someone cutting them.

that said, those 3 songs are great, no issue with them at all. i was bugging when i cut them. i wouldnt cut them today.

make em pay i think would need to bump up to no way i would cut it as im giving it another listen right now.

my advice to you is a bit slower so maybe thats why it didnt grab me back then but its great too.

in memory of is dope. straight bugging for ever cutting it. i think it sounded like an outro to me so not a "real" song? i dont know but i think i would bump it up to no way i would cut it either.

back then i was trying to make 80 min CDs of my favorite songs of each artist so some great stuff had to be cut. the shame is that i wouldnt go back to those cut songs as much if at all.

so i guess another way to look at it is that before yesterday those 8 songs werent in my memory bank. if i saw them listed i wouldnt be able to tell you how i felt about them. after listening to the album yesterday those 8 songs are great but for whatever reason i had cut them back then. i would be fronting if i objected to someone cutting them.