Step in the Arena (album)

Step in the Arena
Studio album by Gang Starr
Released	January 15, 1991
Recorded	1990 Calliope Productions in New York, New York Firehouse Studios in Brooklyn, New York Such-A-Sound Studio in Brooklyn, New York
Genre	East Coast Hip Hop
Length	50:37
Label	Chrysalis/EMI Records 0946 3 21798 2 1 F2-21798
Producer	DJ Premier, Guru
Gang Starr chronology
No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989) Step in the Arena (1991) Daily Operation (1992)

Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on January 15, 1991.^[1] In 2007, it was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by IGN.com.^[2] HipHopDX called it "the album that cemented Gang Starr as a timeless tag team."^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Select	4/5[7]
The Source	3.5/5[8]
Sputnikmusic	4/5[9]

In his review for The Source magazine, Reef wrote: "Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop's underground heritage."^[8]

Legacy

In addition to IGN.com and HipHopDX's accolades, the album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[10] In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Hip Hop Albums.^[11]

In popular culture

The song "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" was remixed by DJ Premier for use in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.^[12] "Step In the Arena" was on the video games Skate It and Skate 2,^[13] and "Just to Get a Rep" was on Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.^[14]

Track listing

1. "Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)"
2. "Step in the Arena"
3. "Form of Intellect"
4. "Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)"
5. "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"
6. "Beyond Comprehension"
7. "Check the Technique"
8. "Lovesick"
9. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"
10. "Game Plan"
11. "Take a Rest"
12. "What You Want This Time?"
13. "Street Ministry"
14. "Just to Get a Rep"
15. "Say Your Prayers"
16. "As I Read My S-A"
17. "Precisely the Right Rhymes"
18. "The Meaning of the Name"
19. "Credit Is Due" [Japan-only bonus track]

Samples

Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)

• "Fantasy Interlude" by The Originals

Step in the Arena

• "Never Let 'Em Say" by Ballin' Jack
• "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning
• "Four Play" by Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns
• "The Day You're Mine" by Big Daddy Kane

Form of Intellect

• "Better Half" by Maceo & All the King's Men
• "Dope Beat" by Boogie Down Productions
• "Holy War (Live)" by Divine Force
• "Funky Technician" by Lord Finesse

Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)

• "Don't It Drive You Crazy" by Pointer Sisters

Who's Gonna Take the Weight?

• "Parrty" by Maceo & the Macks
• "To Da Break of Dawn" by LL Cool J

Beyond Comprehension

• "Keep on Movin'" by Soul II Soul
• "Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band

Check the Technique

• "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw
• "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" by Marley Marl, Masta Ace and Action
• "To Da Break of Dawn" by LL Cool J

Lovesick

• "Trying to Make a Fool of Me" by The Delfonics
• "Pain" and "Never Had a Dream" by Ohio Players
• "I Need Love" by LL Cool J
• "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

• "Crosswind" by Billy Cobham
• "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic
• "Ease Back" by Ultramagnetic MC's
• "Just Rhymin' With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane

Game Plan

• "Help Yourself" by Tom Jones

Take a Rest

• "Give It Up" by Kool & the Gang
• "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang
• "UFO" by ESG
• "Funky Miracle" by The Meters
• "Taxing" by Special Ed
• ""T" Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye
• "Poetry" by Boogie Down Productions
• "Right on for the Darkness" by Curtis Mayfield

What You Want This Time?

• "Nose Job" by James Brown
• "Life (Is What You Make It)" by Frighty & Colonel Mite

Street Ministry

• "Leaward Winds" by Billy Cobham

Just to Get a Rep

• "E.V.A." by Jean-Jacques Perrey
• "Funky for You" by Nice & Smooth
• "Rock the Message Rap" by Grand Master Chilly-T and Stevie G

Say Your Prayers

• "Wilford's Gone" by The Blackbyrds

As I Read My S-A

• "Easy to Be Hard" by Kole & Param

Precisely the Right Rhymes

• "Magdalena" by Leo Sayer
• "Outside Love" by Brethren
• "Droppin' Science" by Marley Marl and Craig G

The Meaning of the Name

• "With Respect to Coltrane" by Tom Scott
• "Reading the Comics" by Fiorello La Guardia

Credits

• Guru - rap, production, mixing
• DJ Premier - beats, scratch, production, mixing
• Lisle Leete - piano, engineering
• Shlomo Sonnenfeld - engineering
• Yoram Vazam - engineering
• Howie Weinberg - mastering
• Marc Cozza - art direction, design
• Rick Patrick - logo

Charts

Album

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[15]	36
US Billboard 200[16]	121
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17]	19

Singles

Year	Song	Chart position
		Hot Rap Singles
1991	"Just to Get a Rep"	5
	"Who's Gonna Take The Weight?"	9
	Lovesick	11
	"Step In The Arena"	5

References

1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/step-in-the-arena-mw0000320773
2. "Top 25 Hip Hop Albums—Music Feature at IGN".
3. "TIMELESS: DJ Premier Revisits Gang Starr's "Step In The Arena". hiphopdx.com. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
4. Swihart, Stanton. "Step in the Arena – Gang Starr". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
5. Mack, Bob (January 25, 1991). "Step in the Arena". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
6. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 322. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
7. Higginbotham, Adam (February 1991). "Mo' Better Rap". Select (8): 69.
8. Reef (February 1991). "Gang Starr: Step in the Arena". The Source (18). Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
9. Aziz (January 6, 2012). "Review: Gang Starr – Step in the Arena". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
10. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
11. Columnist. The 100 Best Rap Albums. The Source. Retrieved on 2010-12-07.
12. "Music stations: THE CLASSICS 104.1". gta4.net. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
13. "EA Unveils Eclectic Soundtracks for Skate It and Skate 2". ea.com. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
14. "Thrasher: Skate and Destroy". ea.com. 1999-06-12. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
15. "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
16. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Gang Starr.
17. "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Gang Starr.