Hard to Earn
| Hard to Earn | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Gang Starr | ||||
| Released | March 8, 1994 (US) | |||
| Recorded |
1992–1993 D&D Studios (New York, New York) | |||
| Genre | East Coast Hip Hop,[1] Hardcore Hip Hop[1] | |||
| Length | 58:57 | |||
| Label |
Chrysalis/EMI Records 7243 8 28435 2 8 F2-28435 | |||
| Producer |
DJ Premier (Producer) Guru (Co-Producer) | |||
| Gang Starr chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| RapReviews |  [3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| The Source | [7] |
Hard to Earn is the fourth album from the hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released in 8 March 1994 and featured the singles "Mass Appeal", "DWYCK" and "Code of the Streets". Guest appearances on the album include Group Home, Jeru the Damaja, and Big Shug. At the time, all were part of the Gang Starr Foundation, which made the album a stepping-stone for future DJ Premier-helmed projects by Group Home and Jeru. The single "DWYCK" recorded in 1992 also featured hip hop duo Nice & Smooth. The track "Now You're Mine" originally appeared on the 1992 Soundtrack "White Men Can't Rap".
Hard to Earn is also the duo's first album to carry the "Parental Advisory" label.
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro (The First Step)" | DJ Premier, Guru | *Instrumental* | |
| 2 | "ALONGWAYTOGO" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 3 | "Code of the Streets" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | Guru, DJ Premier(co-produced) | Guru |
| 4 | "Brainstorm" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 5 | "Tonz 'O' Gunz" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 6 | "The Planet" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 7 | "Aiiight Chill..." | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | *Skit* featuring MC Eiht, Nas |
| 8 | "Speak Ya Clout" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam, Jeru Kendrick Davis, Heath | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Lil Dap, Jeru the Damaja |
| 9 | "DWYCK" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam, Greg Mays, Daryl Barnes | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Nice & Smooth |
| 10 | "Words from the Nutcracker" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam, Felder | DJ Premier, Guru | Melachi the Nutcracker |
| 11 | "Mass Appeal" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 12 | "Blowin' Up the Spot" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 13 | "Suckas Need Bodyguards" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Melachi the Nutcracker |
| 14 | "Now You're Mine" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 15 | "Mostly Tha Voice" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
| 16 | "F.A.L.A." | Keith Elam, Cary Guy | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Big Shug |
| 17 | "Comin' for Datazz" | Christopher Martin, Keith Elam | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru |
Samples
Intro (The First Step)
- "Scarlet Woman" by Weather Report
ALONGWAYTOGO
- "Check the Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest
- "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
- "Snow Creatures" by Quincy Jones
- "Just Us" by Richard Pryor
Code of the Streets
- "Little Green Apples" by Monk Higgins
- "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
- "Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Beside
Brainstorm
- "Comic Strip" by Mikey Dread
- "Community Auditions Theme" by Dave Maynard
Tonz 'O' Gunz
- "Breakthrough" by Isaac Hayes
- "Fire & Fury Grass Roots Speech (Side One)" by Malcolm X
The Planet
- "The Cuckoo" by Taj Mahal
- "It's All Because She's Gone" by Steve Davis
- "Holy War (Live)" by Divine Force
- "Lyte as a Rock" by MC Lyte
Aiiight Chill
- "Love and Happiness" by Monty Alexander
- "Dynomite - Part 1" by Tony Camillo's Bazuka
Speak Ya Clout
- "Cucumber Slumber" by Weather Report
- "Shack Up" by Banbarra
- "Up Against the Wall" by Quincy Jones
- "The Jam" by Graham Central Station
- "Funk It Up" by Caesar Frazier
DWYCK
- "Hey Jude" by Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers
- "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
- "Funky for You" and "No Bones in Ice Cream" by Nice & Smooth
- "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning
- "Side One" by Redd Foxx
Words from the Nutcracker
- "Lock It in the Pocket" by Grover Washington, Jr.
- "Journey from Within" by The Crusaders
- "Long Red" by Mountain
Mass Appeal
- "Horizon Drive" by Vic Juris
- "Pass Da Mic (Remix)" by Da Youngsta's
- "Raw" by Big Daddy Kane
Blowin' Up the Spot
- "All Night" and "I Didn't Come Rhythm" by George Clinton
Suckas Need Bodyguards
- "Put Your Love (In My Tender Care)" by The Fatback Band
- "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Now You're Mine
- "Feel the Heartbeat" by Treacherous Three
- "Rock Box" by Run-DMC
Mostly Tha Voice
- "Time Will Be Your Doctor" by Fuzzy Duck
- "You Gots to Chill" by EPMD
- "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" by James Brown
- "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy
F.A.L.A.
Comin' for Datazz
- "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
- "Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse) by Run-DMC
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 29 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 25 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1994 | DWYCK | - | - | 25 | 12 |
| Mass Appeal | 67 | 42 | 10 | 3 | |
| Code of the Streets | - | 83 | 33 | 5 | |
| Suckas Need Bodyguards | - | - | 44 | 18 | |
References
- 1 2 Jason Birchmeier (1994-03-08). "Hard to Earn - Gang Starr | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Hard to Earn – Gang Starr". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ↑ Doggett, Tom (May 24, 2005). "GangStarr:: Hard to Earn :: Chrysalis Records". RapReviews. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ↑ "CG: Gang Starr". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ↑ Nelson, Havelock (June 2, 1994). "Hard To Earn : Gang Starr : Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ↑ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard. "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". Books.google.co.uk. p. 322. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ↑ "Classic Review : Hard To Earn in The Source (1994) | Press Rewind If I Haven't". Ifihavent.wordpress.com. 2010-04-20. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ↑ "Gang Starr | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Gang Starr. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Gang Starr – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Gang Starr. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
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