While the 1980's were certainly the most important decade for Hip Hop, As that decade ended there were no bookends to be found and the seas of creativity were highly uncharted. In My Opinion, the first natural progression happened around 1991. Hip Hop artists and groups began to explore the meduim in a more musical fashion. Beat makers and producers started to incorporate elements of Jazz and Swing. At this time, we started to see a paradigm shift as the focal point strayed a bit from the lyrics/rhymes being the most important part of the package...While having skills on the mic was still an integral bullet point, production began playing a more prominent role within the realm of hip-hop, especially east-coast styles. DJ's began paying homage to other older forms of black music. The Result resonated in several great records throughout the 90's...one of the foremost examples is Daily Operation. Pound for Pound this is Gang Starr's best record as well as Dj Premier's Swan Song. Preimer was a unique talent because not only could he make great beats but he could scratch with some of the best. "Take It Personal" belongs on any top 10 90's hip hop mix...."Ex Girl to the Next Girl" and "Soliloquy of Chaos" are also standout tracks. Daily also boasts one of the first appearances of a highly underrated MC, Jeru the Damaja on "I'm the Man".Gang Starr would go on to make other great records in Hard to Earn and Moment of Truth, however, Daily Operation is truly Guru and DJ Premier's masterpiece as well as a Hip Hop Classic that holds up extremely well over time.
-Marv.
Biblio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Operation
Video-"Take It Personal":
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