No More Mr. Nice Guy (Gang Starr album)

No More Mr. Nice Guy
Studio album by Gang Starr
Released	June 5, 1989 April 22, 2008 re-release (US)
Recorded	1987–1989
Genre	Golden age hip hop, jazz rap[1]
Length	53:28
Label	Wild Pitch Records/EMI Records 0777 7 98709 2 9 E2-98709
Producer	DJ Premier Guru DJ Mark the 45 King
Gang Starr chronology
No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989) Step In the Arena (1991)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

No More Mr. Nice Guy is the debut album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, released in June 5 1989. Although it was regarded as a critical success amid the first wave of alternative hip hop acts such as Jungle Brothers and De La Soul, No More Mr. Nice Guy remains somewhat overshadowed by the highly influential debut albums by the aforementioned artists. Like other hip hop records of the time, the album displays rap braggadocio and positive lyrics, along with references to the beliefs of the Nation of Gods and Earths. However, it also shows a mix of jazz-influenced beats, scratching techniques, and hardcore rap elements, which would become the group's signature sound. No More Mr. Nice Guy peaked at #83 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. "Positivity" peaked at #19 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart. The latter, although released as a single and video, never appeared on any of the group's greatest hits compilations.

Track listing

1. "Premier & The Guru" – 3:26
2. "Jazz Music" – 3:30
3. "Gotch U" – 3:08
4. "Manifest" – 4:56
5. "Gusto" – 3:15
6. "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration" – 3:13
7. "Positivity (Remix)" – 4:49
8. "Words I Manifest (Remix)" – 5:12
9. "Conscience be Free" – 4:04
10. "Cause and Effect" – 3:22
11. "2 Steps Ahead" – 3:50
12. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" – 3:22
13. "Knowledge" (featuring Damo D-Ski)– 3:42
14. "Positivity" – 3:35
15. "Here's the Proof" (2003 re-issue Bonus Track) – 4:35
16. "The Lesson" (2003 re-issue Bonus Track) – 5:05
17. "Dedication" (2003 re-issue Bonus Track) – 5:11

The PRT Records cassette issue in the UK contains "Movin' On (Vocal)" and "Movin' On (Dub)" as bonus tracks B7 and B8.

Singles

Chart positions

Singles

Samples

• "Movin' On"
  • "Sweet Pea" by Tommy Roe
  • "Bra" by Cymande
• "Words I Manifest"
  • "Dig Me" by King Crimson
• "2 Steps Ahead"
  • "Hot Pants" by James Brown
  • "Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Fab 5 Freddy feat. Beeside
• "Cause and Effect"
  • "Live Wire" by The Meters
• "Conscience be Free"
  • "You Gots to Chill" by EPMD
• "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration"
  • "Summertime" by Billy Stewart
  • "The Awakening" by Ahmad Jamal
  • "Handclapping Song" by The Meters
  • "Funky Stuff" by Kool & the Gang
  • "Summer Madness" by Kool & the Gang
  • "Change the Beat (Female Version)" by Fab 5 Freddy feat. Beeside
  • "Stoop Rap" by Double Trouble
  • "Marley Marl Stratch" by Marley Marl feat. MC Shan
  • "It's My Thing" by EPMD
  • "Paid in Full" by Eric B. & Rakim
  • "I Ain't No Joke" by Eric B. & Rakim
  • "Movin' On" by Gang Starr
• "Got U"
  • "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown
  • "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
  • "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose (Remix)" by James Brown
• "Gusto"
  • "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield
  • "Express" by B.T. Express
• "Jazz Music"
  • "Les Fleurs" by Ramsey Lewis
• "Knowledge"
  • "Funky President" by James Brown
  • "Knowledge Me" by Original Concept
• "Manifest(Remix)"
  • "A Night in Tunisia" by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis
  • "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
  • "Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue)" by James Brown
  • "Word to the Mother (Land)" by Big Daddy Kane
• "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
  • "The Message from the Soul Sisters" by Vicki Anderson
• "Positivity"
  • "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)" by Monk Higgins
  • "Changin'" by Brass Construction
  • "No Tricks" by Latee
• "Premier and the Guru"
  • "If It Don't Turn You on (You Oughta Leave It Alone)" by B.T. Express
  • "Give the People What They Want" by The O'Jays

References