Moment of Truth is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr, released on March 31, 1998, by Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records. Gang Starr recorded Moment of Truth in sessions at D&D Studios. It is widely regarded as Gang Starr's magnum opus, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.[citation needed]
| Moment of Truth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
| Studio | D&D (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 78:37 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Gang Starr chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Moment of Truth | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[5] |
| Houston Chronicle | [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Muzik | 7/10[8] |
| NME | 8/10[9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [10] |
| The Source | [11] |
| USA Today | [12] |
Commercial performance
The album is the group's most commercially successful album to date. Moment of Truth debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album sold 97,000 copies in its first week.[13] It went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 7, 1998.[14] The lead single, "You Know My Steez", became the duo's second Billboard Hot 100 appearance in 1997, peaking at #76. Spin magazine ranked it as the #16 album of 1998.[15] Pitchfork also ranked it as the 16th best album of 1998.[16]
In popular culture
The album's title track was featured in the 2011 Matthew McConaughey film The Lincoln Lawyer.[17][18][19] The title track also appeared in the soundtrack of the 2001 video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 as well as an episode during the third season of the television show Mr. Robot. The song Work appears on ESPN promos for SC6 with Michael/Jemele. Work also appeared in the 1998 movie Caught Up starring Bokeem Woodbine and was included on the soundtrack.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "You Know My Steez" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:07 |
| 2 | "Robbin Hood Theory" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:44 |
| 3 | "Work" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:57 |
| 4 | "Royalty" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, K-Ci & JoJo | 5:11 |
| 5 | "Above the Clouds" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Inspectah Deck | 3:41 |
| 6 | "JFK 2 LAX" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:34 |
| 7 | "Itz a Set Up" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Hannibal Stax | 3:49 |
| 8 | "Moment of Truth" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:07 |
| 9 | "B.I. vs Friendship" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, M.O.P. | 4:37 |
| 10 | "The Militia" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx | 4:48 |
| 11 | "The Rep Grows Bigga" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:55 |
| 12 | "What I'm Here 4" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:45 |
| 13 | "She Knowz What She Wantz" | Guru, DJ Premier (co produced) | Guru | 3:00 |
| 14 | "New York Strait Talk" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 4:14 |
| 15 | "My Advice 2 You" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 2:31 |
| 16 | "Make 'Em Pay" | Guru, DJ Premier (co produced) | Guru, Krumb Snatcha | 4:21 |
| 17 | "The Mall" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, G. Dep, Shiggy Sha | 3:40 |
| 18 | "Betrayal" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru, Scarface | 5:29 |
| 19 | "Next Time" | DJ Premier, Guru | Guru | 3:06 |
| 20 | "In Memory Of…" | DJ Premier, Guru | DJ Premier, Guru | 3:50 |
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[28] | 59 |
Singles
Chart positions from Billboard magazine
| Year | Song | Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | Hot Rap Singles | Dance/Electronic Singles Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "You Know My Steez" | 76 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| 1998 | "The Militia" | – | 19 | 7 | – |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[29] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[31] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||