The Ownerz

06/18/2003 10:00 PM, LAUNCH
Dan Leroy

When you buy an album by a veteran rock artist, you're usually buying a sound--patented, time-tested and durable enough to survive numerous repeats. That's an aesthetic hip-hop, which considers the past only as a bridge to the future, has never embraced, but this release is the clearest sign yet that things are changing. On their first release in five years, the legendary duo of Guru and DJ Premier decide the current urban landscape, with its candy-coated gangstas and market pressures, has nothing to offer. Instead, the pair simply revert to the beats and concerns that made them an institution in hip-hop's golden age; except for the occasional cameo (Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss), The Ownerz could have hit the streets a decade ago without raising eyebrows. People would merely have noted it was another outstanding Gang Starr effort, and Primo's signature blend of soul richness and East Coast grit, combined with Guru's articulate declarations of personal discipline ("Deadly Habitz") and thug humanity ("Nice Girl, Wrong Place") is still too good to be tossed for trendspotting. So look out: hip-hop's classic rock era may be about to begin.