BY BANDINI • SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

On Friday (September 20), Gang Starr released its first single in more than 16 years. “Family And Loyalty” features two verses from Guru (who passed away in 2010), a DJ Premier-produced track, and a guest appearance from J. Cole.

Calling into Sway In The Morning, Premier explained some background on the “Family And Loyalty,” including the choice of guest for such a historic moment. “I was like, ‘Who do we get that’s from that generation of spitters, that age-range, that also has the younger fans? It’s either Drake, Kendrick, or Cole.” After discussing matters with his manager, Ian Schwartzman, Preemo decided to contact J. Cole, whose song he remixed in 2018. Premier says the conversation with management highlighted Cole’s “stance as a Black man in this day and age, with these youngsters.” That aspect of identity was paramount to Gang Starr’s music between the 1980s and today. “I texted [the song to J. Cole], and just said, ‘Hey man, I just wanted to see what you think about hoppin’ on this, on the second verse; Guru did the first and third verse.’ I swear to you, it wasn’t even five minutes. He hit me back and said, ‘Bro, I’m shivering right now.’ I saved the text, and sometimes show people. He said, ‘This is so emotional. Guru sounds like he just wrote this.'”

According to DJ Premier, J. Cole penned his verse while on vacation. Notably, the MC/producer asked if it was okay if his rap was longer than the traditional 16 bars. With his words, he acknowledges Guru and his passing, which happened during the same time that Cole’s career was breaking into the mainstream.

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