Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Nov 5, 2019
    90
    The album is a gem. Preemo lovingly wraps brand new Guru verses (new even to him) with his trademark production, earmarked with his iconic scratch choruses, without missing a beat.
  2. Jan 3, 2020
    85
    There’s a timeless quality to the way Keith Elam and Christopher Martin brought out the best in each other, and even posthumously on “One of the Best Yet” you can still hear that love of making hip-hop in every track.
  3. Nov 15, 2019
    84
    One Of The Best Yet makes a strong case that its chain and star logo is Hip Hop traditionalism’s version of the Union Jack flag to salute where credit is due to one of rap’s greatest MCs and duos yet.
  4. Nov 5, 2019
    80
    One of the Best Yet does exactly what long-term fans might expect a Gang Starr album to do. As a full stop to their career, it works perfectly. In the pantheon of posthumous albums, it lives up to its name.
  5. The Wire
    Dec 9, 2019
    70
    I can’t recommend this as a great hiphop record or remotely the state of the art right now. But for fans it’s an essential, harrowing work – Gang Starr’s equivalent of Big Star’s Third. [Jan 2020, p.60]
  6. Nov 19, 2019
    70
    The entire record is a weed smoke-filled breath of golden age hip-hop — this is the one that breaks the promise of the '90s indie hip-hopper with a backpack and a fat cap marker. The one that said we'd never rock anything made past 1999 when shiny suits and mainstream floating commercial bullshit was our mortal enemy. Everything except "Get Together", that one could've stayed on the cutting room floor.
  7. Nov 5, 2019
    70
    The results are, naturally, mostly great. There perhaps isn’t enough of the rapper as one would want – many of the songs are short, the album loaded with guests – but there are moments where it feels like one of the most beloved rap groups in history are picking up right where they left off.
  8. Nov 8, 2019
    67
    Gang Starr’s first album in 16 years affords us an opportunity to luxuriate in the thousand-watt magnetism of Guru, who even at his shabbiest is contagiously zen. Every so often he flubs a line or falls off the beat, but Guru is never not in complete control of his instrument. ... Brace yourself for tonal whiplash; Premier is a tease of the worst kind.
  9. Nov 11, 2019
    63
    Through all of this chaotic history, DJ Premier is trying to patch together an album that will pass the smell-test, and he does a decent job. Anyone who held out this long for a Gang Starr album will likely be pleased with the results.
  10. Mojo
    Dec 17, 2019
    60
    A rare beacon of quality amid the shoddy posthumous rap parade. [Feb 2020, p.91]
  11. Nov 18, 2019
    60
    Stitched together as it is, One of the Best Yet is a priceless benefaction. Premier was no doubt compelled to see it through for himself and the memory of his deteriorated union with Guru. That regard for the Gang Starr legacy is felt throughout the set, a gratifying listen for anyone who can get past Guru's incapacity to authorize it.
  12. Ne-Yo‘s overly polished vocals not sit well and Preemo’s production sounds uncharacteristically remedial. Sometimes, too, Guru’s absence is a little too noticeable. ... But these hiccups aren’t enough to derail the album’s quest to remind fans why the duo’s name is mentioned amongst the hip-hop greats.
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Dec 18, 2019
    4
    This album is a disaster. It falls short of expectations. There is bad rapping here. These are terrible songs. The guest appearances areThis album is a disaster. It falls short of expectations. There is bad rapping here. These are terrible songs. The guest appearances are awful. There is nothing here to do or follow, it's just all terrible. Full Review »