Gang Starr has released the video for the J. Cole-assisted "Family and Loyalty."
The track premiered about two weeks ago, marking the duo's first single since 2003, and since Guru's death.
"Everything is very emotional and raw, because [Guru's] not here, but his spirit is here," Gang Starr member DJ Premier said about the visual, which was shot by Fab 5 Freddy in Harlem and Cole's native Fayetteville, NC. "We shot the first half of this video on Cole's turf and we had a very limited window in North Carolina. Fab 5 Freddy called me and he was really worried he would not be able to fly in from New York due to Hurricane Dorian. I told Freddy that Guru was piloting the flight and he would get him here safely and on time; and he did."
Though the video arrives more than nine years after Guru died, it includes old footage and photos of the legendary MC as well as a cameo by his 19-year-old son Keith Casim.
"[Casim] made me feel like Guru was there with me," Premier said. He went on to add, "It was real important to me to have Guru's son be a major focus of the video. Keith is starting to really understand the legacy his father left behind and the whole team is sharing so many stories with him. We are honest with him, how much fun Guru and I had, the bad times, we are not sugarcoating anything; we want him to know his Father."
Watch the "Family and Loyalty" video above. The track is expected to appear on Gang Starr's seventh studio album, which was teased on social media last month.
A video posted on the duo’s Instagram page featured a voicemail recording from Nas. The audio was a throwback to the "Aiiight Chill..." interlude on Gang Starr’s 1994 project Hard to Earn.
"Yo, is it true there’s a new Gang Starr album?" Nas says in the clip. "That’s crazy, man. Let me know. Aiiight, chill."
Stay tuned as more details about the album become available.
