Jazz is an unmistakable element of the Gang Starr blueprint: Swirling horns build the backbone for much of their sound, nodding to Coltrane's adventures and Branford Marsalis' whimsy. But you'll also hear echoes of UTFO's pop-funk in DJ Premier's breakbeat scratching, and Guru's classic East Coast tendencies—his singular voice and his sharp lyrical precision—place him squarely in the lineage of rappers such as Chuck D and Run.