As one-half of the seminal Brooklyn-based duo Gang Starr, he crafted groundbreaking beats and brought a new edge to hip-hop.

As a producer, he has done likewise by bringing out the best in fledgling rappers KRS-One, Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Snoop Dogg, the Notorious B.I.G. and Jeru the Damaja.

Through his Year Round Records label, the man born Christopher Martin intends to do more of the same as his roster expands.

And he'll be in Capital City tomorrow evening, "staying sharp on the wheels of steel," by taking us on a journey through hip-hop's rich history. Do not expect a lot of "current stuff," he says, "because first, you've got to know where it comes from."

Few are better qualified to educate us on the subject than Premier, a man, who since joining Guru in Gang Starr some 20 years ago, has had a hand in every aspect of the evolution of hip-hop. Whether as artist or producer, Premier has defined the genre like few others.

And he has done so, Premier muses over the phone from somewhere in Brooklyn, by remaining first and foremost a music fan.

"I'm a fan first and a DJ second," he insists. "I still go into stores and buy records. I still buy concert tickets. I just saw The Police. I went to see Rush ..."

Hold on a second, Preem, there seems to be a problem with the connection: It sounded like you just admitted to being a Rush fan.

"Oh man," Premier enthuses loudly and clearly, "big time! You know, I grew up in the era of no hip-hop. I went through all of those teenage phases. My drug phase, my stealing-cars phase, my classic-rock phase.

"I played high school football and we'd listen to a lot of rock music in the locker room. Everything I listened to inspired me to make the beats that I do."

Great, so now DJ Premier is a Rush fan. Next he'll be producing Christina Aguilera.

Oh wait, he did, working extensively with her on the Back to Basics album. All of which serves to endorse Premier's claim to be, simply, a fan of music.

And -- notwithstanding his opinion of the look and sound of today's mainstream hip-hop ("It's like wearing a Halloween costume to church!") -- it's all part of being positive, a quality that comes through in Premier's attitude towards Gang Starr. Guru has publicly declared the group dead; Premier respectfully disagrees.

"To me," he says, "we are still active. We've always had issues with each other, me and Guru, from the day we got together. But I'm never going to turn my back on Guru, we've been through a lot together. Gang Starr is not done 'til I say it's done."

Not that Premier needs the extra work. DJ gigs and production keep him busy enough. As do collaborations like a powerful new Blaq Poet single that offers a response to recent controversy surrounding America's least favourite six-letter word and other commonly used hip-hop terms.

"We call out Russell (Simmons, Def Jam founder), we call out Oprah, we call out (Rev. Al) Sharpton," Premier says of the track's message. "We say, 'Come on! Stop chastising to make us scapegoats for your political gain or career gain.

"Music from the streets should reflect it, commentary that makes sense and is maturely spoken should be heard.

"People like Russell have got other agendas. I respect what Russell did, but they're calling him 'the godfather of hip-hop,' and he's not. That title belongs to Afrika Bambaataa. Ask him what he has to say about this. Ask Kool Herc. Ask Grandmaster Flash."

Geddy Lee, not so much. Though, if you want all of the above in one, you need only ask DJ Premier.