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Guru of Gang Starr dead at 43
Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
10:03 AM CDT, April 20, 2010
The gifted hip-hop MC known as Guru --- an acronym for "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal" --- died Monday at age 43. A letter purportedly written by the rapper was released Monday by his current collaborator, the producer Solar: "I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting."
Guru, born Keith Elam in 1966 in Boston, founded Gang Starr, one of the key groups during hip-hop's "Golden Age" of the late '80s and early '90s. With Texas-born Chris Martin, aka DJ Premier, Guru brought a laid-back cool and nimble menace that distinguished the duo from other classic East Coast combos such as Public Enemy. Guru had moved to New York in 1983, then the epicenter of hip-hop, and with Premier created the signature Gang Starr track "Jazz Music," which appeared on the duo's 1989 debut album, "No More Mr. Nice Guy."
The track was distinctive for its time, a study in languid reserve over a rolling drum loop spiced with horns and ripples of piano. It consciously evoked late-night jazz clubs that preceded hip-hop, and connected the genres explicitly. The track came to the attention of movie director Spike Lee, who brought the group together with jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis to create a track for the film "Mo' Better Blues." Their collaboration, "Jazz Thing," played over the movie's closing credits, and cemented Guru's reputation as one of the new gurus of hip-hop cool.
It was a reputation he cemented with a series of "Jazzmatazz" albums, beginning in 1993. The cover art directly evoked the Blue Note jazz albums of the 1950s and featured such musicians as Marsalis, Ramsey Lewis, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd and Chaka Khan merging their talents with hip-hop era production and Guru's lyrical flow.
But it was with Gang Starr that Guru's music became best known. Though the duo was not a huge commercial success – their first million-selling album didn't arrive until the late '90s – Guru and Premier forged a style that proved to be hugely influential, primarily on underground artists. Premier's intricate yet hard-hitting style underpinned Guru's dry, hard-edged tone that never escalated into shouting or posturing. Even when he boasted, he sounded like he was deadly serious, a no-nonsense street philosopher who wielded words like switchblades.
The collaboration between the two ended in 2004. Guru continued to work on solo albums and the "Jazzmatazz" series, in collaboration with Solar.
Guru's death-bed statement referred to Solar as "my loyal best friend, partner and brother," and pointedly excluded Premier: "I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ."
greg@gregkot.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
chicagotribune.com
Guru of Gang Starr dead at 43
Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
10:03 AM CDT, April 20, 2010
The gifted hip-hop MC known as Guru --- an acronym for "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal" --- died Monday at age 43. A letter purportedly written by the rapper was released Monday by his current collaborator, the producer Solar: "I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting."
Guru, born Keith Elam in 1966 in Boston, founded Gang Starr, one of the key groups during hip-hop's "Golden Age" of the late '80s and early '90s. With Texas-born Chris Martin, aka DJ Premier, Guru brought a laid-back cool and nimble menace that distinguished the duo from other classic East Coast combos such as Public Enemy. Guru had moved to New York in 1983, then the epicenter of hip-hop, and with Premier created the signature Gang Starr track "Jazz Music," which appeared on the duo's 1989 debut album, "No More Mr. Nice Guy."
The track was distinctive for its time, a study in languid reserve over a rolling drum loop spiced with horns and ripples of piano. It consciously evoked late-night jazz clubs that preceded hip-hop, and connected the genres explicitly. The track came to the attention of movie director Spike Lee, who brought the group together with jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis to create a track for the film "Mo' Better Blues." Their collaboration, "Jazz Thing," played over the movie's closing credits, and cemented Guru's reputation as one of the new gurus of hip-hop cool.
It was a reputation he cemented with a series of "Jazzmatazz" albums, beginning in 1993. The cover art directly evoked the Blue Note jazz albums of the 1950s and featured such musicians as Marsalis, Ramsey Lewis, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd and Chaka Khan merging their talents with hip-hop era production and Guru's lyrical flow.
But it was with Gang Starr that Guru's music became best known. Though the duo was not a huge commercial success – their first million-selling album didn't arrive until the late '90s – Guru and Premier forged a style that proved to be hugely influential, primarily on underground artists. Premier's intricate yet hard-hitting style underpinned Guru's dry, hard-edged tone that never escalated into shouting or posturing. Even when he boasted, he sounded like he was deadly serious, a no-nonsense street philosopher who wielded words like switchblades.
The collaboration between the two ended in 2004. Guru continued to work on solo albums and the "Jazzmatazz" series, in collaboration with Solar.
Guru's death-bed statement referred to Solar as "my loyal best friend, partner and brother," and pointedly excluded Premier: "I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ."
greg@gregkot.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
