Guru (rapper)
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Keith Edward Elam (July 17, 1961<ref name="passport">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Spaced ndashApril 19, 2010), better known by his stage name Guru (a backronym for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was an American rapper, record producer and actor. He was a member of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2012, About.com placed him #49 on their list of Top 50 MCs of Our Time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and The Source ranked him #30 on their list of Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying "Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Guru died on April 19, 2010, from myeloma at age 48.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early life
[edit]Elam was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Harry Justin Elam served both as a judge and a lawyer and he became the first African American judge appointed to the Boston Municipal Court of Massachusetts and he later also became Chief Justice of the same court and finally as a judge he was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Prior to his judgeship years, between 1971 and 1988, he was a prominent lawyer in the city of Boston from 1952 to 1971 and his mother, Barbara, was the co-director of libraries in the Boston Public Schools system. He attended the Advent School on Beacon Hill in Boston, Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts,<ref name="HarryMemoir" /> and Cohasset High School in Cohasset, Massachusetts for high school.<ref name="phoenix">Template:Cite news</ref> Elam graduated with a degree in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta<ref name="guardian_obituary">Template:Cite news</ref> and took graduate classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
Musical career
[edit]Elam began his music career under the pseudonym MC Keithy E but later changed his stage name to Guru.<ref name="phoenix" /> He founded Gang Starr in 1987. The group initially released three records, produced by The 45 King, on the Wild Pitch Records record label, but these records received little attention.<ref name="guardian_obituary" /><ref name="45_king">Template:Cite web</ref> After a change in lineup, the group consisted of rapper Guru and producer DJ Premier. Gang Starr released its first LP No More Mr. Nice Guy on Wild Pitch Records; the group achieved a sizable following and released six critically acclaimed and influential albums from 1989 to 2003. Two albums, Moment of Truth (1998) and compilation Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999) were certified gold in the United States by the RIAA. Gang Starr made archetypal East Coast hip hop with Guru's rhyming described as sharp-eyed but anti-ostentatious.<ref name="guardian_obituary" />
In 1993, Guru released the first in a series of four solo albums while still a member of Gang Starr. Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, MC Solaar and Roy Ayers and received positive reviews.<ref name="allmusic_review">Template:Cite web</ref> His second solo LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Chaka Khan, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai. The third installment, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul, was released in 2000, but it received less positive reviews.<ref name="allmusic_review2">Template:Cite web</ref> In reference to the Jazzmatazz project, Guru told Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul: "Back around '93—when I first came up with the Jazzmatazz concept—I was noticing how a lot of cats were digging in the crates and sampling jazz breaks to make hip hop records. But while I thought that was cool, I wanted to take it to the next level and actually create a new genre by getting the actual dudes we were sampling into the studio to jam over hip hop beats with some of the top vocalists of the time. You know, the whole thing was experimental, but I knew it was an idea that would spawn some historic music."<ref>Guru & Solar interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' May 2009</ref>
In 1994, Guru appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as the album of the year by Time magazine.Template:Cn
Guru's first solo album not a part the Jazzmatazz series, Baldhead Slick & da Click, was released in 2001 to poor reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album reached #22 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop album charts. Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures, was released in 2005 on Guru's own record label, 7 Grand Records. The album was produced by labelmate Solar. It reached #54 on the Billboard R&B albums charts and received mixed reviews.<ref name="allmusic3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Guru's final releases were the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, released in June 2007; and Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, released May 19, 2009 (also in collaboration with Solar). A final Gang Starr album, One of the Best Yet, was released in 2019.
Death
[edit]On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his coma<ref>Faraone, Chris (March 3, 2010). "Hip-hop Legend [the] Guru out of Coma, Issues Press Release. The Boston Phoenix</ref> but died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48, from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Guru was survived by his parents, three siblings, and a son named Keith Casim.<ref name="phoenix" /> His production partner, Solar, claimed that Guru had momentarily awakened from his coma to compose a letter to the public,<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> although DJ Premier and members of Guru's family stated that he never regained consciousness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Guru's family claimed that Solar had prevented them from having contact with Guru during his illness just before his death;<ref name="nme">Template:Cite web</ref> the validity of the deathbed letter was consequently challenged by Guru's family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In an interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Solar claimed that he was protective of Guru, and everything he had said was true. This interview was met by extreme emotion from the hip hop community and did little to clear the controversy surrounding his actions.Template:Cn
DJ Premier produced a tribute mix to Guru<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has released a public letter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> along with Guru's sister Patricia Elam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Harry J. Elam, an older brother, wrote a personal memoir in remembrance published in The Boston Globe on April 23, 2010.<ref name="HarryMemoir">Template:Cite news</ref> The Elam family had a Guru tribute website set up where visitors were able to view tributes and sign a memorial page.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Guru's nephew Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff made a 16-minute documentary in which he narrated the story of his late uncle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the 2011 Grammy Awards, Guru's name was not mentioned in the annual retrospective of musicians who had died since the 2010 awards. On April 21, 2011, Revive Da Live Big Band held a tribute show for Guru at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The show paid homage to Guru's Jazzmatazz series and featured a full jazz band tribute, with all proceeds going towards the Elam family. During the concert, Babygrande Records donated $5000 to Guru's son, K.C. Elam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Legacy
[edit]The French city of Montpellier named a small street "Allée Guru" after the rapper, citing his influence on both hip hop and jazz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Discography
[edit]- Studio albums
- Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (1993)
- Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (1995)
- Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul (2000)
- Baldhead Slick & da Click (2001)
- Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005)
- Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future (2007)
- Guru 8.0: Lost and Found (2009)
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Who's the Man? | Lorenzo Martin | |
| 1998 | The Substitute 2: School's Out | Little B. | |
| 2000 | Train Ride | Jay | |
| 2001 | 3 A.M. | Hook-Off | |
| 2002 | Urban Massacre | Cereal Killah |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | In Living Color | Closing performance, 'Trust Me', featuring N'Dea Davenport | |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Willits | |
| 2003 | Kung Faux | Various | Voice Over |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grand Theft Auto III | 8-Ball | |
| 2005 | Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | ||
| 2021 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Archival recordings Remaster of Grand Theft Auto III only. |
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Guru Template:Gang Starr Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1961 births
- 2010 deaths
- Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States
- People from Roxbury, Boston
- Rappers from Boston
- Rappers from Brooklyn
- East Coast hip-hop musicians
- Fashion Institute of Technology alumni
- African-American male rappers
- 20th-century American male rappers
- 21st-century American male rappers
- Chrysalis Records artists
- DJ Premier
- Five percenters
- Morehouse College alumni
- Virgin Records artists
- Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
- Noble and Greenough School alumni
- Cohasset High School alumni
- Gang Starr Foundation members