Editing Guru (rapper) (section)

== Musical career ==
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">{{cite web|url=http://www.45king.com/disk.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040103181643/http://www.45king.com/disk.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 3, 2004|title=Discography—the Official 45 King Web Site|access-date=June 27, 2010}}</ref> After a change in lineup, the group consisted of [[rapping|rapper]] Guru and producer [[DJ Premier]]. Gang Starr released its first LP ''[[No More Mr. Nice Guy (Gang Starr album)|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 (Gang Starr album)|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">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r172286|pure_url=yes}}|title=Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 > Overview|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</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">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r500750|pure_url=yes}}|title=Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3 > Overview|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</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>[http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/411/guru_and_solar_team_talk/ 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)|''Time'' magazine]].{{cn|date=August 2020}}

[[File:Gangstarr-03-mika.jpg|thumbnail|Guru with Gang Starr, Germany, 1999]]

Guru's first solo album not a part the Jazzmatazz series, ''[[Baldhead Slick & da Click]]'', was released in 2001 to poor reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r550097|pure_url=yes}}|title=Baldhead Slick & da Click. Overview|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=June 27, 2010}}</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">{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r733591|pure_url=yes}}|title=Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures > Overview|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</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.