Guru (rapper)

Guru
Background information
Birth name	Keith Edward Elam
Born	(1961-07-17)July 17, 1961 Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, jazz rap
Occupation(s)	Rapper, producer, actor
Years active	1986 – 2010
Labels	Wild Pitch/EMI Records (1987–1990) Chrysalis/EMI Records (1990–1997) Noo Trybe/Virgin (1997–2003) Ill Kid Records (1995–2005) 7 Grand (2003–2010)
Associated acts	DJ Premier, Gang Starr, Nujabes, Gang Starr Foundation, Krumbsnatcha, Big L, Jeru the Damaja, Group Home, M.O.P.

Keith Edward Elam (July 17, 1961 – April 19, 2010), better known by his stage name Guru (an acronym for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was an American rapper, producer, and actor best known as a member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

About.com placed him on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him #30 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying "Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax."

Biography

Early years

Elam was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Harry, was a judge and his mother, Barbara, was the co-director of libraries in the Boston public school system. He attended the Advent School on Beacon Hill in Boston, Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, and Cohasset High School in Cohasset, Massachusetts for high school. Elam graduated with a degree in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and took graduate classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. He later dropped out to pursue a hip hop career. Elam worked briefly in social services.

Musical career

Elam began his music career under the pseudonym MC Keithy E but later changed name to Guru. He founded Gang Starr in 1987. The group initially released three records, produced by DJ Mark the 45 King, on the Wild Pitch Records record label, but these records received little attention. After a change in line-up, the group consisted of rapper Guru and beat maker 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.

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. His second solo LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Chaka Khan, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis, and Jamiroquai. The third installment was released in 2000, but it received less positive reviews.

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.

Guru with Gang Starr, Germany 1999

In reference to the above-mentioned 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."

Guru's first solo album not a part the Jazzmatazz series, Baldhead Slick & da Click, was released in 2001 to poor reviews. The album reached #22 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop album charts. The seventh chapter in the book of Guru, Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures, was released in 2005 on Guru's own record label, 7 Grand Records. The album was produced entirely by labelmate Solar. It reached #54 on the Billboard R&B albums charts and received mixed reviews.

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 Gang Starr reunion album was planned but will never be released because of Guru's death.

Death

On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his coma but died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48, from cancer. Keith Elam (Guru) was survived by his parents, three siblings, and a son named Keith Casim. His production partner, Solar, claimed that Guru had momentarily awakened from his coma to compose a letter to the public, although DJ Premier and members of the emcee's family stated that he never regained consciousness. Guru's family claimed that Solar had prevented them from having contact with Guru during his illness just before his death. The validity of the death-bed letter was challenged by Guru's family. 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.

DJ Premier produced a tribute mix to Guru and has released a public letter along with Guru's sister Patricia Elam. Harry J. Elam, an older brother, wrote a personal memoir in remembrance published in The Boston Globe on April 23, 2010. The Elam family had a Guru Tribute Web Site set up where visitors were able to view tributes and sign a memorial page. Guru's nephew Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff made a 16-minute documentary in which he narrated the story of his late uncle. The video can be seen at DJPremierBlog.com, http://www.gurutributes.com, and http://thexlabel.wordpress.com/.

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. 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.

Discography

Gang Starr albums are listed in the group's main article.

Albums

Album information
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 Released: May 18, 1993 Billboard 200 chart position: #94 UK chart position: #58 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #15 Singles: "Trust Me", "Loungin'", "No Time To Play" & "Le Bien, Le Mal"
Guru Presents Ill Kid Records Released: 1995 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: -
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality Released: July 18, 1995 Billboard 200 chart position: #71 UK chart position: #12 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #16 Singles: "Watch What You Say" & "Livin' In This World"
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul Released: October 3, 2000 Billboard 200 chart position: #32 UK chart position: #74 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #8 Singles: "Keep Your Worries", "Lift Your Fist", "Certified" & "Supa Love"
Baldhead Slick & da Click Released: September 25, 2001 Billboard 200 chart position: #122 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #22 Singles: "Where's Our Money?!/In Here" & "Cry/Pimp Shit"
Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures Released: May 10, 2005 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #54 Singles: "Cave In", "Step In The Arena 2" & "Hood Dreamin"
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future Released: June 5, 2007 Billboard 200 chart position: N/A R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #45 Singles: "State Of Clarity"
The Timebomb: Back To The Future Mixtape Released: July 31, 2007 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: -
The Best of Guru's Jazzmatazz Released: February 12, 2008 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: -
Guru 8.0: Lost and Found Released: May 19, 2009 Billboard 200 chart position: - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: - Singles: "Divine Rule", "Fastlane", "Ride", "After Time & "No Gimmick Sh*t"

Guest appearances

• 1990: "Jazz Thing" (from the soundtrack of Mo' Better Blues)
• 1991: "Down the Line" (from the Nice & Smooth album Ain't a Damn Thing Changed)
• 1991: "Qui Sème Le Vent Récolte Le Tempo (Gang Starr Remix)" (from an MC Solaar 12" single)
• 1992: "A Buncha Niggas" (from the Heavy D & The Boyz album Blue Funk, also featuring Biggie Smalls, Busta Rhymes, Rob-O, Third Eye)
• 1992: "A Little Spice (Gangstarr Remix)" (from the Loose Ends album Tighten Up Vol. 1)
• 1992: "It's Getting Hectic" (from the Brand New Heavies album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1)
• 1992: "Sassy (from the Neneh Cherry album "Homebrew")
• 1993: "Why Cant Lovers" (from Lisa Lisa singleSkip To My Lu)
• 1993: "Patti Dooke" (from De La Soul album Buhloone Mindstate)
• 1993: "Season For Change" (from the Ronny Jordan album The Quiet Revolution)
• 1993: "Listen (Guru Remix)" (from a Urban Species 12" single)
• 1993: "Stop Lookin' at Me" (In collaboration with The Cutthroats from the soundtrack of Menace II Society)
• 1994: "Why Cant Lovers" (from Lisa Lisa album LL77)
• 1994: "Borough Check" (from the Digable Planets album Blowout Comb)
• 1994: "I've Lost My Ignorance" (from the Dream Warriors album Subliminal Simulation)
• 1994: "Black Monday" (from the Buckshot LeFonque single "Another Day")
• 1995: "B-Boy Mastermind" (from the DJ Krush album Krush) – This appears on the Japanese import only.
• 1995: "Serious Rap Shit" (from the Group Home album Livin' Proof)
• 1996: "Fed Up (Remix)" (from House of Pain album Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again)
• 1996: "Listen Here" (from The New Groove: The Blue Note Remix Project)
• 1996: "What You Expected" (from the DJ Honda album h)
• 1997: "The Way it Iz" (from Rhyme & Reason (soundtrack))
• 1997: "For Da Love" (from Afu-Ra and EZD unofficial release "A D&D Project In Association With DJ Premier Vol. 1")
• 1998: "Nights in Harlem (Darkchild Extended Remix)" (from the Luther Vandross album I Know, featuring uncredited background vocals by Brandy)
• 1998: "Salute part II" (from the M.O.P. album First Family 4 Life)
• 1998: "Trilogy Of Terror" (from the Afu-Ra 12 "Whirlwind Thru Cities")
• 1999: "NY Niggaz" (from the Sway & King Tech album This or That)
• 1999: "The Legacy" (from the Group Home album A Tear for the Ghetto)
• 1999: "Bare Witness" (from the Choclair album Ice Cold)
• 1999: "Whatever Happened to Gus" (Word to the Drums mix) (from the Medeski Martin & Wood album Combustication Remix EP)
• 2000: "Games" (from the Big L album "The Big Picture, also featuring Sadat X)
• 2001: "Hot Shit" (from a D&D All Stars 12" single, also featuring Big Daddy Kane, Sadat X, and Greg Nice)
• 2001: "Worst Comes to Worst" (from the Dilated Peoples album Expansion Team)
• 2002: "Blvd." (from the Afu-Ra album Life Force Radio)
• 2002: "Karma" (from the Adam F 12" single also featuring Carl Thomas)
• 2003: "Weed Scented" (from the A.G. album The Dirty Version)
• 2003: "Condor (Espionage)" (from the DJ Cam album Soulshine)
• 2003: "Knowledge of Self" (from the BT album Emotional Technology)
• 2003: "Träume" (from the Spax album Engel und Ratten)
• 2004: "The Best" (from the Chief Kamachi album Cult Status)
• 2004: "Αυτή τη ζωή (This Life)" (from the Goin' Through album La Sagrada Familia)
• 2004: "Home" (from the Kreators album "Live Coverage", also featuring Akrobatik, Big Shug, Ed O.G., Krumbsnatcha)
• 2005: "Party Hard" (from The Perceptionists album Black Dialogue feat. Camu Tao & Prod. Camu Tao)
• 2005: "Counter Punch", "Gangsta Luv" (from the Big Shug album Never Say Die)
• 2006: "Junk" (from the Ferry Corsten album L.E.F.)
• 2007: "Major Game" (from the Domingo album The Most Underrated)
• 2007: "The Otherside" (from the Slightly Stoopid album "Chronchitis")
• 2008: "Watucamehere 4" (from the Downsyde album All City)
• 2010: "You Got To Luv It" (from the Cradle Orchestra album Transcended Elements)

Filmography

• Main Source music video "Watch Roger Do His Thing" (1990) (Cameo)
• Who's the Man? (1993) as Martin Lorenzo
• The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998) as Little B.
• Train Ride (2000) as Jay
• Grand Theft Auto III (2001) as 8-Ball
• 3 A.M. (2001) as Hook-Off
• Urban Massacre (2002) as Cereal Killah
• Kung Faux (2003) as Voice Over/Various
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005) as 8-Ball

External links

• Guru – official memorial site hosted by Elam family
• Guru at AllMusic
• Guru discography at Discogs
• Guru at MTV