GURU

I think in the wake of this weeks events i'd be out of my mind to not honor, a musical pioneer and hip-hop icon such as GURU. Being in the industry as well I feel like I should dedicate my blog to him as tribute for all that he has done to pave the way for cats like myself. So here it is.

Keith 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. Elam graduated in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and took graduate classes in the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. He later dropped out to pursue a rap career. Elam worked briefly as a social worker.

Keith Elam began his rap 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 on the Wild Pitch Records record label but these received little attention. After a change in line-up, the group now consisted of Elam and DJ Premier; they 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 rap" with Guru's rapping described as sharp eyed but anti-ostentatious.

In 1993, Elam 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, 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 received less positive reviews.
Elam's "first proper solo album", in his own words, was Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005), produced entirely by Solar. The album reached #54 on the Billboard R&B albums charts and received mixed reviews.
Elam's final project was the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, produced entirely by Solar, released in early June 2007, and Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, released May 19, 2009 (also in collaboration with Solar). Although there were hopes for a Gang Starr reunion, Elam stated he would not work with DJ Premier again.

On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly wakened from his coma but died on April 19, 2010, aged 48, from multiple myeloma. Elam was survived by his parents, three siblings and a son, Keith Casim.

In a letter purportedly drafted on his deathbed, Guru asked that Solar manage his posthumous image, likeness, etc. on behalf of himself, and his nephew KC, and that DJ Premier not associate himself with Guru. Solar claimed that Guru had awoken from his coma to release the statement whilst members of the rapper's family stated that he never regained conciousness from his coma. Guru's family claimed that Solar prevented them from contact with Guru during the latter's final illness. The validity of the death-bed letter has been challenged by Guru's family.

I would like to send a special one love to a man that is greatly respected and forever remembered. Keith Elam a.k.a. Guru July 17, 1966- April 19, 2010

I wanna ...

I wanna ask a question today. This blog will read as if i was asking you a direct question. What is the purpose of finding things wrong with yourself? I ask because as I look in the mirror every morning I do the same thing. Why do people find inadequacies with themselves? Is it because we are hated on so much that we have succumbed to the pressure of being perfect? Is it because the karma stemming from the hating we do day in and day out can only come home ten fold? I remember listening to Lauryn Hill's Unplugged and I remember an interlude. In this interlude she says, "Why do we try and fit into someone Else's standard, don't we know we are the standard?" Being an artist this really hits close to home. As artists we find ourselves at a cross roads as to where we ask ourselves the same questions. Where I'm from some look at me as a "pop" artist, others look at me as an artist. It seems to me the ones that wanna classify me, are looking for a way to tear down my validity as an "artist" so maybe they can build themselves up as the artist. But in the end nothing done is original unless we create an entire new genre. And trying to fit the mold as an underground artist is still them trying to fit into a standard as opposed to being themselves. Let me give you guys a little history, my auntie "Little Janice" was a blues and jazz sensation in the 70's. My dad wrote songs, helping to launch the Deele, and the career of Debbie Gibson unannounced to him, in the 80's. My other aunt sang back up for the Platters. My great aunt was Minnie Ripperton, you know "Loving You". So I have a little more than 50 yrs of knowledge and music history at my disposal. So I have no choice on how to sound,I have been bred to make music. I wasn't taught to box myself in to one particular sound. I was taught to try new sounds and make different music. My family is rich with culture and history. So I pose a question, If I wanna make it in the business, should I listen to what they have to say?

My first blog

I figure I should just say something to break the ice right? My manager told me to create a blog. That way my friends, fam and fans wanna know what's going down with the kid as it happens. I thought that's what Twitter was for but hey what you gonna do? The bark is in me right now so all of this may sound retarded so excuse me. I remember in 1988 on the school bus and me and my friends reciting any and every song that came on K-Day. K-Day was the first rap station in L.A. I mean we had an urban market radio but this was our station dedicated to rap. Anyway those were good times, when you could love the radio. I don't feel that way anymore and it kinda makes me sad. I think when I realized radio wasn't worth the time I decided to become an emcee. It actually cracks me up when I hear that famous line from the movie "Brown Sugar". You know when she puts up the tape recorder and says "So when did you fall in love with hip-hop". I t makes me laugh because I know when I did. 1988 on the back of my school bus.