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