RIP GURU AKA KEITH ELAM

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  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    A coworker and friend of mine told me a story this morning II think some of you will get a kick and a bit of inspiration out of: He was in his mid teens when Guru lived in Boston and used to run into him a lot. Guru was known as a rapper around town, but Boston didn't really have a big rap scene at the time, relatively speaking. One day they were both at the Dudley Square station on the subway and they were chopping it up, and Guru said "I'm gonna do it. man. I'm gonna move to New York and I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna make it happen." Shortly thereafter he moved to New York and the rest is history. Not exactly Faulkner, but a good reminder that he was indeed a real guy who worked hard to become what he wanted to become.

  • That's what's up. Greg nice told me when he came to town they used to battle alot in the bonx because they were the younger generation trying to come up and get a rep. Real dude rappers.

    Guru brought authority like no other.

    I still can't Believe he passed. Gang Starr is pobably one of the most important groups in hip hop history. Period.

  • djsheepdjsheep 3,620 Posts
    Bobbi Humphrey R.I.P. MY DEAR FRIEND, GURU. ICONIC LYRICIST- EMCEE. YOU ROCKED THE MIC SO NICE. YOU AND D.J. PREMIERE WERE THE TRUTH WITH YOUR JAZZ AND HIP-HIP. YOU TOOK THE MUSIC, THE WORDS A STEP HIGHER! COUNT IT OFF IN HEAVEN! LOVING YOU, MISSING YOU, AND HONORED TO HAVE RECORDED WITH YOU. FOREVER, BOBBI

  • BreezBreez 1,706 Posts

  • djsheepdjsheep 3,620 Posts
    Rest In Power. Gang Starr was one of my greatest influences as a "digger"/collector/record fiend. They defined hip-hop for a generation.

    Yeah, come to think about it, Arks and I had been talking about this in the past week before this untimely news, but we met and became mates when we were both hunting down the samples from Moment of Truth... I think honestly, that album made the hunt down a lot of stuff that stuck with me and furthered my amateur knowledge at the time.

    REST IN PEACE.

  • yuichiyuichi Urban sprawl 11,332 Posts
    Moment of Truth is one of my favorite hip-hop records of all time.

    Rest in Peace to a true legend.

  • I just wanna thank Faux for getting open--I truly enjoyed reading that--and thank Oliver for omitting Solar from your LA Times writeup.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    thanks faux..really

    i think most of us really got into hiphop and digging from a ganstarr tape..they set the standard

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    thanks faux..really


    That was a great read--I kept nodding in agreement like...well, like I was listening to a Gang Starr album.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,519 Posts
    thanks faux..really

    i think most of us really got into hiphop and digging from a ganstarr tape..they set the standard

  • jleejlee 1,539 Posts
    thanks faux..really

    i think most of us really got into hiphop and digging from a ganstarr tape..they set the standard

    agreed. and for the lot of us that grew up and matured(literally) with Gang Starr on rotation, they really pushed the 'musical' aspect of hip-hop. Before I even got into digging as a young teen, I recall being amazed by the production on Daily Operation and knowing (before even really knowing) that the bass line on "I'm The Man" came from a dope song that i wanted to get a hold of.

    And cosign Noz with the 'wise uncle' comment. At 13yrs old hearing "Ex to the Next" seemed like I was getting educated ahead of my time and experience.

    He'll be missed by all, but is rest assured to have his legacy permanently cemented in all of us who really became better hip-hop (and music) fans as a result of his work.

  • I can't begin to express the impact growing up listening to Gang Starr had on my mind, body & soul, and certainly can't begin express it as well as a few of you on here already have. All I can say is that Gang Starr was the best duo to ever do it. Thank you for the music, knowledge, wisdom & understanding, Keith. You will be missed.

    RIP GURU

  • AKallDayAKallDay 830 Posts
    there was a time when your whole set was all premier beats practically... they all mixed so well together. listening to guru and gang starr over the past 24 hours incredibly fond memories of that era came flooding back.

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    YO MAN I REALLY NEED TO SEE THE STEP IN THE MARINA JPEG RIGHT NOW


  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    O - as awkward as the lede on this?

    http://www.slate.com/id/2251462/


    SMFH

    Ok, so that was clunky too. But seriously, what is rap singer? Slick Rick?

    no it's Hi-C

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfcf_MC63mY

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    What is guru holding? And nice geoducks!

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    I just wanna thank Faux for getting open--I truly enjoyed reading that


  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    What is guru holding?

    A clay Lionel Richie head that was discussed at some length around the same time as our geoduck obsession. Original link here: http://www.macalester.edu/~fines/lionel/

  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    Noz:

    There?s been some question in the internet era about Guru?s capabilities as a rapper. They should be dismissed. His is the greatest case against the modern, dogmatic definition of lyrical lyricism. Because Guru?s strength lied not in hot punchlines or clever multi-syllable rhymes but purely in his ability to instill wisdom. Maybe that particular brand of wisdom has aged poorly or maybe it?s just that the whole positive (and never negative) aspects of his raps don?t hold up under the cynicism of today?s new jacks, but to grow up listening to Gang Starr was to be schooled. Having a Gang Starr tape was like having a wise uncle. And yet Guru was never soft. NWA presented the idea of street knowledge only to quickly tip the scales too far to the streets. Many of Gang Starr?s successors only ever focused on one side of the coin. Guru was balance. And he will be missed.
    I keep reading this over and over. Absolutely bulletproof. I hope people appreciate what they're getting with shit like this.

    "Guru was balance" is exactly right. Exactly. Rest in peace.

  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    That's beautiful stuff, faux. I'm always happy to hear it from you.



    Another thing that I haven?t heard anybody touch on was Guru?s personal style. In an era when I devoured all of the information available to me about rappers?when I read every microscopic word of the shoutouts/publishing credits/liner notes in the CD/cassette booklet, when I read even the ads in the Source?I was definitely checking for how rappers were dressing. Guru had a really smooth refined style. Maybe because he was a little older, he didn?t seem to be caught up in trends. Maybe it resonated with me because it seemed like his look was a good way for a white kid to cop some hip-hop style without looking like a clown.
    I'm really glad to see someone touch on this. I got that same vibe from both his personal style and his overall approach. I've previously good-naturedly clowned his line from "Mass Appeal" about "like baggy slacks, I'm crazy hip-hop," but I actually have an oddly deep affection for that line. It's delivered with Guru's typically unassailable authority, but at the same time, it's kinda square, you know? Like, who uses the word "slacks" in a rap? Maybe he did it for the internal rhyme, but I don't know--he was always using all these archaic turns of phrase and slightly outdated slang, and for whatever reason that one line has always just struck me as this small, perfect crystallization of how little he seemed to be, as you say, caught up in trends. He always seemed slightly older, not trying to keep up with the kids; he just talked how he talked, dressed how he dressed, kept it crisp, and kept it moving. I mean, one could learn a lot just from the way dude profiles in the group shot inside Hard To Earn. There were points at which his style of dress and style of rap may have seemed to have had a faint whiff of stodginess, to be a little out of time, but looking back, almost everything about that dude has aged incredibly well.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Yeah, I remember when Moment Of Truth dropped, a lot of people were clowning The Mall and calling it cheesy, but Guru was dropping names like Sonia Rykiel and Issey Miyake, and talking about rocking "silk suits by Paul Smith", as opposed to the Fifth Ave super-expensive luxury brands Puffy and them were bigging up, so even then he was apart from the crowd. Matter of fact, ever since that album came out, if I'm in the menswear section of a department store and they happen to have a Kenneth Cole franchise in there, I always think of that song. I expect I always will now. But yeah, no doubt Guru was a stylish dude.

  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    Moment of Truth is one of my favorite hip-hop records of all time.

    Rest in Peace to a true legend.

    one of the rap albums i have memorised front to back. i remember being a teenager going to pow-wows in Oklahoma. i listened to nothing but moment of truth during that time period.

  • whether criminal or felon dropping gems on your melon

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Yeah, I remember when Moment Of Truth dropped, a lot of people were clowning The Mall and calling it cheesy, but Guru was dropping names like Sonia Rykiel and Issey Miyake, and talking about rocking "silk suits by Paul Smith", as opposed to the Fifth Ave super-expensive luxury brands Puffy and them were bigging up, so even then he was apart from the crowd. Matter of fact, ever since that album came out, if I'm in the menswear section of a department store and they happen to have a Kenneth Cole franchise in there, I always think of that song. I expect I always will now. But yeah, no doubt Guru was a stylish dude.

    You gotta remember that Guru was attending the Fashion Institute of Technology when he dropped out to pursue hip-hop and came from a civically prominent family of Black intellectuals; his dad was a judge and his older brother was a drama professor.

    I was talking to a friend who used to work at Gang Starr's management company and they were talking about how Guru always had a better sense of style than Premier; apparently, this was a source of amusement around the offices.

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    IT WAS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO GET CONFIRMATION ON THE DEATH OF A MAN WHO I WILL CONTINUE TO CALL MY BROTHER, KEITH ELAM, BETTER KNOWN AS GURU OF THE LEGENDARY GANG STARR.

    FROM 1988-2004, WE EXPERIENCED SO MUCH SUCCESS TOGETHER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR BUSINESSES INDEPENDENTLY AND GIVE EACH OTHER WHAT GURU CALLED ?CREATIVE SPACE?, BEFORE PLANNING TO REUNITE FOR OUR 7TH LP WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT. TRAGICALLY, WE WILL NEVER REACH THAT DAY.

    I?VE BEEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LETTER SPEAKING ILL OF ME WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN BY GURU IN HIS DYING DAYS. ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, WE BUILT A HIP HOP LEGACY TOGETHER, AND NO ONE CAN RE-WRITE HISTORY OR TAKE AWAY MY LOVE FOR HIM. ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS PLAY AROUND WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LIFE.

    I WILL CELEBRATE GURU?S LIFE? I WILL HONOR HIS MEMORY? I WILL GRIEVE WITH THE ELAM FAMILY OVER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH? I WILL REMEMBER THE GANG STARR FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF GANG STARR WHO CAME BEFORE ME ? WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER? MOSTLY, I WILL CHERISH EVERYTHING WE CREATED TOGETHER AS GANG STARR, FOREVER. I?M GONNA MISS HEARING HIS SIGNATURE MONOTONE VOICE WHEN HE WALKS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE SONGS WILL ALWAYS BRING IT BACK TO ME?.HIS RHYME FLOWS WERE INSANE, AND I WILL NEVER REMOVE HIM FROM MY HEART AND SOUL??.REST IN PEACE TO THE MAN WHO FELT ?SATISFACTION FROM THE STREET CROWD REACTION? ? I LOVE YOU GOO??.DJ PREMIER


    http://livefromheadqcourterz.wordpress.c...eith-elam-guru/

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    This shit was tragic man. All my closest friends loved Gang Star, talking to them about it has been heavy.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Noz:

    There?s been some question in the internet era about Guru?s capabilities as a rapper. They should be dismissed. His is the greatest case against the modern, dogmatic definition of lyrical lyricism. Because Guru?s strength lied not in hot punchlines or clever multi-syllable rhymes but purely in his ability to instill wisdom. Maybe that particular brand of wisdom has aged poorly or maybe it?s just that the whole positive (and never negative) aspects of his raps don?t hold up under the cynicism of today?s new jacks, but to grow up listening to Gang Starr was to be schooled. Having a Gang Starr tape was like having a wise uncle. And yet Guru was never soft. NWA presented the idea of street knowledge only to quickly tip the scales too far to the streets. Many of Gang Starr?s successors only ever focused on one side of the coin. Guru was balance. And he will be missed.
    I keep reading this over and over. Absolutely bulletproof. I hope people appreciate what they're getting with shit like this.


    "Guru was balance" is exactly right. Exactly. Rest in peace.

    One thing that always stood out for me w/ Guru was that he was always balanced.
    Never Too preachy and always kept some street shit to balance the knowledge.

    There are many great songs that could REP Gangstarr, but Who's Gonna Take The Weight is a real clear example of both dudes skill. Along w/ the "balanced" steez Guru had.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    oliver, you still got that interview you did? id like to read it.

    Not quite what you asked for but close: http://soul-sides.com/2010/04/interviewing-guru-in-2003.html

  • R.I.P. Guru.

    I wish it wasn't timely for this reason, but I made a mix of Gang Starr favorites a few months ago. Enjoy.



    You can stream it here, download it as a single file here or broken into individual tracks here.

    1. Intro
    2. You Know My Steez
    3. Just to Get a Rep
    4. Mass Appeal
    5. Step in the Arena
    6. Now You're Mine
    7. The Militia feat. Freddie Foxxx
    8. B.Y.S.
    9. Take It Personal
    10. The ? Remainz
    11. Full Clip
    12. DWYCK feat. Nice & Smooth
    13. Who's Gonna Take the Weight?
    14. Jazz Thing
    15. Soliloquy of Chaos
    16. Check the Technique
    17. Credit Is Due
    18. Speak Ya Clout feat. Jeru the Damaja & Lil Dap
    19. It'z a Setup feat. Hannibal
    20. Words I Manifest (Remix)
    21. 2 Deep
    22. The Place Where We Dwell
    23. Suckas Need Bodyguards
    24. Flip the Script
    25. What You Want This Time?
    26. Love Sick
    27. Ex Girl to Next Girl
    28. The Planet
    29. Make 'em Pay
    30. Execution of a Chump
    31. DJ Premier Is In Deep Concentration
    32. Take Two & Pass
    33. Gotta Get Over (Taking Loot)
    34. Rite Where You Stand feat. Jadakiss
    35. I'm the Man feat. Lil Dap & Jeru the Damaja
    36. Code of the Streets
    37. Tonz 'o' Gunz
    38. Next Time

    For people who like touching things, I also have a handful of hard copies.

    Matthew,

    I just wanted to say that this mix has really held me down today. Thanks again.

  • Good looks abound in this thread, much respect to those who have dropped mixtapes, heart felt obits and knowledge.

    I wonder if Guru knew he'd had such a profound effect on people.
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