"Gangstarr one of the best yet", proclaimed Guru whos real name was Keith Elam, in one of the most popular hip hop tracks of the 90's, a track written down at the time when he joined forces with dj premier consisting the band's most powerful lineup since Gangstarr were formed back in 1987. Guru, a Boston native who took an interest in fashion before pursuing a rap career, was first known as MC Keithy E. After the formation of Gangstarr the band released six critically acclaimed and influential albums from 1989 to 2003 including two certified gold in the United States. The band's work took the east coast in the early 90's by storm especially through guru's cutting edge, yet not aggressive, lyrics that dealt with everyday social issues.Guru also released some material as a solo artist with the Jazzmatazz project, which i was lucky enough to watch live, collaborating with numerous soul,jazz and hip hop artists including MC Solaar, Roy Ayers and Brandford Marsalis just to name a few, in an effort to bridge hip hop with other music genres. The outcome of this gesture was his personal desire to bring older and younger generations of fans closer. Gangstarr were planning a reunion tour but sadly enough cancer proved to be stronger and on April 19 2010, Guru passed away at the age of 48. After his death his long time partner dj premier produced a tribute mix and Guru's nephew Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff made a 16-minute documentary, in which he narrates the story of his late uncle. If you are interested you can catch this video at DJPremierBlog.com
Keith Elam aka Guru RIP
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