Yesterday marked the passing of Keith Elam, better known as Guru from Gang Starr. Cardiac arrest had left Guru in a coma since late febuary after years fighting cancer. His death was confirmed by DJ Premier via Twitter and his Website.

Guru, a Boston native, moved to New York and met up with Waxmaster C from Houston (Later to go by DJ Premier) in 1989. That same year they released their debut album “No More Mr. Nice Guy“, which introduced the first real heavy jazz loops and hard intelligent rhymes that would run thick in the blood of hip hop for the following decade, and over.

Gang Starr – Jazz Thing
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Gang Starr – Mass Appeal
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Gang Starr – Full Clip
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Following a decade of hip hop guidance the group split during their 2003/2004 European tour, stating that they needed to take a break. Since then Guru repeatedly disowned any connection to his former DJ, whilst Premier remained hopeful that he and Guru would work together again.

Guru himself worked on many solo projects, most notably his “Jazzmatazz” series and more recently “Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures” and “Guru 8.0: Lost And Found”, which he produced with his now manager and spokesman Solar. Despite Guru’s legacy and best efforts, all the projects produced by Solar were met with mixed but generally negative reviews by critics and fans.

Guru’s Jazzmatazz  – Watch What You Say ft Chaka KhanCLICK IMAGE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Guru Jazzmatazz – State Of Clarity ft Common
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Definitely a sad time for hip hop, Guru and his contributions to music will be missed the world over.

In Memory of Keith “Guru” Elam

July 17, 1966

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April 19, 2010

“Word is Bond, I go on… and on…”

~peacelove