April 19, 2017

In Memory Of ... Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal

Guru Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal

Guru a/k/a Keith Elam passed away after a long bout of cancer at the age of 48 on this day in 2010. First with Gang Starr and later with his ground-breaking 'Jazzmatazz' albums, Guru stood out among rappers for taking his music in a different direction, fusing beats, rhymes, and jazz into a musical flow that was immediately recognized as quintessentially Guru, says PaperMag. Guru's father was the first African-American judge in the Boston municipal court system and his mother once served as co-director of libraries in the Boston public school system - combine that with being a Morehouse College graduate (class of '83) - and it offers insight into his upbringing, as well as the intelligence he would later bring through his rhymes. Thinking back to all the drama that surrounded his final days, it kinda makes me sad to think he passed away misguided and confused about the people closest to him. Yet, DJ Premier continues to raise him up, never forsaking their friendship no matter what was fabricated in that letter, and Guru's legacy lives on through the music, his family and his thousands of fans all around the world. Rest In Peace, Guru! DJ Premier paid tribute in the video below from the final days at Fat Beats, NY... one of my favorite moments.

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