Red Bull Music Academy Radio: Fireside Chat with GURU

An article by Senor Kaos    No Comments

One year ago today we lost Keith Elam bka GURU of Gangstarr. In the year since he’s passed there’s a still a lot of mystery surrounding his death, and questions that have yet to be answered. We may never know what really happened. However what we do know is that GURU left us albums and albums of material to digest, dance, or nod our heads too.

In celebration of Guru’s life I wanted to post this rare interview with him speaking on the origins of Gangstarr, why he left Boston for Brooklyn, etc.

(I snapped this picture of Guru at the Gangstarr concert in Atlanta Circa Summer 1999).

Arguably one of the most distinctive and important voices in the history of hip hop, Guru (Gifted Universal Rhymes Unlimited) is of course best known as the ‘lyrical’ half of the legendary Gang Starr. After the first three Gang Starr albums, Guru launched his solo career with the Jazzmatazz project, which saw him collaborate with the jazz artists that Hip-Hop had previously only sampled. As well as legends like Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Bob James, Jazzmatazz 1 and 2 also saw Guru work with Acid Jazz contemporaries such as The Brand New Heavies, which helped this groundbreaking collaborative project reach a huge audience across several different markets.

CLICK HERE: To stream RBMA Radio / GURU Fireside Chat.

R.I.P. GURU

Tags: Gangstarr, Guru, Keith Elam, Red Bull Music Academy Radio, Rest In Peace