Discography
33 releases – 14 under his own name, 18 in other groups and 1 credit on others' music Edit
In the News
( 2 stories between 21st April 2010 and 1st May 2010 )More Doubts About Guru's Final Letter
May, 1 2010
When hip-hop legend Guru, born Keith Elam, died a week ago, the details of his passing were announced alongside a letter purported to be from him, released by his musical partner Solar. However, many fans doubted that the letter was really written by Guru, because it spoke more of his dedication to Solar than of his family or his time with Gang Starr.
Guru's sister, Patricia Elam, told MTV she thought the letter was fake. "No. That letter was so self-serving... If he was writing a letter on his deathbed, it would have been to his son, [to] my father, that kind of thing." DJ Premier, Guru's partner in Gang Starr, also doubted the letter. He told Vibe.com he would "love to see the handwriting, because I know Guru's handwriting like the back of my hand with all the bills we had to pay together. I know it's not him."
Tasha Denham, the mother of Solar's child and a friend of them both, accused Solar of beating Guru regularly. "I know he knocked a tooth out of Guru's" she told HipHopDX. "I know he gave him a black eye [so Guru would] have to wear glasses for photo-shoots and concerts." Solar told MTV he didn't abuse Guru. "I can't even begin to imagine where that would come from," he said. "It's idiotic."
RIP Legendary Rapper Guru
Apr, 21 2010
One of the most revered MCs of the 90s East Coast hip-hop scene, Gang Starr’s Guru, has died at the age of 47. A month ago he was left comatose after a heart attack, and it’s now been revealed that he had been fighting a form of cancer for over a year.
Although Guru, born Keith Elam, was from Boston, he will forever be associated with the New York scene during hip-hop’s golden age. There he formed Gang Starr with producer DJ Premier, and their early albums Step In The Arena and Daily Operation found huge acclaim even among the glut of great rap records of the era. Their joint success allowed them to work solo, as Guru launched his Jazzmatazz series and Premier produced for stars like Nas and Jay-Z. Gang Starr were able to release a comeback of sorts, Moment of Truth (1998), which was their biggest-ever seller. In recent years Guru stopped working with Premier, instead preferring the production of Solar.
Solar released a statement, purported to be from Guru on his deathbed: “I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.” However, fans have expressed upset that the statement contains a lot of praise for Solar, and criticism of DJ Premier. Guru’s nephew, and Premier, recently complained that Solar was blocking their access to him.
