Hip Hop Icon Guru in critical condition.

It was yesterday confirmed that 43 year old hip hop icon Keith Elam aka ‘Gang starr’s’ Guru had indeed slipped into a coma after suffering a heart attack last Sunday 28th February. DJ Premier, acclaimed producer and other half of hip-hop duo ‘Gang starr’, cleared up the rumour on U.S radio telling Sirius XM that Guru was in a critical condition in a New York area hospital awaiting surgery scheduled for today. The music press has been full of speculation this morning, however, a tweet from Premier says he is still alive and has already gone into surgery today after which we will have a clearer prognosis.

Widely accepted as a pioneer, Boston born Guru founded the ‘Gang starr’ outfit, later including DJ Premier, and became renowned for his conscious and intelligent brand of hip-hop with hits like ‘Just to get a rep’ and ‘Words I manifest’. In 1990 Gang Starr’s single ‘jazz thing’ (which featured on Spike Lee’s movie soundtrack for ‘Mo Better Blues’) ushered in the conception of Guru’s new direction resulting in the very exciting ‘Jazzmatazz’ project. The ‘Jazzmatazz’ albums were about re-fusing hip-hop with one of its parent genres jazz, in a modern context. Now four volumes deep, the ‘Jazzmatazz’ project has been ground-breaking and has seen huge success featuring collaborations with the likes of jazz legends Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers, as well as, Issac Hayes, The Brand New Heavies, Angie Stone and Erykah Badu. The ‘Jazzmatazz’ live shows were always spectacular!

Current tour dates are now on hold for Guru’s solo project as we await the outcome of what we hope to be a speedy recovery and return to form for one of ‘real’ hip- hop’s best loved truth tellers. Another ‘Jazzmatazz’ volume is due and the rumours over the reformation of the Guru/Premier partnership releasing under the ‘Gang starr’ umbrella again means this would be a very premature departure from the music game for Guru. Our thoughts are with him, his friends, and family.
 

Written by Matt Hamilton