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"GANG STARR FOREVER!!! R.I.P. GURU."

So tweeted Travis Barker as word spread this morning of the death of Gang Starr mastermind and rap-jazz pioneer Guru (aka Keith Elam). He was just 43.

According to a statement issued by Elam's friend and longtime partner Solar, and posted on DJ Premier's site, Guru died Monday morning following a yearlong struggle with cancer. Last month, the disease triggered cardiac arrest, which left the hip-hop hero in a coma.

"The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time—my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru," Solar said. "Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle! This is a matter that Guru wanted private until he could beat it, but tragically, this did not happen. The cancer took him. Now the world has lost a great man and a true genius."

Along with Barker's, the Twitter tributes began flowing early.

"R.I.P. Guru. 1 of the most distinctive voices ever in hip-hop. He made up 1/2 of the greatest rap duo of all time & was far too young to go," tweeted music producer Mark Ronson.

"FOR GURU!! 'I loved my friend He went away from me,nothing more to say The poem ends, Soft as it began- I loved my friend.' Langston Hughes," offered rapper Heavy D.

Guru broke into the music biz in the 1980s with the launch of Gang Starr, which found instant success with its acclaimed 1989 debut, No More Mr. Nice Guy, and the 1991 classic Step In the Arena.

In 1993 Guru struck out on his own with his pioneering Jazzmatazz Vol. 1, a project that fused jazz and rap and featured some wild collaborations between hip-hop artists and jazz legends, including Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis and Ronny Jordan.

Three more volumes followed, featuring appearances by Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu, Macy Gray, the Roots and Isaac Hayes.

Gang Starr, meanwhile, continued to lord over the underground hip-hop scene in New York and refine the genre of jazz-rap throughout the '90s until the release of the 2003 album The Ownerz, which proved to be the group's last.

Knowing his time was short, Guru penned a farewell to fans, paying tribute to Solar, his legacy in Gang Starr and Jazzmatazz, as well as his family, especially son KC, whom he called "the love of my life."

"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.

"The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life."



Read more: http://au.eonline.com/uberblog/b177184_guru_gang_starr_founder_hip-hop_hero.html#ixzz0lfgez2fX


(L-R: Dj Premier and Guru of Gang Starr)

here's a dope picture taken in the mid 2000's.

L-R: Dj C-Minus, Dj Premier, Guru, Dj Truly Odd

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM DJ PREMIER ON THE PASSING OF GURU
Posted April 21st 2010 at 11:44 PM by gimantalon


IT WAS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO GET CONFIRMATION ON THE DEATH OF A MAN WHO I WILL CONTINUE TO CALL MY BROTHER, KEITH ELAM, BETTER KNOWN AS GURU OF THE LEGENDARY GANG STARR.

FROM 1988-2004, WE EXPERIENCED SO MUCH SUCCESS TOGETHER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR BUSINESSES INDEPENDENTLY AND GIVE EACH OTHER WHAT GURU CALLED “CREATIVE SPACE”, BEFORE PLANNING TO REUNITE FOR OUR 7TH LP WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT. TRAGICALLY, WE WILL NEVER REACH THAT DAY.

I’VE BEEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LETTER SPEAKING ILL OF ME WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN BY GURU IN HIS DYING DAYS. ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, WE BUILT A HIP HOP LEGACY TOGETHER, AND NO ONE CAN RE-WRITE HISTORY OR TAKE AWAY MY LOVE FOR HIM. ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS PLAY AROUND WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LIFE.

I WILL CELEBRATE GURU’S LIFE… I WILL HONOR HIS MEMORY… I WILL GRIEVE WITH THE ELAM FAMILY OVER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH… I WILL REMEMBER THE GANG STARR FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF GANG STARR WHO CAME BEFORE ME – WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER… MOSTLY, I WILL CHERISH EVERYTHING WE CREATED TOGETHER AS GANG STARR, FOREVER. I’M GONNA MISS HEARING HIS SIGNATURE MONOTONE VOICE WHEN HE WALKS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE SONGS WILL ALWAYS BRING IT BACK TO ME….HIS RHYME FLOWS WERE INSANE, AND I WILL NEVER REMOVE HIM FROM MY HEART AND SOUL…….REST IN PEACE TO THE MAN WHO FELT “SATISFACTION FROM THE STREET CROWD REACTION” … I LOVE YOU GOO…….DJ PREMIER

Public letter from DJ Premier on the tragic death of his partner in crime Guru, keep your head up Premo!! Hip Hop has lost another legend.