Keith Elam Archives - New Hip Hop News

On July 17, 1961, Keith Edward Elam was born into this world in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Sadly, 14 years ago today the late, great MC Guru lost his battle with melanoma, a form of cancer. April 19, 2010, was a tragic day for Hip Hop heads worldwide because we lost a true emcee and all-around great human being.

Guru started his career off in 1987. He relocated to the Hip Hop mecca New York City, where he founded Gang Starr. In 1989 with three records and no real blip on Hip Hop’s radar Guru switched up producers and began working with DJ Premier. After that, it was a wrap. The duo released its first LP “No More Mr. Nice Guy” with Wild Pitch records and six more critically acclaimed albums followed.

Premier and Guru made for a perfect combination. Guru’s uniquely monotone delivery and storytelling ability, combined with Premier’s punctuating, soulful production inspired some of the dopest verses in Hip Hop history. The Source ranked Guru as the #30 Best Emcee of Our Time.

Guru’s recording career was one of the most fruitful amongst his peers; with six classic albums released by the duo Gang Starr, all of which were praised by critics and beloved by the streets Guru also released 10 albums without Premier. 16 projects from any artist are impressive, and as an emcee, it’s almost unheard of.

Guru and Premier will go down as one of the most prolific duos in Hip Hop history. They have paved the way for the likes of Atmosphere from Minnesota made up of DJ/Producer Ant and emcee Slug. Today in the fifth year of his passing let us celebrate Guru’s contribution to the beautiful art of Hip Hop. Enjoy the video for “Moment Of Truth”, a classic by Gang Starr.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers The Passing Of Gangstarr’s Guru 14 Years Later first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers The Passing Of Gangstarr’s Guru 14 Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Nothing beats a classic rap record and a few MCs were dropping them on the regular quite like legendary ’90s rap duo Gang Starr. The group, consisting of Guru holding things down on the mic and DJ Premier handling the head-bumping production, dropped six albums in their career before calling it quits in 2003.

While a reunion album was reportedly planned, unfortunately, Guru passed away on April 19, 2010, before the project could be completed or properly executed overall. While the Hip-Hop community definitely took a blow due to the loss, the work they did create while recording together influenced the genre in ways that we’re still seeing today. One LP that specifically represents Gang Starr’s influential legacy is their third album Daily Operation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary today.

Comprised of jazz-tinged samples and lyrics that illustrated life in the streets of New York City during the early ’90s, Daily Operation saw Gang Starr striding smoothly towards the legendary status that we now place the group in today. The project is East Coast-inspired through and through, from recording the LP entirely at the dearly missed D&D Studios on West 37th Street in Midtown Manhattan all the way to lamenting about Brooklyn on the opening track “The Place We Dwell.” Other standout cuts include “I’m The Man,” featuring the solely credited cameos by Group Home member Lil Dap and Jeru the Damaja, “B.Y.S.” — cleverly abbreviated for “Bust Yo’ Shit” — and the lead single “Ex Girl to Next Girl” that gave us one of the most 90s-looking music videos ever created.

The key to Gang Starr is that, while none of their albums ever crossed Top 5 status on the Billboard 200 — their highest placement happened in 1998 when Moment of Truth hit #6 — sales were never the thing that represented their effect on the game; the music always came first and foremost. Daily Operation received all sorts of critical acclaim nonetheless, and we even included it on our “100 Best Rap Albums” list for The Source’s 100th issue (January 1998). So, while it only reached #65 on the Billboard 200 and faired slightly better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at #14, those numbers mean nothing when compared to the slick verses, smooth-yet-rugged instrumentals, and thought-provoking bars that still makes this album a certified classic almost three decades after its original release.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Gang Starr’s Third LP ‘Daily Operation’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.