"Guru" born as Keith Elam July 17, 1966 passed away on April 19, 2010 after battling cancer. He had a cardiac arrest on February 28, 2010. Following his surgery he went into a coma. He awoke from the coma and passed away on April 19, 2010.
Guru was a major pioneer in the industry, he was a rapper as well as a producer. Well known and respected by most. I won't go into depth on each and every record and project. Instead i will mention that as a young girl i listened to all kinds of music and Guru's music was part of it. "Mass appeal" was and still is one of my favorite, and "Moment of Truth". Real Hip Hop is not dead, we may lose good ones along the way but they paved the way for more to achieve the level of following and true respect that one deserves in the industry. To give you an idea here is a run down of albums from Guru:
| Album info |
|---|
Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1
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Guru Presents Ill Kid Records
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Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality
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Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul
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Baldhead Slick & Da Click
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Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures
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Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip-Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future
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Guru 8.0: Lost and Found
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"I hate them muthaf*ckn posers, but im so real to them it's scary"- Guru
"Yea that's right i survive mad fight's. And for my peeps that truly care, cause without some of them i wouldn't be here, and they all know how i feel..." -Guru
THE LETTER!!!!
ALLEGEDLY is the word i will stress. A letter was announced / read that was ALLEDGEDLY written by Guru on his deathbed. Some say it does not sound like him, but more like the voice of Solar. I read this letter and it sounds a bit odd, however if it really was Guru do remember that he was just awaking out of a coma. When your whole life is slowly slipping from your grasp alot is on your mind, just because someone is in a coma, it doesn't mean they are brain dead. Whether it was morally correct or just bitter or even heartfelt this letter is confusing us all. Here it is:
"I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.
I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took 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.
My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody’s feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.
I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. 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."
Dj Premier blogged and still left his condolence's regardless. You can visit DjPremierblog.com to check out his response.
Now honestly after reading this my first reaction was, how can anyone wake up from a coma and be so on point with dialogue, content as well as emotion and write it so quickly. It sounds like a letter that has either been written by someone else or pre-written for when the time came. It sounds a bit harsh to me. I am one of the people who thinks that maybe, just maybe he did not write this letter (fully). Who am I to assume I know Guru well enough to say this?.. No body to him.. but as a fan, and as a spectator..this letter just rubs me the wrong way.
Another great that is gone who had a whole album "Ready To Die" was Biggie Smalls, his pre written drama fell right into how he passed. I will always feel that people know when it is their time, but they do not share that with their loved ones because they know how much it hurts.
Guru's letter was a statement in itself. He died of natural causes, but he rapped about life and how you basically need to watch your own back from friends to the streets, because that's how it works. He was inspirational as well as a GANG STARR street smart, saavy, and flowed naturally, in no way was he a commercial rapper.
May he rest in peace. God bless him and his family.
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