Hip-Hop 101: Lesson Twenty-3
RIP GURU
Gifted Unlimited, Rhymes Universal
Intro – Gang Starr, ‘Jazz Music’
Gang Starr – ‘Ex Girl To The Next Girl’
Gang Starr – ‘Soliloquy Of Chaos’
Gang Starr – ‘Check The Technique’
Gang Starr – ‘Precisely The Right Rhymes’
Guru – ‘No Time To Play’
Guru – ‘Transit Ride’
Guru – ‘Trust Me’
A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Can I Kick It?’
A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Jazz’
De La Soul – ‘Potholes In My Lawn’
De La Soul – ‘Eye Patch’
De La Soul ft. Guru – ‘Patti Dooke’
Digable Planets – ‘Where I’m From’
Digable Planets – ‘Nickel Bags’
Digable Planets – ‘Dial 7 (Axioms Of Creamy Spies)’
Jurassic 5 – ‘Swing Set’
Jurassic 5 ft. Big Daddy Kane & Percee P – ‘A Day At The Races’
People Under The Stairs – ‘Earth Travelers’
People Under The Stairs – ‘Montego Slay’
Slum Village – ‘The Look Of Love’
Without Guru (Keith Elam), without Gang Starr, much of what we consider foundational jazz-based rap would not exist. Thanks to Guru’s vision, flow, content, and ferocity, hip-hop is sturdy, respectful of the past, and always forward looking. Guru may not be the most important MC ever, but he is absolutely up there. His death will leave a hole, an eternal absence, in rap. The controversy surrounding his death and the increased presence of Solar, his musical partner in his later years, in Guru’s life can be better understood by reading some of the following material:
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1535/title.tasha-denham-just-to-get-a-rep
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2010/05/the_hacked_emai.php
But let’s not get caught up in dwelling on the negative aspects of the story, the sadness surrounding what seems to be a dysfunctional, violent relationship between Guru and Solar. Let’s not spend endless amounts of precious moments looking up the #FuckSolar running feed on Twitter. Let’s not scour the blogs for the hardest, most intense let’s-get-’em comment post.
Let’s focus on what Guru did on his own. Let’s focus on his message. His legacy. His music. RIP Guru. I will miss you. Gang Starr forever. The Foundation.
