I’m not really good at the whole dramatic buildup thing, so I’ll try to keep this preamble relatively short. First of all, this list is about great emcees, and as I’d imagine you know, great emcees are perfectly capable of making crappy records (the same way Beyonce’s albums kinda suck even though she can sing her ass off). Average emcees are capable of making great records (see: West, Kanye), so let’s not confuse the two. What makes a great emcee? […]
Posts tagged "Guru"
Hump Day Flashback: “Love Comes & Goes”
In a lifetime as a hip-hop fan, there have only been three noteworthy hip-hop acts from Boston that I can think of. First, of course, is Guru. The lyrical half of Gang Starr carried the torch for Beantown rappers until he passed away earlier this year. On the opposite end, there’s Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg, a guy who probably had no interest in being an emcee until his hip-hop junkie of an older brother suggested that might be the best […]
Blerd Briefs: Arrests, Birfdays and Other Assorted Confusion…
While my interest in anything Lindsay Lohan-related is almost always minimal, I must admit that I have a special desire to see her dragged away in handcuffs and get locked up, and it’s looking more and more like that’s going to happen. A bench warrant has been issued for the actress/singer’s arrest for missing a court appearance to follow up on mandated alcohol education classes. Lindsay took a trip to Cannes to prevent her upcoming movie, and conveniently misplaced her […]
Blerd Radio Episode 2: Record Store Day?
This, folks, is a tale of two shows. Initially, what I’d planned in order to celebrate (however belatedly) Record Store Day, was a reunion of some of the cast that provided my first employment experience at Tower Records. That place was certainly not at a loss for characters. So the time came to record the show…and none of my Tower friends called in. So, the first half of the show is pretty much me improvising. I talk a little about […]
Saturday Backspin: "Trust Me"
It doesn’t make sense to have a hip-hop segment to this blog and not take the time to acknowledge Guru. Stepping away from Gang Starr for a second, Guru should be recognized for two things in particular. One is being the ambassador for hip-hop in Boston. How many other popular rappers have come out of Beantown? Ed O.G. was moderately successful, but never had the sales or critical respect that Gang Starr had. After that, there’s…Marky Mark? So, yeah-pretty easy […]
Hip-Hop Loses One of It's Most Unique Voices: R.I.P. Guru
Over the weekend, it struck me that I hadn’t heard any news on the condition of Keith Elam AKA Guru. Guru-1/2 of legendary hip-hop duo Gang Starr as well as a solo artist-suffered a heart attack and had slipped into a coma a month or so ago. I woke up this morning to the sad news that Guru had passed away. Not only was Guru almost solely responsible for putting Boston on the hip-hop map, but he’s also one of […]
Blerd Appreciation: Gang Starr
Boston isn’t exactly a hotbed of urban culture. Actually, when you talk about nationally known and respected hip-hop artists from Beantown, there are only two names you need to bring up: Ed O.G. and Guru. Guru, of course, is the rapping half of the legendary duo Gang Starr. After breaking into the game in ’90 (I think) with “Jazz Thing”, Guru and his boy DJ Premier kicked off a decade-long string of hits, and while they never blew up on […]