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 […]
Posts tagged "Jazzmatazz"
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 […]