RIP Guru

Download or Listen To Guru – No Time To Play from the Chrysalis Records 12″

Well, I always hate to write about deaths, especially a death where the guy was only a few years older than me. A little while back I wrote a bit about Guru, who had fallen into a coma under some shady circumstances. Well when I found out that he passed at age 43, it saddened me once again. Even more shadiness and really unbelievable circumstances have come out since Keith Elam’s death. One of the most underrated MC’s around, one half of Gangstarr has most definitely left his mark on the world of Hip Hop music. Blending the elements of Jazz, Funk, Soul, and even Rock and beyond, when Guru and Preemo got together, it was magic. Tell me that the first time you heard “Jazz Music” or “Dwyck”, the samples and the lyrics just didn’t go right through you. “You could say I’m sort of the boss so get lost”. For much over ten years I have been playing Gangstarr at just about every DJ gig I do. Whether it’s Guru solo, collabos with his Jazzmatazz click, or killing it again and again with Premier, I do it. I’ve grown up with their music, met both Guru and Preemo, and have sat in amazement as I listen to the multitude of tracks he has put out. It’s not my place to comment of the hows and whys of his passing, but I thought I’d pay a little tribute to him by featuring a track off his ground breaking first solo Jazzmatazz effort. Please enjoy a voice that will live in Hip Hop forever. Rest In Power Guru, your talent changed the Hip Hop game, your smooth flow was like butter, and you will indeed be sorely missed. Here’s a message that ran through Twitter the day Guru passed:

Guru pt. 1: @FINALLEVEL I woke up today to hear that one of closets friends pasted away.. I’m paralyzed with sorrow. “Guru..Rest In Peace OG..I miss you.” Ice T
-Ice-T, Actor (“New Jack City,” “Law & Order: SVU”)

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