Guru (rapper)
| Guru | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Keith Edward Elam |
| Born |
July 17, 1961 Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 2010 (aged 48) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, jazz rap |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, producer, actor |
| Years active | 1986–2010 |
| Labels |
Wild Pitch/EMI Records (1987—1990) Chrysalis/EMI Records (1990—1997) Noo Trybe/Virgin (1997—2003) Ill Kid Records (1995—2005) 7 Grand (2003—2010) |
| Associated acts | DJ Premier, Gang Starr, Nujabes, Gang Starr Foundation, Krumbsnatcha, Big L, Jeru the Damaja, Group Home, M.O.P. |
Keith Edward Elam (July 17, 1961 – April 19, 2010), better known by his stage name Guru (a backronym for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was an American rapper, producer, and actor best known as a member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Boston.
About.com placed him on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him #30 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying "Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax".
Elam was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Harry, was a judge and his mother, Barbara, was the co-director of libraries in the Boston public school system. He attended the Advent School on Beacon Hill in Boston, Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, and Cohasset High School in Cohasset, Massachusetts for high school. Elam graduated with a degree in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and took graduate classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. He later dropped out to pursue a hip hop career. Elam worked briefly in social services.
Elam began his music career under the pseudonym MC Keithy E but later changed name to Guru. He founded Gang Starr in 1987. The group initially released three records, produced by DJ Mark the 45 King, on the Wild Pitch Records record label, but these records received little attention. After a change in line-up, the group consisted of rapper Guru and beat maker DJ Premier. Gang Starr released its first LP No More Mr. Nice Guy on Wild Pitch Records; the group achieved a sizable following and released six critically acclaimed and influential albums from 1989 to 2003. Two albums, Moment of Truth (1998) and compilation Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999) were certified gold in the United States by the RIAA. Gang Starr made archetypal East Coast hip hop with Guru's rhyming described as sharp-eyed but anti-ostentatious.
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