As part of Gang Starr and Jazzmatazz, Boston rapper Guru, who died this week, became a force to be reckoned with in hip-hop and jazz, writes JIM CARROLL
THE HANDLE stood for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. After all, figured Boston rapper Keith Elam when he was commencing his career, you needed a name which made you stick out from the crowd.
However, it was his magnetic voice, powerful, socially conscious lyrics and strong narrative flow as much as the monicker which really caught people’s attention. On the back of a string of fantastic and innovative Gang Starr and Jazzmatazz releases, Guru became one of hip-hop’s leading MCs.
His death on Monday from cancer has sent hip-hop fans back to re-evaluate those releases. Hip-hop may be going through one of its periodic identity crises at present about what’s it about and where it’s going, but there’s no confusion about the value and heft of Guru’s legacy.
It was Gang Starr which first alerted the world to the rapper’s talents. Guru’s infatuation with hip-hop saw the business administration graduate leave his native Boston for New York in the mid-1980s where he collaborated with two other rappers on the first incarnation of Gang Starr.
But it wasn’t until Texan native DJ Premier arrived on the scene to join forces with a by-then solo Guru that Gang Starr really became a force to be reckoned with.
Early albums such as Step In The Arenaand Daily Operationremain hip-hop classics. What still stands out today is how DJ Premier's nimble way with soul and funk samples (for instance, the recycling of Marlena Shaw's Californian Soulon Check the Technique) is the perfect foil for Guru's gruff, no-nonsense flow.
Jazzmatazz saw Guru take Gang Starr's jazz-rap in another direction. Encouraged by working with Branford Marsalis on the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues, he recorded the hugely successful Jazzmatazz Vol 1 album in 1993 with jazz musicians Roy Ayers, Ronny Jordan, Courtney Pine, Lonnie Liston Smith and Donald Byrd. Three other well-received Jazzmatazz collaborations would follow in later years.
For all the success of Jazzmatazz, though, Guru remained indelibly linked with DJ Premier and Gang Starr. The duo continued to release and tour – 1998's Moment of Truthis probably the pick of the bunch of their later releases – but tensions emerged between the pair. The row came to a head in 2003 after the release of The Ownerzalbum and the duo went their separate ways.
There was very little love for any of Guru’s subsequent solo albums, which were viewed as lacklustre and cliche-ridden. Things started to go from bad to worse when he began to work with a producer called Solar,
and Guru seemed to be heading for the “where are they now?” files.
Meanwhile, DJ Premier became an in-demand producer, working with everyone from Christina Aguilera to Alicia Keys. There were occasional mutterings about a Gang Starr reunion, though these were more in hope than in expectation.
Guru’s death this week means all we’re left with now are the records.
Guru's greatest hits
Gang Starr Take It Personalfrom Daily Operation, 1992.
Over an inspired, perfectly pitched, eerie DJ Premier soundbed, Guru gets his retaliation in first against some backstabbers.
Jazzmatazz Loungin'from Jazzmatazz, Vol 1, 1993.
The standout track from Gurus debut jazz odyssey is still capable of getting feet moving and heads nodding, thanks largely to Donald Byrds lush trumpet.
Gang Starr Ex Girl to the Next Girlfrom Daily Operation, 1992.
Smashing example of Gurus narrative skills as he reviews the break-up of a relationship
