Gang Starr rapper Guru died yesterday, succumbing to cancer at age 43. More than perhaps any other MC, Guru bridged the gap between the hard, gangsta rap of the '90s and the conscious hip-hop of that era, two worlds that seemed irreconcilable. In a stoic, even-tempered monotonethe implication being that with his reputation, there was no need to raise his voiceGuru rhymed in an unusual mixture of threats and self-help sermons. "Why bring ignorance?" he rapped. "I come with mad love and plus the illest warlike tactics."
He seemed like a contradiction, a rapper preaching positivity while armed with a full clip, yet he offered a necessary alternative to the extremes of the time. By the early '90s, alternative rap had become so idealistic that it no longer spoke to the realities of the streets. Gangsta rap, meanwhile, had grown cartoonishly violent, glorifying the same evils that alternative rap condemned. Neither side offered a completely accurate depiction of the times. Guru's world view was much better rounded, and as a result Gang Starr influenced both genres. The group's tough beats became the defining sound of New York street rap throughout the '90s, the template that Nas and Biggie would build from, while their jazzy samples continue to inspire today's alternative rap.
For reasons unclear, Guru and Gang Starr's DJ Premier fell out after the duo's 2003 swan song, and the rapper refused Premier's overtures to reunite. In a bitter statement written shortly before his death, Guru took some final shots at his longtime collaborator, instead singing the praises of his post-Gang Starr producer, Solar, with whom Guru worked on a poorly received final Jazzmatazz album:
I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope.
It's a chilling statement, offensive in the way it denies DJ Premier's indisputable role in shaping Gang Starr's sound. Bloggers have widely speculated that it was written by Solar, and it's tough to deny them that conspiracy theory. Gang Starr fans longed for a final collaboration between the duo, or barring that, at least a reconciliation. The thought that one of hip-hop's greatest combos could have ended on such bitter terms makes Guru's premature death especially tragic.
