Graphictags

Biography

Early years

Keith 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. Elam graduated in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and took graduate classes in the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. He later dropped out to pursue a rap career. Elam worked briefly as a social worker.

Musical career

Keith Elam began his rap 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 on the Wild Pitch Records record label but these received little attention. After a change in line-up, the group now consisted of rapper Elam and DJ Premier; they 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 rap" with Guru's rapping described as sharp eyed but anti-ostentatious.

In 1993, Elam released the first in a series of four solo albums while still a member of Gang Starr. Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, and Roy Ayers and received positive reviews. His second solo LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Chaka Khan, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai. The third installment was released in 2000, but received less positive reviews.

Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005) was produced entirely by Solar. The album reached #54 on the Billboard R&B albums charts and received mixed reviews.

Elam's final project was the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, produced entirely by Solar, released in early June 2007, and Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, released May 19, 2009 (also in collaboration with Solar). A Gang Starr reunion album was planned but will never be released due to Guru's death.

Death

On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his coma but died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48, from cancer. Elam was survived by his parents, three siblings and a son, Keith Casim. Solar claimed that Guru had awakened from his coma though DJ Premier and members of the rapper's family stated that he never regained consciousness from his coma. Guru's family claimed that Solar prevented them from contact with Guru during the latter's final illness. The validity of the death-bed letter has been challenged by Guru's family.

DJ Premier produced a tribute mix to Guru and has released a public letter along with Guru's sister Patricia. Harry J. Elam, Guru's older brother, wrote a personal memoir in remembrance of his brother, Keith “Guru” Elam, published in the Boston Globe on April 23, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_(rapper))