This is not a Throwback. It just happens to be Thursday. And my heart is heavy with the loss of yet another legend. Keith "GURU" Elam is gone from this earth. From Hip-Hop. From us. When I heard the news, I just sat back in my chair and read the words repeatedly, trying to ingest and process what I was seeing. I knew he was not well. When I first wrote about his coma scare a month ago, I was hedging my bets and hoping for the best in terms of his recovery. To hear that he passed away as a result of cancer hit home for me. Read: Not close to home. It hit home. Having lost my own mother to the same affliction, I can tell you that no amount of knowing can emotionally prep you for the loss; no matter how eventual you make it out to be in your head.
I grew up with Guru. Granted, I might not have literally come up with him, but I listened to enough Gang Starr coming up to be sincerely shocked and saddened by his death. 1989. Manifest. 1991. Check the Technique. These songs reached me in a way that most didn't. You see, I grew up in a household that emanated jazz from the floorboards and walls. What I heard from them was pure music that just happened to be Hip-Hop. The combination of Guru's lyrical talent and DJ Premier's signature beats was like nothing that ever came before it. And on the real, there's been nothing like it ever since. Think about it. You know a Primo track when you hear one- but none of them sound similar. No small feat. As far as Guru, you'd be hard pressed to find an emcee with such a monotone voice that kept you riveted on his rhymes- and he did it for the most part using little profanity, if any. How many rappers can you say that about? His vocabulary, eloquence and capacity for knowledge could damn near fill the Grand Canyon.
When I was in Chicago a while back, I caught Monie Love's backspin show on Sirius Satellite. She spoke about his illness and kept it a hundred about not knowing all the details but wished him the best. She said she spoke to Premier about his being kept in the dark about Guru and his health. And this is why I love Monie. She asked the burning question that I feel most true heads were asking. Who the hell is Solar and what gives him the right to stage his own lock-out from Guru? When I read the alleged final letter that was penned, singling out Premier to not do any tributes- it just didn't sit well with me. I don't care how much dude defends it. Who knows? Only Primo and Guru really know what caused their fallout and perhaps Solar is just an innocent party trying to do right by a dearly departed friend. But at the end of the day, I'm looking at this new jack like ' Who the eff is you?' To keep family and friends at bay hardly seems like a noble act to me. But that's just my opinion. I know this much- and Mr. Cee echoed my sentiments surrounding this on his show this past Tuesday: Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot love someone and mourn for them how you see fit. It is your birthright to feel a loss and express that in a manner which is conducive to healing.
Love and respect to Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. You still shine. Bright. One Love.
Now, Who's Gonna Take the Weight?
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Well written... I love it, and I am suspecting that Solar wrote that letter himself, to profit off his departed friend. Additionally, I think it may have been more to his health concerns than cancer... As they say, what is done in the dark will eventually come to light.
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