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| [[Image:Guru.jpg|thumb|200px|The Guru]] | | [[Image:Guru.jpg|thumb|200px|The Guru]] |
| '''Keith Elam''', (born July 17, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts), better known as '''Guru''' (and occasionally '''Baldhead Slick'''), is an American rapper, and the lyrical half of Gang Starr, together with DJ Premier. With his ''Jazzmatazz'' album series, he is also considered to be one of the pioneers of hiphop/jazz crossover. The name Guru is a backronym and stands for "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal" and the less often used "God is Universal, He is the Ruler Universal". | | '''Keith Elam''', (born July 17, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts), better known as '''Guru''' (and occasionally '''Baldhead Slick'''), is an American rapper who voiced [[8-Ball]] in [[Grand Theft Auto III]] and [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]. |
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| == Background ==
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| Being with Gang Starr since 1987, even before DJ Premier joined the group, Guru has built up a sizable following in the early 90s, releasing the classic albums, ''Step in the Arena'' (1991) and ''Daily Operation'' (1992). Guru's style is based on battle rhymes delivered smoothly, modestly, and with sly wit; he typically avoids using overwhelming charisma, focusing instead on his rhyme skills. His formidable skills on the mic earned him legions of admirers, and he even took on some younger rappers, including Jeru the Damaja, as proteges. He is credited with DJ Premier for executive producing Jeru's debut, ''The Sun Rises in the East'' (1994).
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| In 1993, he released his first solo album, ''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1''. The album featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, MC Solaar and Roy Ayers, while his second LP, ''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality'', featured Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai. Though the ''Jazzmatazz'' albums were commonly considered some of the best rap in the early 90s, Guru's reputation suffered slightly with the mixed reviews of ''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul'' (2000) and ''Baldhead Slick & Da Click'' (2001).
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| However, recent Gang Starr albums have continued to garner Guru critical acclaim. Prominent Boston underground rapper Mr. Lif frequently cites Guru as a major stylistic influence; he appears as a guest with Lif on the Perceptionists' debut album, ''Black Dialogue'' (2005).
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| Besides Gang Starr and his ''Jazzmatazz'' and solo albums, Guru has collaborated with countless artists since the early 90s. Not only in hiphop, but also with artists from various genres such as pop, electronica/dance, acid jazz and even brass bands.
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| His "first proper solo album", in his own words, was ''Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures'' (2005), released with the help of producer and new live backup MC Solar (who is not to be confused with MC Solaar from France). The album was a failure with both fans and critics, but it has still managed to sell well for an independent release.
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| == Producing and acting ==
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| Not really unusual for a rapper, Guru also feels home behind the mixing board. He has co-produced all Gang Starr tracks since 1989, and produced (or co-produced) much of his solo and Jazzmatazz work.
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| Guru has also acted in several b-movie productions throughout the 90s and 00s.
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| ==Label ownership and current projects ==
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| Besides his Jazzmatazz projects, Guru also started a record label called "Ill Kid Records" in the mid 90s. With some help from DJ Premier, several 12" vinyl singles and the album ''Guru presents Ill Kid Records'' were released. Most of the material was by artists loosely connected to either Guru, DJ Premier or the Gang Starr Foundation. However, as of 2005 the label seems to be history. Guru founded "7 Grand" with the afromentioned MC/producer Solar, on which his recent solo singles and albums have been released.
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| Guru's next project is a fourth installment in the ''Jazzmatazz'' series, a 2 CD release planned for April 2007. As announced in several interviews and on his blog, it will be entirely produced by himself and Solar, and will feature many artists from the US and UK. In 2007, Guru will also appear on producer Domingo's debut album ''The Most Underrated'' and on the ''Official Joints'' compilation, a collection of previously unreleased songs by NYC rappers.
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| Gang Starr's current status and future are unknown.
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| :''More on this topic is to be found in the main article for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_Starr Gang Starr].''
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| ==Discography==
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| :''For a full Guru discography, see [[#External links|external links]].''
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| :''Gang Starr albums are listed in the group's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_Starr here].''
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| ===Jazzmatazz Albums===
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| !align="left" width="650"|Album information
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| |-
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| |align="left"|'''''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1'''''
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| *Released: May 18, 1993
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: #94
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #15
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| *Singles: "Trust Me", "Loungin'", "No Time To Play" & "Le Bien, Le Mal"
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| |-
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| |align="left"|'''''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality'''''
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| *Released: July 18, 1995
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: #71
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #16
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| *Singles: "Watch What You Say" & "Livin' In This World"
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| |-
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| |align="left"|'''''Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul'''''
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| *Released: September 26, 2000
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: #32
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #8
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| *UK chart position: #74
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| *Singles: "Keep Your Worries", "Lift Your Fist", "Certified" & "Supa Love"
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| |}
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| ===Label Compilation (Various Artists)===
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| !align="left" width="650"|Album information
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| |align="left"|'''''Guru Presents Ill Kid Records'''''
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| *Released: 1995
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: -
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
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| *Singles: -
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| |}
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| ===Baldhead Slick Album===
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| !align="left" width="650"|Album information
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| |align="left"|'''''Baldhead Slick & Da Click'''''
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| *Released: September 25, 2001
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: #122
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #22
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| *Singles: "Where's Our Money?!/In Here" & "Cry/Pimp Shit"
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| |}
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| ===Solo Album===
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| !align="left" width="650"|Album information
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| |align="left"|'''''Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures'''''
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| *Released: May 10, 2005
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| *Billboard 200 chart position: -
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| *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #54
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| *Singles: "Cave In", "Step In The Arena 2" & "Hood Dreamin"
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| |}
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| == Filmography ==
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| *''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'' 2005 as ''[[8-Ball]]''
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| *''Kung Faux'' 2003 as ''Voice Over/Various''
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| *''Urban Massacre'' 2002 as ''Cereal Killah''
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| *''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' 2001 as ''[[8-Ball]]''
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| *''3 A.M.'' 2001 as ''Hook-Off''
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| *''Train Ride'' 2000 as ''Jay''
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| *''The Substitute 2: School's Out'' 1998 as ''Little B.''
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| *''Who's the Man?'' 1993 as ''Martin Lorenzo''
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| ==External links== | | ==External links== |
| *[http://www.gurugangstarr.com/ gurugangstarr.com] official website | | *[http://www.gurugangstarr.com/ gurugangstarr.com] official website |
| *[http://www.myspace.com/guru7grand The Guru's MySpace Account] | | *[http://www.myspace.com/guru7grand The Guru's MySpace Account] |
| *[http://www.guru7grand.com/ guru7grand.com] 7 Grand Records website
| | *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857260/ The Guru IMDB Entry] |
| *[http://not-in-our.name/redir/gangstarr/ Gang Starr Trackology] fan site, includes extensive Guru discography
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| * [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857260/ The Guru IMDB Entry] | |
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| [[Category:Voice Actors|Guru, The]] | | [[Category:Voice Actors|Guru, The]] |
