Guru, 1966-2010

Guru, the pioneering MC who performed with DJ Premier in Gang Starr and was instrumental in forging a hip-hop/jazz bond with his “Jazzmatazz” series of albums, died yesterday after an extended battle with cancer. He was 43.

Gang Starr were essentially underground heroes, not really in step with the movement of hip-hop in the early ’90s. When gangsta was exploding on the West Coast at that time, Gang Starr was more interested in a kind of documentarian/social commentary approach, with Guru (Keith Elam) delivering in a low-key approach notably free of drama. This approach is found at its best on two back-to-back classics, 1991′s “Step in the Arena” and the following year’s “Daily Operation.” In 1993, Guru released his first “Jazzmatazz” volume, featuring such luminaries as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis and Brand New Heavies singer N’Dea Davenport.