Guru (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) (born July 17, 1966) is an alternative rapper, best known for his pioneering work in the fusion of jazz and rap, and as one half of Gang Starr.

Guru was born as Keith Elam in 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he briefly attended Noble & Greenough School located in Dedham, MA. He got his start in Gang Starr, with DJ Premier, and built up a sizable following by 1993, when he released his first solo album, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. The album featured collaborations Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, MC Solaar and Roy Ayers, while his second LP, 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 1990s, Guru's reputation suffered slightly with the mixed reviews of Streetsoul (2000) and Baldhead Slick & Da Click (2001).

Discography

• Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (1993)
• The New Reality (1995)
• Streetsoul (2000)
• Baldhead Slick & Da Click (2001)
• The Street Scriptures (2005)

Filmography

• Liberty City Stories 2005 as 8-Ball
• Kung Faux 2003 as Voice Over/Various
• Urban Massacre 2002 as Cereal Killah
• Grand Theft Auto III 2001 as 8-Ball
• 3 A.M. 2001 as Hook-Off
• Train Ride 2000 as Jay
• School's Out 1998 as Little B.
• Who's the Man? 1993 as Martin Lorenzo

External links

• Official website
• Gang Starr Trackology fan site, includes extensive Guru discography
• Interview With Guru Courtesy of HoodStars.net

1967 births | Living people | African American musicians | American rappers | Massachusetts musicians | Five Percenters | Grand Theft Auto actors

Guru (Rapper) | Guru (rappeur)