"The Elam family wishes to thank the fans of our son/brother/father uncle/nephew/cousin Keith aka GURU for the outpouring of love, concern and support.
Our hearts are broken by the loss of someone we loved so much. GURU was devoted to his young son, who will most keenly feel his absence.
GURU suffered from multiple myeloma for over a year. Accrued complications from this illness led to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. As a result, GURU was in a coma from mid February until his death and never regained consciousness. Early on the morning of April 19th, he became hypertensive due to low blood pressure. He again went into cardiac arrest and slipped away from us.
GURU died far too young but he was, and we are, proud of all his many legendary musical contributions.
The family is not aware of any foundations established by GURU. We know and understand that countless fans want to express their condolences and love and, to that end, we are planning a memorial event in the near future that will be all-inclusive. Please look for further details from the family as they become available.
from The Elam Family"
Just like everyone suspected when "Guru's" letter was released. Solar is shady as fuck.
More after the jump.
Perhaps the saddest part of all of this is the shadiness of Guru's "manager" that has come to light. Check out this letter that "Guru" wrote.
"I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.
I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.
My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody's feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.
I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life."
For real? You think Guru was on his deathbed and was still concerned with taking pot shots at Preemo? This Solar dude does not have the support of the hip hop community, he doesn't even have love from Guru's family. Here is a statement from Guru's nephew after the heart attack.
"the rapper's nephew, Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff, posted a YouTube video detailing some behind-the-scenes drama between Guru's family and producer Solar. According to Ruff, Solar allegedly has blocked Guru's family, including his mother, from seeing him in the hospital or provide an update on the 42-year-old rapper's health. "My family has no way of knowing what is going on with Guru's situation," he said. "Solar has complete control over the flow of information given from the hospital, and will not disclose any information with us. The doctors and staff won't discuss any information with Guru's family."
Check this tweet from Questlove about the letter.
"exhibit N: as in NOT. NO. and N#$%^PLEASE!
this is the legacy you think hip hop historians will just gravitate to?
http://bit.ly/bQV8Ke
i mean the personal situation and what guru has been through is something that i just wont know, nor do i care to find out. i will say that my ears aren't lying to me and ALOT of his post gangstarr material was subpar at best. his best work is a combo of synergy--great loops, hard drums, contrasting with that velvet monotone voice.
gangstarr was cream of wheat with salt AND brown sugar.
gangstarr was a strong shot (primo) and a chaser (guru)
gangstarr was moms tomato sauce and sugar.
one of the great clashing examples of great hip hop: hard drums/smooth loops/hard words/smooth delivery.
i cannot say the same for the 7 Grand Stuff.
humorous at best."
The best place to go to hear the real deal on Solar was Freddie Foxxx's twitter page. He was getting super heated when Guru had the heart attack. I trust the words of Bumpy over Solar any day.
"Its An Insult that Websites Would Post A Letter From A man who Has Been In A Coma since Feb. R U Serious? Do ur Homework, Journalist! Please"
"With All That Guru Was Dealing With, The Main Premise Of His Letter Is To Respect Solars Wishes? FOH!! #gurudidnotwritethatletter
More Solar hate here and here.
As far as I can tell the dude was shady as hell. But that's enough of that. Let's just respect the work that Guru did, celebrate the legacy he created with GANGSTARR and bump it to the fullest. I used to get down to "Militia," "Royalty" although I felt a little strange since it was about being an African American woman, and "Above The Clouds." They had so many top notch songs though. You already start out ahead of the game with a Preemo beat and Guru was one smooth dude on the m-i-c. He will be missed but his contributions to hip hop will not be forgotten. What was your favorite Gangstarr track?
Gangstarr feat. Big L- Work Pt. 2
No comments:
Post a Comment