Make a wish, say a prayer, hope for the best....whatever it is you do

www.prefixmag.com

very sad, best wishes to him and his fam

Man I hope everything goes well for him. I grew up listening to him and he is one of my favorite

Never was a fan.. always thought of dude to be crazy overrated by the underground masses and just had phenomenal beats... but i wish this on no one... hope he pulls through

Gang Starr was legendary whether his rhyming skillz werent always up to par. Dude wrote alot of crazy rhymes tho. I wish him the very best and hope he pulls thru this.

from GangStarr Foundation
date Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 9:07 AM
subject Press Release From Solar On Guru Of GangStarr

Press Release From Solar

Guru is struggling with a serious health issue,and We appreciate all your love and well wishes. We continue to hold out hope that Guru will make a full recovery from this,and ask that his privacy on this matter be respected. Again Thank you for all your support through this trying time.

www.twitter.com

Guru
www.myspace.com
www.twitter.com
www.youtube.com
www.myspace.com

Send All Questions To:
guru.promo@gmail.com

Damn man! Gangstarr in my top 5 favorite groups. I hope he pulls through his surgery.

Do you really think those links (Myspace, twitter, etc) are owned by actual artists?
I added Mike Tyson and it turned out to be some fat black guy in Florida.

if not owned by the artist, more than likely its their management or record label. That was a direct email from his producer, so I would assume they are official.

"Big Guru rest in peace" Oh wait, wrong lyrics.

i played mass appeal last night.

Man Im in shock!!! Guru is considered a legend in my house, Gang Starr R the shit. I grew up listening to Guru, I hope he pulls thru, best wishes for a legend

HE WILL RECOVER!!
www.allhiphop.com

Great news! It would've been a huge loss to the REAL HIP HOP community.

Misqouting Full Clip.

Isn't Mike a "fat black guy" now since he's not boxing anymore?

Maybe it really is him.

lol

Oh, and glad hear Guru is recovering.

apparently not so good for Chilly B of Newcleus.

www.jamonproductions.com

hmmm tuche...

can someone confirm this is not real
www.allhiphop.com

i got ppl on facebook saying all kinds of ish...

RIP

Guru Dies After Long Battle With Cancer: Report

www.ballerstatus.com

After a nearly two-month hospitalization, legendary rapper Guru (best known as the frontman for Gangstarr) died Monday morning (April 19), after a long battle with cancer, reports DJPremierBlog.com.

He was just 43 years old.

Solar, Guru's business partner and sidekick in recent years, told the Yo!Raps (who's PR company had been coordinating press for Guru since his hospitalization) that the 43-year-old rapper had been suffering from a "malicious illness for over a year and after numerous special treatments under the supervision of medical specialists failed".

He had tried to keep the cancer diagnosis private, but in early March, news leaked that Guru had been admitted to the hospital, suffered a heart attack, and was recovering from a mystery illness. Previous reports said he suffered from Anoxia, effects from a lengthy history of asthma and lung problems, but these new findings reveal a much worst condition.

"The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time -- my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru," Solar said in a statement. "Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle! This is a matter that Guru wanted private until he could beat it, but tragically, this did not happen. The cancer took him. Now the world has lost a great man and a true genius.

"For the fans that reached out with love and support, I can't tell you how much that meant to Guru and myself. Guru prepared this letter (read below) while he was in the hospital for the fans," the producer continued. "I hope now that Guru has moved on to a better place."

According to Yo! Raps, Guru penned this letter to fans, explaining his illness while in the hospital with terminal cancer. Read it below in its entirety:

Guru (real name: Keith Elam) rose to fame in the 80s as the frontman to the legendary rap duo, Gangstarr, also consisting of DJ Premier. The group released the classic single, "Words I Manifest," which was followed by their critically acclaimed debut, No More Mr. Nice Guy, in 1989. The group went on to release six official albums through 2003, before they split and went their separate ways.

Guru went on to found 7 Grand Records, partnering with producer Solar, and embarked on a solo career.

Since falling ill, there's been a lot of controversy over news of his hospitalization. Family members of Guru publicly claimed that Solar had taken over control of the rapper's decision making and had even barred them from visiting. The only official statements being released from the veteran rapper were relayed through his longtime partner Solar, which raised eyebrows from former Guru collaborators and friends. Solar, however, publicly denied claims of any malicious intentions and was only following the rapper's instructions.

Unfortunately, Guru never got well enough to clear things up himself.

On Monday (April 19) when Guru passed away, so did a piece of hip-hop. He'll forever go down in history as one of the best MCs to ever do it. Rest in peace GURU!

supposedly written by GURU, although Solar doesn't sound too straight up about anything...

“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. "

R.I.P Guru... much respect

That's pretty cold hearted when your final words are a jab at your former buisness partner (and best friend). Sounds like The Man talking...

Big Guru Rest In Peace...

Guru 24 hours a day on the radio.....

www.undergroundhiphop.com

RIP Keith Elam aka Guru.

That whole Solar situation is going to get very ugly. We are no fools, we know who wrote that letter.

that does sound like someone else wrote it.....1st off who speaks in past tense on death...it kinda reads like "I ,guru not solar def guru, died yesterday and i would just like to tell my fans"ect ect


WOW and the entire second part of the letter is kising solars ass...lol...WOW...ya it does sound fishy, what kinda dud writes a goodby letter and ups his boy in an entire paragraph then kinda mentuions..oh ya i got a son too i forget his name at the momented, but any awards or money im owed should be accepted by SOLAR and whatshisname...but mostly solar....as far as the money goes at least

Damn man! It's crazy how somebody's music can make you connect with them so much that when stuff like this happens it actually fucks up your day and your truly sad. Guru flowin over Premo's beats. I loved that shit. Still get goosebumps when I hear the beginning of some of Gangstarr's songs. R.I.P

Is there a reason I never heard of Solar until this went down?

+1...i see guru has a wii page and so does premier.........nothing on solar

Yeah, not to take anything away from anyone else we've recently lost.
but personally I felt this one the hardest.
I started spinnin in the early 90s and always loved GangStarr/Guru...

so, 20 years I, like many, had some form of Guru in our life on a weekly, if not
daily basis...so its kinda like losing a friend you never met.


on the video side...I knocked this out for my RIP set on Friday/Sat
vimeo.com view

I just wish they made an offical vid for Check the Technique.

+1 I grew up on Gangstarr. A pretty sad day in Hip Hop, we've lost another great MC IMO.

Anybody happen to know why him and Premo stopped talkin like 7 years ago??

+ 1

Also

fuck solar, light stealing mutherfucker!!!! How the fuck you gonna take the death of a supposed friend & turn that into an advertisement for your career. Thats 100% vintage bitch!!!

RIP Guru. Like many have said above. Gangstarr have been on my walkmans, minidiscs and ipods for pretty much most of my music appreciating life. So sad to see a true legend pass and even sadder to see that certain poisonous snakes have done their utmost to drag down a legend and destroy families and friendships.

Premier's response...

IT WAS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO GET CONFIRMATION ON THE DEATH OF A MAN WHO I WILL CONTINUE TO CALL MY BROTHER, KEITH ELAM, BETTER KNOWN AS GURU OF THE LEGENDARY GANG STARR.

FROM 1988-2004, WE EXPERIENCED SO MUCH SUCCESS TOGETHER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR BUSINESSES INDEPENDENTLY AND GIVE EACH OTHER WHAT GURU CALLED “CREATIVE SPACE”, BEFORE PLANNING TO REUNITE FOR OUR 7TH LP WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT. TRAGICALLY, WE WILL NEVER REACH THAT DAY.

I’VE BEEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LETTER SPEAKING ILL OF ME WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN BY GURU IN HIS DYING DAYS. ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, WE BUILT A HIP HOP LEGACY TOGETHER, AND NO ONE CAN RE-WRITE HISTORY OR TAKE AWAY MY LOVE FOR HIM. ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS PLAY AROUND WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LIFE.

I WILL CELEBRATE GURU’S LIFE… I WILL HONOR HIS MEMORY… I WILL GRIEVE WITH THE ELAM FAMILY OVER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH… I WILL REMEMBER THE GANG STARR FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF GANG STARR WHO CAME BEFORE ME – WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER… MOSTLY, I WILL CHERISH EVERYTHING WE CREATED TOGETHER AS GANG STARR, FOREVER. I’M GONNA MISS HEARING HIS SIGNATURE MONOTONE VOICE WHEN HE WALKS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE SONGS WILL ALWAYS BRING IT BACK TO ME….HIS RHYME FLOWS WERE INSANE, AND I WILL NEVER REMOVE HIM FROM MY HEART AND SOUL…….REST IN PEACE TO THE MAN WHO FELT “SATISFACTION FROM THE STREET CROWD REACTION” … I LOVE YOU GOO…….DJ PREMIER

Premier is a class act. That is well written. Guru R.I.P.

Excellent.... that was A+ (no rapper)

clap.......clap......CLAP...CLAP...CLAP..CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP

I jus can't understand why Guru totaly dissed Premo though. Its obvious they had some sort of falling out. Without Premos beats he might not have been as hot.

he didn't... his family released a statement saying that he didn't wake from his coma after going into hospital in February... so it just sounds like Solar setting himself up for a beating... check Bumby Knukles twitter... Solar's going to have a hard time over it all i reckon!

LMFAO

I can honestly say I've made my peace with Guru's passing. Last night I was able to do a 2 hour tribute show to Guru on UCLA radio. Had an awesome time. Remembered the good times. Talked about it. All is good now.

Check out what his brother just wrote about his passing-
www.boston.com

well said.

Thats some good closure right there. Im throwin together a Gang Starr mix right now.