DJ Premier has wished his Gang Starr partner Guru a happy birthday.
Pemier says today (July 17) would have been Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Univeral’s 53rd birthday.
“THE NAME SAYS IT ALL !!! HAPPY 53rd BIRTHDAY,” Premier says.
In April 2010, DJ Premier spoke about his bond for Guru in the wake of the rapper’s passing.
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
Today, he celebrated Guru’s life with the following Instagram post:
RELATED: DJ Premier Names His Top 50 Favorite Songs Featuring Guru
RIP Guru. Hip Hop legend
gifted unlimited rhymes universal
happy birthday guru rest in peace my nigga one of the illist dopest mcs to ever bless a mic and a icon you was a creative musical genius one of the first rap cats to blend hip hop and jazz was some creative genius shit word up
That means he was 38 when they dropped “Moment of Truth”.
rip guru
Say it then and i will say it now Guru was one of the best Mc to ever touch the Mic Period Rest in Peace Guru
Saw Premo perform last night in Seoul. He honored Big L and Guru with an epic audience collaboration chant. Such a professional and all around sick individual.
GOTTA GIVE IT UP FOR GURU, ONE OF THE BEST TO TOUCH THE MIC
They say it’s lonely at the top and whatever you do
You always gotta watch motherfuckers around you
Nobody’s invincible, no plan is foolproof
We all must meet our moment of truth
[Verse 1: Guru]
The same sheisty cats that you hang with, and do your thang with
Could set you up and wet you up, nigga peep the language
It’s universal, you play with fire it may hurt you
Or burn you, lessons are blessings you should learn through
Let’s face facts, although mc’s lace tracks
It doesn’t mean behind the scenes there ain’t no dirt to trace back
That goes for all of us, there ain’t nobody to trust
It’s like sabotage, it’s got me ready to bust
But I can’t jeopardize, what I have done up to this point
So I’mma get more guys, to help me run the whole joint
Cultivate, multiply, motivate, or else we’ll die
You know I be the master of the who, what, where and why
See when you’re shining, some chumps’ll wanna dull ya
Always selfish jealous punks, will wanna pull ya
Down, just like some shellfish in a bucket
Cause they love it, to see your ass squirm like a worm
But just as you’ll receive what is coming to you
Everybody else is gonna get theirs too
I ain’t no saint, therefore I cannot dispute
That everyone must meet their moment of truth
[Hook]
Actions have reactions, don’t be quick to judge
You may not know the hardships people don’t speak of
It’s best to step back, and observe with couth
For we all must meet our moment of truth
[Verse 2]
Sometimes you gotta dig deep, when problems come near
Don’t fear things get severe for everybody everywhere
Why do bad things happen, to good people?
Seems that life is just a constant war between good and evil
The situation that I’m facin, is mad amazin
To think such problems can arise from minor confrontations
Now I’m contemplatin in my bedroom pacin
Dark clouds over my head, my heart’s racin
Suicide? nah, I’m not a foolish guy
Don’t even feel like drinking, or even gettin high
Cause all that’s gonna do really, is accelerate
The anxieties that I wish I could alleviate
But wait, I’ve been through a whole lot of other shit, before
So I oughta be able, to withstand some more
But I’m sweating though, my eyes are turning red and yo
I’m ready to lose my mind but instead I use my mind
I put down the knife, and take the bullets out my nine
My only crime, was that I’m too damn kind
And now some scandalous motherfuckers wanna take what’s mine
But they can’t take the respect, that I’ve earned in my lifetime
And you know they’ll never stop the furious force of my rhymes
So like they say, every dog has its day
And like they say, God works in a mysterious way
So I pray, remembering the days of my youth
As I prepare to meet my moment of truth…
“now some scandalous motherfuckers wanna take what’s mine
But they can’t take the respect, that I’ve earned in my lifetime”
This could easily be applied to Solar.
so many of his lyrics could be applied to super producer Solar.
this one always comes to mind
“Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain’t nobody you can trust
Plus there’s no justice, it’s just us
In fact, watchin’ yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends’ll try to set you up
It’s called betrayal”
Guru – hip hop’s unsung hero, people keep mentioning 2pac, Biggie and Big L but forget about Guru the man’s catologue with Gangstarr was better than all 3 of them.
i agree with you 100%