by John Atchison

Created on: April 20, 2010

April 19, 2010 became a sad day for those that appreciate the best of the Hip-Hop world and Culture.  Hip-Hop legend and former Gang Starr rapper Guru succumbed to his battle with cancer.   He battled the disease for over a year but in the end it was too much for him to overcome and he past at the age of 43.  The details of the cancer were not known, though many fans did not even know he was stricken with the deadly disease.  He wanted to keep it under wraps until he beat it but sadly was not able to.

Guru, whose given name was Keith Elam, went through a very trying past year, with not only having to battle cancer, but on March 2 of this year had a heart attack and dropped into a coma.  He would eventually fight his way back out of the coma.  On the cancer front, he tried numerous special treatments including very strong chemo, but nothing was able to hold off this insidious disease.

Word of his death was announced on the DJ Premier Blog, which is a site founded by Guru's partner in Gang Star, DJ Premier.  Elam was born on July 17, 1966 in Massachusetts and became instrumental to the hip-hop underground scene during the late 1980s. His music had a special blend to it, mixing hard-hitting rhymes with upbeat and witty words that got the hip-hop movement really going.

His partnership with DJ Premier was very successful and spawned six albums. Among the best of these six collaborations was the 1998 album Moment of Truth that won critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Gang Starr would split up shortly after 2003 when Guru decided to give solo work a go and he did quite a job there too. Guru explored new avenues as a solo artist and is given credit for coming up with the concept of fusing jazz and hip-hip recordings called Jazzmatazz.  This led to some very successful collaboration with such huge names in the industry like Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, and Erykah Badu.  His friend and co-producer MC Solar was also instrumental in helping him at this time.

In his final days, the hip-hop legend wrote a letter that was posted on the DH Premier Blog as well and it listed below:

"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."

Those words truly tell the story of a man that made the most of the time that he had on the planet.  He took what the world gave him and made the very best out of it, and along the way also set in motion the foundation for helping others, especially the abused and disadvantaged children mentioned above.  Due to this man, some kids who may have floundered and died on the streets will make a better life for themselves.  Could there be any greater testament to a man that that?

Guru quote courtesy of http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-1004 20-guru-gang-starr-dead,0,5699575.story

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