Keith Edward Elam (aka Guru) was one of the most influential voices in hip-hop for the majority of the 90’s, and contributed to countless classics along the way. His reign with DJ Premier as the duo Gang Starr was uncanny, and his solo contributions through the various Jazzmatazz volumes offered a distinct sound that was groundbreaking for its time. His musical relationship with Premier aka Primo brought the best out of both artists, in the same vein as Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, or Donald Byrd and The Mizell Brothers.

On April 19th 2010, Elam passed away due to complications from a cardiac arrest. When the news spread, I immediately felt like I had to do something to pay respect. His influence on me at a young age is one of the reasons I love this music so much, and I wouldn’t be the same person without having Gang Starr in my life at an early age. Since I first heard Gang Starr on bootleg tapes, it was only right to bring everything back full circle. With that said, I hooked up the dual tape-dubber, grabbed every GURU-related piece of vinyl I could muster up, and hit record. Originally, 30 copies were made on tape, but as those have since vanished, I decided to digitize this mix and share it with everyone that missed out the first time. Attached are both sides of the 80 minute tape, with a healthy blend of Guru classics, 12″ remixes, and original samples.

-JERRY NICE