Before this week if someone asked me who my favorite rapper was I would never have said, "GURU". Now if someone asked me to name one of my favorite groups, "Gang Starr" would definitely be name - checked. But for some reason when the news hit that Keith Elam, AKA Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal had died, I all of a sudden thought of him as one of my favorite MC's. And with further news coming that he was suspected to be in a love affair with another man I was really confused. I had to ask myself some questions:
Should I no longer like this guy because he may have been a homosexual?
Should his lyrics make me feel any different because he may have lived an "alternative lifestyle"? What would that say about me? As I came to grips with the reality of Guru's death and speculation concerning his personal life I pumped Gang Starr in my car and reminisced about the times when I first heard his lyrics.
The time when I had first heard Manifest on MTV Raps.
The time when my white friend, Jesse Sandler - who at the time was way more Hip Hop than I was - played "Soliloquy Of Chaos" for me on his Walkman (That's right I said Walkman).
The time when my college buddies, Leo Vasquez and Dus Brown broke down the intricacies of Preemos beats and Guru's lyrics. The time when I bought Moment of Truth and I was feenin' to hear Above The Clouds.
I say all that to say that his music was, is and will always be great. He was awesome and he will be missed. A little bit of Hip - Hop died on April 19th. Peace!
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