As stated in the first "Respect Due" post, every month we are going to pay homage to those that paved the way for us as the hip hop community. It is supposed to the giving respect to those that are still alive and showing them that we appreciate all that they did before it's too late, but in this case, we have to change it up this time. I started this because of the scare we had a couple of months ago with Guru from Gang Starr, trying to use that to tell people to wake up and realize that life is too short. Unfortunately, it has come to pass that, yesterday, Guru fell to cancer, and so, although it is (in a way) "too late," I feel it is still important to give him his respect due, since this was all started because of his situation. With that, here is a brief history of Guru and Gang Starr.

Gang Starr was made up of Guru (the MC) and DJ Premier. Guru was an extraordinary lyricists whom coupled his flows with DJ Premier's unique style of sampling and looping lines from songs, using them as hooks. They came onto the scene in 1989 with No More Mr. Nice Guy with critical acclaim, and dropped five more albums under the name, all of which were highly praised by critics and fans alike. Although they split in 2003 after releasing their final album under the name Gang Starr, they both continued to be pioneers in the industry. As a solo artist, Guru began to blend jazz with hip hop in his Jazzmatazz series while DJ Premier went on to produce tracks for everybody from Nas, to Mos Def, and too many others to name. Although neither one from New York (Premier from Texas and Guru from Massachusetts), they are both considered leaders in defining the New York sound for hip hop.Both have been huge influences on many artists in the industry and their impact can still be seen today. Although they may not have ended on a good note, Gang Starr will forever live in the hearts of hip hop fans. So to them, we tip our hats and say...respect due.

We of course want to send our thoughts and prayers out to Guru's family members and friends. It seems that he influenced the lives of many directly and of countless hip hop fans through his music. Personally, I was just really becoming familiar with Gang Starr's music (I always knew who the members were, just not their body of work) within the past year or so, but it is evident the first time you listen to Guru that he is a true master of his craft and his music is something can never be taken away, although his physical being may no longer be with us. I hope that his death helps people to realize what this portion ("Respect Due") of the blog is about and realizing that we really have to cherish the people we have in our lives and, when it comes to music, the artists that give so much of themselves in their music. Too often we take them for granted, so hopefully we take something from this unfortunate situation. Let's love one another, enjoy what and who we have, and live life to the fullest.


What do you guys think about Guru and/or Gang Starr? How did they affect you in any way? What's your favorite Gang Starr/Guru record? Let your voice be heard. Below is a video to keep the memory alive. Enjoy.

Peace.