Talk:Guru (rapper)

Untitled
Thank you for correction his Birth Year. 1966. - A Different World, 2:54 PM Sunday, September 3, 2006.

Happy Birthday T.Y.

"woken" mispelled
"On March 3, a press release to AllHipHop.com said that he had woken from his coma"-  But how about "awoken" instead? Cosmickingpin (talk) 03:29, 19 March 2010 (UTC)

Guru as an acronym?
A guru is a spiritual teacher or mentor- where is this guru as an acronym coming from? He doesnt spell the name in capitals, like an acronym would be - is there some documentation for that? Sounds a little speculative or a throwaway, like how every member of Goodie Mob says the name is an acronym but nobody ever says the same thing…

Xodiaq 19:30, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

It most definitely stands for "Gifted unlimited rhymes universal", he's mentioned this multiple times in interviews, songs etc

202.169.193.129 (talk) 07:59, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

In supreme alphabet, it also stands for "God Universal, Ruler Universal", which he mentions in PLAYTAWIN and Robbin Hood Theory, among others. Also I think it's worth putting at least one reference indicating when he mentions that Guru stands for "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal", as in Introduction from Jazzmatazz Vol. 1

Fair use rationale for Image:Front Cover guru.jpg
Image:Front Cover guru.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 08:31, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:GuruJazzmatazz.jpg
Image:GuruJazzmatazz.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 07:28, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:GuruJazzmatazz.jpg
Image:GuruJazzmatazz.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 05:05, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 15:47, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

Date of Birth
Why does Guru keep trying to hide his real year of birth, which is 1961?. According to his latest arrest booking sheet, it is 1961. It seems he wants people to think that he is younger than he actually is. I guess no one wants to hear a 50 year-old rapper any more and he's afraid his career will suffer because of this, which it obviously will. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.204.152.180 (talk) 04:05, 25 July 2008 (UTC) 50 or 15 he speaks the truth!and only 45/50? he should be in the top 5!his rhymes have so much force and guidance His DoB is sourced as 1966. If anyone wants the article to say 1961, find a reliable source first.--Michig (talk) 21:00, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

I will bet that a great deal of entertainers push their age back to keep appealing to a younger audience. Having been on the "scene" for decades, it is easy to imagine Guru being older. BTW, he would only be 49, not 50. 66.194.118.55 (talk) 21:23, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

OFFICIAL DJ Premier Blog : http://www.djpremierblog.com/2010/04/21/july-17-1961-april-19-2010/

July 17 1961 to April 19-2010, making him 48 at time as passing. Premier also confirmed it on his official twitter.

Please edit the main page to confirm the appropriate information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dcfb111 (talk • contribs) 22:28, 22 April 2010 (UTC)

DEATH NOT CONFIRMED
Keith is still here and whoever is putting up a DOD on his wiki is misinformed. Praying for his health and safety.

Gifted. Unlimited. Rhymes. Universal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.80.113.143 (talk) 04:03, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

ONLY SOURCE is by NO WAY official
The source linked to is not in any way official, it's not officially DJ Premier's and much less Guru's. 128.141.143.76 (talk) 10:11, 20 April 2010 (UTC)


 * by now his death has been confirmed from other sources. I'll take the opportunity to point out that a backronym by definition doesn't "stand for" anything. 128.141.24.100 (talk) 09:27, 23 April 2010 (UTC)

Guru's nephew speaks out
In a video posted on youtube, Guru's nephew talks about how Solar, Guru's long time producer, has been his health care agent and is therefore entrusted with all the decision making power concerning Guru's health. Apparently Guru suffered from an illness early February and his family members were not informed until weeks after. The conflict between Guru's family and his producer Solar is an issue that should be discussed here.

http://djpremierblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/gurus-nephew-on-gurus-condition-real.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.80.113.143 (talk) 22:23, 4 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Maybe mention in text who Solar is? --71.203.125.108 (talk) 11:22, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

TOP 5-10 NOT 50
Can people who have no knowledge about hip hop stop making wikipages. The following excerpt In 2007 Guru was ranked at 45 for the Top 50 MCs of our time: 1987-2007 is ridiculous, if you look at the list, beanie sigel, queen latifa, canibus, AZ, etc all rank above Guru. Come on this is ridiculous, Guru is KNOWN TO BE TOP 5 IN HIP HOP HISTORY. I mean all the rappers listed before Guru grew up listening to Gangstarr! Guru is on top of the list alongside other legends like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, KRS-One, KOOL G RAP, etc. Please remove this claim, its claiming Guru, part of the legendary crew Gangstarr, which includes arguably hip hop's greatest producer of all time (Premier), to be somewhere in the top 50 list. I just thought this was a joke and any hip hop junkie will tell you the same thing. Absolutely ridiculous. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ditc (talk • contribs) 09:12, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

vandalism under appearances section
at the end of the appearances section there is a note of vandalism - the comment about Solar. The page is locked so I cannot edit it. Can someone take that line out? Arvindgrover (talk) 18:43, 20 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Done. — ξ xplicit  18:45, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

cancer
shouldn't cancer be linked? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.230.83.26 (talk) 07:15, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Lilc1982, 21 April 2010
please change his date of birth to july 17 1966 the source is from www.hot97fm.com

Lilc1982 (talk) 14:36, 21 April 2010 (UTC)


 * That site is down. Do you have a reliable source for this? -- &oelig; &trade; 14:57, 21 April 2010 (UTC)
 * New York Times says 1962. I'd say that's much more reliable than www.hot97fm.com -- &oelig; &trade; 15:16, 21 April 2010 (UTC)


 * you'd be surprised. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.230.83.26 (talk) 20:30, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

Someone changed it back to 1966, but kept the source as the NYTimes citation that says 1962. I have changed it back to 1962. Doc StrangeMailbox Logbook 20:47, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

EVERY source I've EVER read (and I'm a long time Gang Starr fan) including EVERY OTHER OBIT lists his date of birth as 1966. The New York Times is not the be-all end-all and it IS possible they made a mistake. As the OVERWHELMING majority of sources list 1966, many of them every bit as reputable as the New York Times, I'm strongly recommending changing it back. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.153.46.146 (talk) 02:24, 22 April 2010 (UTC)

A lot of entertainers lie about their age, it's nothing new. He was DEFINITELY born in 1961. The same year as N'Dea Davenport. Will Smith for instance was born in 1965 and not '68 as he claims. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.25.109.196 (talk) 12:22, 22 April 2010 (UTC)

Place of death?
Why isn't the place of death stated? Karbuncle (talk) 20:29, 21 April 2010 (UTC)
 * The New York Times said that he died in Manhattan. Peace. —MuzikJunky (talk) 06:26, 23 April 2010 (UTC)

User-contributed source vs. fact-checked source
The New York Times cites July 17, 1962, as his date of birth. Web sites such as All Music are user-conrtributed and not reliably fact-checked. The Times has its own fact-checking department and is regarded as one of the most accurate newspapers in the world. Peace. —MuzikJunky (talk) 06:26, 23 April 2010 (UTC)

Age
A copy of his passport is available here http://slumz.boxden.com/f87/real-gang-starr-story-rip-guru-1364028/ he was born in 1961 not 1966 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Somhairleog (talk • contribs) 19:11, 23 April 2010 (UTC)

Multiple Myeloma as cause of death?
I would like to see somebody check the sources on the cause of Guru's death and the type of cancer that killed him. I admit I may have missed it - but I found nothing in the 6 or 7 sources I looked at that Guru died of Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer) - only that he has died after a year long battle with cancer, which wasn't specified as to what type. Multiple Myeloma rarely kills anyone under the age of 60, nor within a year from diagnosis unless at the very end stages, and he truly would have felt bad if he were that far gone. I only bring this up because my husband has this disease, and unless Guru was at Stage 3C (end stage - pretty much the last stage with no hope for remission/cure), MM was unlikely to have killed him in only a year. I am NOT trying to be a witch - but obviously the subject of this particlular cancer is important to me, and I want Wikipedia to be correct. Another thing was his family was admittedly not allowed to be close to him near and at the time of his death according to the listed sources. Can someone please check these facts? At least go read the Wikipedia article on MM and see why I am questioning this. If Guru was diagnosed a year ago, he would very likely have been a candidate for an autologous stem-cell transplant (his own cells separated from his blood, treated with meds and frozen to 100 degrees below celcius - then intense chemo to kill off all his infected bone marrow then the cells given back - allowing him to build a new immune system without the cancer) which is the best treatment at this time. This has given my husband 5 more years, and a second transplant may give him another five...plus there are new medicines. Again, I just want to see Wikipedia correct - and also spread awareness of this relatively rare and (at this time) incurable cancer. Trista (cannot log in at work) 24.176.191.234 (talk) 20:59, 27 April 2010 (UTC)
 * There was no disrespect intended - so please do not accuse me of such - but I have removed multiple myeloma as the type of cancer that caused Guru's death. The listed reference did not say MM caused his death, and all the other sources only say "cancer". Also, as I said above, it was very unlikely someone so young 1) would have this particular type of cancer and 2) that he lived so short a time from diagnosis to death unless he was already at a very late stage when it was found. Trista (cannot log in at work) 24.176.191.234 (talk) 00:41, 30 April 2010 (UTC)

This New York Times article mentions that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma the year before he died, and that he as hospitalized for related respiratory problems As for him being an exceptionally young multiple myeloma patient, Elijah Alexander (39) and Klas Ingesson (46) both died of multiple myeloma at a younger age, so it is by no means impossible. 99.251.227.253 (talk) 01:36, 1 December 2019 (UTC)

High School
I am fairly sure that Guru attended Nobles (Noble and Greenough School) in Dedham, Massachusetts. The school's own page mentions him as an alumnus though i do not have another source. I just very much doubt he went to Cohasset High School.

Age confusion
I'm really confused on what age he had died. The first time I visit this article, it says he was 43. Then the next time I visit it, it says 48. Then I visit it again, and it says 43. Then I visit it right now, and it says 48. How old is he REALLY? Someone fix this problem by at least searching up reliable sources to where the answer might be. Or I'll just do it if no one wants to. --Bobjonespie (talk) 00:16, 2 August 2011 (UTC)

Years active?
As there seems to be a bit of an edit war going on right now concerning 'years active' beginning in 1985 or 1987 ... I don't know which one is correct. The only thing mentioned in the article so far is that he founded Gang Starr in 1987. Likely he did something before that ... but as I said, I don't know. Instead of just editing the date it might be a good idea to clarify this in the article, giving sources, and not just edit the date back and forth. Albrecht Conz (talk) 07:41, 2 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I agree that sources and explanations would be helpful in verifying the information here and elsewhere, but (see edit history) is a peculiar editor. Edits are almost entirely devoted to making changes to dates in various articles without any explanation or sourcing other than "fixed typo". The behaviour has been noted and documented at Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive875. When I see such an edit, my response is generally to revert it as a minor edit with the comment "unsourced, unexplained". Willondon (talk) 11:53, 2 June 2015 (UTC)


 * I'd hate to say it, but when I see a MrMike edit, or, more likely, flurry of edits, my initial reaction is always just to revert it. Dialogue (aside from him hilariously attacking me ad hominem on my Talk Page) with him is impossible, he uses canned auto-filled edit summaries, and he (whether intentionally or not) uses multiple IPs to boot. His MO is very obvious and his subject matter interest is quite limited. That said, 1985 is correct, and not just because MrMike wants it to be 1987. JesseRafe (talk) 14:08, 2 June 2015 (UTC)

Guru discography

 *  Support split - Discography section takes up more than one third of the page, and should be split to a new article entitled Guru discography. --Jax 0677 (talk) 00:58, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

Birth year
There is a huge problem here, because multiple reputable cites all say different things; there's not just a dispute between a and b, but c and d. Can anyone find anything authoritative like a birth or death certificate or statement from family?
 * died at 48, Rolling Stone
 * http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nas-dj-premier-remember-gang-starrs-guru-20100421 "died after a year-long struggle with cancer. He was 48." (no birth year, implied 1961)


 * 1962, died at 48, New York Times
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/arts/music/21guru.html "Guru, Rapper Known for Social Themes, Dies at 48" but also "Born Keith Elam in the Roxbury section of Boston on July 17, 1962" (this would have to make him born in 1961 or 47)


 * 1962, died at 47, LA Times and Encyclopedia Brittanica
 * https://www.britannica.com/biography/Guru-American-rapper "Guru (Keith Elam), (born July 17, 1962, Boston"
 * http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/20/local/la-me-guru21-20100421 "Keith Elam dies at 47; rap singer known as Guru of duo Gang Starr"


 * 1966, died at 43, Guardian and AllMusic
 * https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/21/guru-obituary "Guru (Keith Elam), rapper, born 17 July 1966" "died from cancer, aged 43"
 * http://www.allmusic.com/artist/guru-mn0000648951/biography "Born July 17, 1966 in Boston, MA" "he died on April 19, 2010 at the age of 43."


 * died at 43, CNN, BBC, and NY Daily News
 * http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/20/rapper.guru.dies/index.html "The 43-year-old rapper succumbed to complications from cancer" (no birth year, implied 1966)
 * http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8633175.stm "New York rap star Guru dies at 43" "Guru, who rose to fame with hip-hop outfit GangStarr, has died aged 43 after a long battle with cancer" (no birth year, implied 1966)
 * http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/guru-pioneering-gang-starr-rapper-dead-43-long-battle-cancer-article-1.166001 "Guru, pioneering Gang Starr rapper, dead at 43 after long battle with cancer" (no birth year, implied 1966)


 * died at 42, Washington Post
 * http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/20/AR2010042005074.html "Keith Elam, rapper known as Guru, dies at 42" (no birth year, implied 1967)


 * MTV!! What's wrong here:
 * http://www.mtv.com/news/1637388/gang-starrs-guru-dead-at-48/ "GANG STARR'S GURU DEAD AT 48" "Born on July 17, 1966, near Boston"

I think these are all seemingly pretty authoritative sources, skipping crap like Discogs, Daily Mail, and IMDb, but even things like the New York Times and MTV seem to have their own internal sources confused. Anyone else? Seems like the plurality is 43 and thus we should leave it at 1966? JesseRafe (talk) 14:14, 16 August 2017 (UTC)


 * An issue of VIBE says he finished college in 1983: https://books.google.com/books?id=iCsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=keith+elam+morehouse&source=bl&ots=pBLdNEuMn7&sig=2yAhSaOcHCM544oh1JLi9s4B7u0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjp8M7H4MnaAhXxlOAKHWD9AMwQ6AEIPzAF#v=onepage&q=keith%20elam%20morehouse&f=false but there is still the issue of the plurality of reliable sources disagreeing, plus there is no hard-and-fast rule that dictates what age one graduates college. Assuming he's 21 or 22 or whatever is synthesis, a kind of original research. JesseRafe (talk) 21:12, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

I have added the correct birth date and provided the scan of Guru's passport which states he was born in 1961. Tashi  Talk to me  15:45, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Guru (rapper). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100424171801/http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=142&csid2=844&fid1=45892 to http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=142&csid2=844&fid1=45892
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110929103554/http://babygrande.com/babygrande-records-remembers-keith-guru-elam-with-donation-to-his-son/ to http://babygrande.com/babygrande-records-remembers-keith-guru-elam-with-donation-to-his-son/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 08:09, 26 November 2017 (UTC)