Guru is exactly what his name implies, a rap guru. He has been delivering up some of the most interesting and eclectic songs since he got his start in the music business. With a sophisticated flair, he combines the sounds of rap, hip-hop and jazz into one cohesive sound that has continued to dominate the airwaves over the years. Guru got his start when he was part of the duo Gang Starr. While he was working as a member of Gang Starr, he worked on melding the jazz and rap genres together and succeeded in doing so with the albums, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Step in the Arena and Daily Operation. This was a decent start for Guru, but he did want to take his sound solo. He did just that in 1993 when he released the album Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. What made the album so popular was not only Guru's unique talents, but also the appearances of other notable musicians like Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and some members of Jamiroquai.Guru relished in his new solo status, one that has continued to make him popular even into today, but he also sought to remain dedicated to his first efforts with Gang Starr. In the mid-1990s, he contributed to their albums such as Hard to Earn and Moment of Truth. He interspersed his solo releases with these contributing appearances, and in 2000 he released Streetsoul, which featured an impressive cast of characters that included Herbie Hancock, Issac Hayes, the Roots, Erykah Badu and Macy Gray.Four years later another popular release from Guru showed up on the CD shelves, this one titled Version 7.0 The Street Scriptures. Once again, Guru captured his fans' and his critics' attention with his revered skills as well as the contributions of more well known names in the music industry. Guru's albums may be spaced apart, but in every instance his hard work has proved to pay off.
