Foto:
7 Grand
Guru RIP (17.07.1966 - 19.04.2010)
Flere sikre kilder melder i dag at Gang Starr-legenden Guru er død etter en lang kamp mot kreft.
Det slo ned som en bombe i hiphop-miljøet da det tidligere i år ble kjent at Boston/New York-rapperen Guru hadde blitt innlagt på sykehus. Da ble årsaken beskrevet som hjertestans, og i tiden som fulgte har det vært ekstremt mye av både rykter, drama og vonde følelser.
Sakens kjerne har ligget i det dårlige forholdet mellom Guru og hans tidligere Gang Starr-partner DJ Premier, som gang på gang har gitt uttrykk for at sin gamle venn omgir seg med feil folk. Disse "folkene" kan oppsumeres med én person, den smått pussige karakteren Solar, som ifølge kilder i miljøet rundt Guru, har vært en utløsende årsak til at han nå holder seg unna gamle venner og til og med familien sin.
Nekter DJ Premier å bruke Guru-navnet
Solar har blitt beskyldt for å ha holdt disse unna Guru, også på sykehuset, og ikke minst skjult helseutviklingen. Og etter en lang periode fylt av mye uro og spørsmål om Gurus helse, døde hiphop-legenden i går etter å ha kjempet mot kreften i over ett år. Guru forsøkte lenge å holde sykdommen skjult, men diverse nye pressebilder viste at noe åpenbart var galt.
Kanskje like hjerteskjærende som at hiphop-kulturen har mistet en av sine viktigste bidragsytere, er det faktumet at Solar nå har offentliggjort et siste brev fra Guru, der han forteller at DJ Premier (som han i brevet bare refererer til som "my ex DJ") ikke bør ha noe som helst med navnet hans, hyllest-shows o.l framover, og samtidig hyller sin "bestevenn og bror" Solar.
Fortsatt mange spørsmål
Uten å spekulere i alt for mye mørke ting såpass kort tid etter den tragiske beskjeden om Gurus død, klarer vi likevel ikke å sette spørsmålstegn ved hvem som faktisk står bak inneholdet i dette "siste brevet fra Guru", som opphøyer Solar og alt arbeidet de har gjort sammen, og nærmest helt utalter å fortelle noe som helst om Gangs Starr. Mens Gang Starr er og alltid kommer til å være en klippe hos rapfans verden over, har soloarbeidet Guru gjorde med Solar blitt sett på som en gigantisk skuffelse fra fans og kritikere.
Les hele brevet:
“I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting,” read the official Guru statement.
“My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody’s feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.”
The statement reads on, “I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life.”
Publisert: tirsdag 20 april 2010 12:00