BIO

One of the most influential MC and DJ duosGang Starr set new standards for streetwisesocially conscious East Coast rap with a pair of early-'90s touchstonesStep in the Arena (1991) and Daily Operation (1992)whose appeal has only grown over the decades. Beginning with these classic releaseslisteners and critics heaped mounds of praise upon Guru and DJ Premier -- the former because of his socially conscious lyrics and no-nonsense stancethe latter because of his DJ- beatmaking and jazzy sound. Following Step in the Arena and Daily OperationPremier became one of New York's most in-demand producerscrafting hits for the city's finest MCsincluding the Notorious B.I.G.NasJay-Zand KRS-One. Guru likewise collaborated with plenty of well-known artists -- Roy AyersDonald ByrdN'Dea Davenport -- on his solo debutJazzmatazzVol. 1 (1993)and its series of follow-ups. Following Hard to Earn (1994)the duo's fourth Gang Starr collaboration overallGuru and Premier began focusing primarily on their solo projectsreuniting infrequently for Moment of Truth (1998) and The Ownerz (2003). Guru's death in 2010 left an unfillable void in hip-hopbut Premier eventually issued new Gang Starr material in the form of "Family and Loyalty" (2019) with previously unreleased verses from Guru and an appearance from J. Coleone of the innumerable artists profoundly inspired by the Brooklyn duo's recordings.

Guru (born Keith Edward Elam in Boston) and Premier (born Christopher Edward Martin in Houston) began working together in 1989. Guru founded Gang Starr a couple years earlier and had already established a working relationship with Wild Pitch Records. The partnership of Guru and Premier as Gang Starr led to a formative debut albumNo More Mr. Nice Guy (1989)including the featured single "Words I Manifest" and the DJ-spotlight track "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration." Between albumsin 1990Guru and Premier contributed "Jazz Thing" to the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack. Gang Starr subsequently moved to Chrysalis Records for their second albumStep in the Arena (1991)on which they perfected the approach of their debut -- a starkhard-hitting jazz-rap production complete with Premier's masterful DJ cuttingover which Guru's battle-rap-hardened yet smoothly delivered lyricsoften thoughtfulslyand streetsmarttake flight. Gang Starr's third albumDaily Operation (1992)furthered the duo's approach stylistically; widely considered an East Coast rap classicit's arguably Guru and Premier's finest workalong with its predecessor.


Beginning in 1993Guru and Premier began working separately. Guru's debut albumJazzmatazzVol. 1 (1993)took the so-called jazz-rap to a new levelfeaturing jazz musicians such as Lonnie Liston SmithBranford MarsalisRonny JordanDonald Byrdand Roy Ayersalong with guest vocalists such as N'Dea Davenport (of the Brand New Heavies) and French rapper MC Solaar. MeanwhilePremier produced six tracks for KRS-One's solo debutReturn of the Boom Bap (1993)and in 1994 he proceeded to produce three tracks for Nas' debutIllmatic (including "N.Y. State of Mind"); two for the Notorious B.I.G.'s debutReady to Die ("Unbelievable," an unreleased remix of "Machine Gun Funk"); five for the self-titled debut of Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque project; the entirety of Jeru the Damaja's debutThe Sun Rises in the East; and a handful of remixes for various artists. Amid all of this activityGuru and Premier found time to record their fourth albumHard to Earn (1994)which was more hardcore-fashioned -- as was the at the time in the wake of Death Row's uprising -- than past Gang Starr albums. The album spawned the duo's biggest hit"Mass Appeal," their first to reach the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 67)and their eighth single to enter Billboard's rap chart.


Following Hard to EarnGuru and Premier resumed their solo activity. Guru released JazzmatazzVol. 2: The New Reality (1995) and a various-artists compilationGuru Presents Ill Kid Records (1995)while Premier produced the bulk of Livin' Proof (1995)the debut of Gang Starr affiliates Group Home (a duo featured on Hard to Earn). Also in 1995Premier produced three tracks on KRS-Onethe rapper's second solo album; and two tracks on Hold It Downthe third album by Das EFX; as well as assorted remixes and one-off productions. While Guru remained more or less inactive during 1996-1997Premier stayed busyproducing the entirety of Jeru the Damaja's Wrath of the Math (1996); five tracks on Bahamadia's Kollage (1996); six on M.O.P.'s Firing Squad (1996); three on Jay-Z's debutReasonable Doubt (1996); one on Nas' It Was Written (1996); two on Jay-Z's second albumIn My LifetimeVol. 1 (1997); two on the Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death (1997); four on O.C.'s Jewelz (1997); two on Rakim's The 18th Letter (1997); and two on the Lady of Rage's Necessary Roughness (1997).


In 1998after four years between albumsGang Starr returned with Moment of Truththeir first album to chart at number one (on the R&B/Hip-Hop album chartthat is; it peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 overalltheir best showing). Moment of Truth was a significant departure from past Gang Starr effortsvery much contemporary in ; for examplethe album features numerous guests (Inspectah DeckScarfaceG. DepK-Ci & JoJoM.O.P.) and bore little trace of the duo's jazz-rap beginnings. The lead single"You Know My Steez," became the second Gang Starr hit to break into the Hot 100 (peaking at number 76). A double-disc retrospectiveFull Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)subsequently marked the duo's ten-year anniversary. In the years that followedGuru and Premier continued to focus on their own work. Guru continued his Jazzmatazz seriesbeginning with a third volumeStreetsoul (2000); he also released solo rap albumsbeginning with Baldhead Slick & da Click (2001). The next Guru releaseVersion 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005)arrived on his new label7 Grand Records; the album featured beats by Solarwho would prove to be an important contributor on additional 7 Grand releases. The fourth volume of Jazzmatazz (2007) included the typical array of guest vocalists and instrumentalists and was issued along with the "raw" companion disc Guru's Jazzmatazz - The Timebomb: Back to the Future Mixtape. Guru 8.0: Lost and Found (2009)the rapper's next 7 Grand full-lengthfollowed shortly thereafter. Premier continued his production activityworking with superstars such as Jay-ZNasand Commonas well as underground rappers such as Royce da 5'9"Termanologyand NYG'z; he even dabbled in mainstream popmost notably working extensively with Christina Aguilera on her double-disc album Back to Basics (2006)including the Top Ten hit "Ain't No Other Man."

As for Gang StarrGuru and Premier did reunite during the early 2000s for The Ownerz (2003)a celebrated return to formbut the reunion proved short-livedleaving back-catalog collections such as Mass Appeal: The Best of Gang Starr (2006) to fill the void. Guru died at age 43 on April 192010 after battling cancersuffering a heart attackand for a time falling into a coma. Throughout the 2010sPremier-steered projects such as Get Used to Us (2010)the Bumpy Knuckles collaboration Kolexxxionand two albums with Royce da 5'9" as PRhyme (issued in 2014 and 2018). He continued to work with veterans and up-and-comers alikefrom Big ShugDr. Dreand MC Eihtto RapsodyWestide GunnConwayand Benny the Butcher. Near the end of the decadePremier released the first Gang Starr track in 16 years"Family and Loyalty," utilizing previously unreleased verses from Guru and a featured appearance from J. Cole.

Artist Biography by Jason Birchmeier