 30/04/2009 It’s a galling experience, coming face to face with a legend. One utterance could completely destroy the deific image you’ve carefully constructed. They could turn out to be boring, arrogant or pretty damn depressing.
Over a pile of salt ‘n vinegar crisps and grapes sits Guru – the OG rapper who achieved legend status as one half of NYC’s Gang Starr with DJ Premier, and the first man to marry jazz and hip hop. After rummaging in a bag while Solar, his producer and 7 Grand Records co-owner, starts the discussion, he’s finally ready to chat. He adjusts his cap. And smiles, while firmly shaking my hand.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to report that he’s a lovely man. Gracious, eloquent, charismatic with the requisite dose of braggadocio to keep him coolly aloof.
‘Hip hop in its pure form is living and breathing through people like Solar and 7 Grand Records,’ he says – the monotonous gravel tones bringing back memories of late-night Gang Starr rap-a-longs.
‘People are saying it’s dead, people are saying it’s dying, and we’re here as a rescue squad, so to speak.’ Solar interjects in a tag-team approach they continue throughout the conversation. ‘It’s not dead – it’s just been kidnapped. Tied up on the staircase.’
They concur with a nod that errs slightly on the self-congratulatory. Freed from major-label shackles, Guru is evidently happy to be running his own self-styled boutique label, with a man he touts as being the best producer on the block.
Their fourth release together, ‘Guru 8.0 Lost and Found,’ is slated for release in March, and early signs are that it’s a departure from the classic Jazzmatazz sound, where jazz-infused production meets conscious lyrics. Guru’s keen to big up the intrigue, revealing very little.
‘It’s 19 banging tracks with mostly just us and our immediate family,’ says Guru. DJ Doo Wop is on there, and Solar does both production and emceeing. ‘The music is very adventurous. We’re charting new territory. This album is truly a remarkable piece of work in its diversity,’ says Solar.
Guru’s no stranger to repping the new shit. In 1993, he broke from the sample-based mould and hooked up with jazz musicians create some live instrumentation over which he’d rap.
‘Everyone was sampling jazz at the time and I was like, “Let’s take it to the next level and get some of those guys to jam live over some hip hop beats,’ and that’s how Jazzmatazz started.
‘The first person I talked to was Donald Byrd, who became like a mentor to me. He put the word out in the jazz community that Guru was the go-to man for this new concept. It was groundbreaking and has influenced many of the things that have come after – other scenes like acid jazz, neo-soul, and projects like Carlos Santana.’ He went on to collaborate with artists including Roy Ayers, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai.
While Guru was building Jazzmatazz, his work with Premo aka DJ Premier cemented his notoriety in the rap game. Their creative chemistry was magic, and Guru’s often sycophantic adulation of Solar smacks of a similar quest.
‘I’m the type that likes to work with one producer. Now I have the best producer in the game – a visionary who I’m running a label with, so it’s a whole other level now. But it’s a level we control now, and not one that’s controlled by a major label,’ he says.
‘7 Grand as a musical entity can bring a more intelligent light to the musical palette,’ continues Solar, ‘and we’re doing it in a way that stimulates the young crowd, we’re keeping the old fanbase happy – those who’ve followed Guru’s career for a while. We’re the best at hip hop jazz on the planet right now.’
It’s a bold statement. So how does this stand up in a world where much of hip hop has mutated into a tinny commodity for the ringtone generation? ‘You got a situation where the audience is more intelligent than the major labels see them as,’ says Solar. ‘We know they’re more intelligent, so we’re creating music that they’re looking for; they find, and they enjoy.’
They cite a gig in Mexico where the average age was 17 – ‘People were pulling out Street Scripture t-shirts!’ says Solar, referring to Guru’s 2005 solo album that he produced. Guru sits forward in his chair after musing on the memory; his hand stroking his chin. ‘We stay accessible. There’s no entourage around us – we don’t pull up in a Rolls Royce.’
There may not be an entourage but there is a posse of haters who decry Solar stepping into Premo’s space behind the tables. I mention the latter and their glory days as Gang Starr but Guru doesn’t bite. He once again extols the virtues of his current ‘super-producer’ and his excitement about 7 Grand’s creative autonomy.
There’s a rich seam ready to be mined here, but the door is firmly shut. Instead we congratulate the US’s new black president-elect, Barack Obama, and his quest for change. Both voice their support. ‘We’re men of the people, so we’re always gonna be in there, fighting for what’s right – through our music, of course,’ says Guru.
Critics might accuse the man of losing his fighting spirit in his verbals, rehashing lyrics and making questionable production calls, but his focus and confidence are still very much intact. Let’s see how this translates in the future. Words: Helene Dancer
Guru’s new record will be out soon (7 Grand). Feature extracted from Notion Magazine 38. To subscribe to Notion Magazine CLICK HERE. |
