Guru's Jazzmatazz
Guru's Jazzmatazz Rapper/composer Guru (real name Keith Elam) first rose to prominence as the "lyrical half" of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, one of the first outfits that attempted to fuse jazz with rap. After three albums by Gang Starr hit record store shelves, Guru launched his own solo career, issuing Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 in 1993. Despite his solo career, Guru has remained true to Gang Starr all along, continuing to contribute to such further albums as 1994's Hard to Earn and 1998's Moment of Truth. Five years after his second solo outing appeared, Streetsoul was issued in 2000, which again featured a stellar cast of supporting characters: Herbie Hancock, Isaac Hayes, the Roots, Erykah Badu, and Macy Gray. Wasting little time, Guru returned directly back to the recording studio, issuing a follow-up one year later, Baldhead Slick & da Click.