Guru, the pioneering hip-hop legend who united jazz and hip-hop as a solo artist and half of the influential duo Gang Starr, has died at the age of 43. Guru, whose real name was Keith Elam, died Monday after a battle with cancer. Guru was hospitalized late February after suffering cardiac arrest and was briefly in a coma. Guru first found fame in the late '80s when he partnered with DJ Premier to form Gang Starr, releasing such classic albums as No More Mr. Nice Guy and Step in the Arena. Though Guru was rooted in Boston and Premier in Houston, their sound came to define the dense New York underground rap sound — one characterized by jazz loops and complex rhymes.
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