The Gang Starr Generation

I know that there are those that say that Premier carried the group, and that Guru was a second-tier rapper, but I call BS. Guru was like Mickey Spillane, and though I don’t want to take away from Guru’s skills, if he would’ve been a better rapper - if his flow was smoother, or his rhymes more burdened by poetry - he would’ve been a less compelling artist. He may never have had the panache for imagery as Nas, the wit of Big L or the wordplay of Raekwon or Jay, but the dude was the spiritual voice of hip-hop. And I don't mean spiritual in the sense of spirituality. I mean that if hip-hop was made manifest in a physical form, it would've sounded like Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. He was everything that an emcee should be: tough, intelligent, authoritative and savvy. And he was a big reason that I fell in love with hip-hop.

All of this is to say that I'm happy that Guru is doing better. We send out love and support his way. It'd be nice to imagine him busting out of the hospital (Tupac style) and jumping in a studio to record a new Gang Starr album. But, really, duke doesn't need to spit another rhyme. His legacy is solid.