Apologies for my tardiness, but unfortunately several work and ‘real life’ commitments have stood in the way of my (very delayed) return back here to our little soulful enclave.
Now I know that the likelihood is that you didn’t roll over here for some East Coast Hip Hop, but I felt the need to tip a little nod to Guru of Gang Starr fame, who sadly passed away on Monday. An incredibly talented artist, who aside from providing the soundtrack to much of my youth, was also very influential in shaping the sound of Hip Hop as we know it. I had the pleasure of catching him perform several times both as Guru and Gang Starr and even got to hang out with him at an after party in London a few years back!
The controversy regarding his split/break with DJ Premier and the contentious ‘deathbed’ letter that has attracted a lot of comments certainly detract from the fact that Guru’s music transcended the conventional Hip Hop boundaries.
I wanted to share with you my favourite Gang Starr joint, ‘Who’s Gonna Take The Weight’, along with the original 45, ‘Parrty’ by Maceo & The Macks that it borrows heavily from. The Maceo cut is also one of my favourite 45s from James Brown’s People Record label and features some off the wall horn playing!!
Enjoy the two tracks, tip a glass to Guru and I’ll be back here after the weekend with something cool!
Gang Starr – Who’s Gonna Take The Weight
Maceo & The Macks - Parrty Pts 1 & 2 - People Records
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