Earlier this year, Revive Da Live put on a special tribute show on the anniversary of Guru’s passing.  The show was a tribute to the music of Guru, where a 19 piece big band performed Gangstarr & Jazzmatazz classics alongside the likes of Jeru The Damaja, Masta Ace, Greenspan, Akrobatik, Craig G, Peter Gunz, John Robinson, Lord Finesse, OC, Greg Nice, Radydar Ellis, Roy Hargrove and DJ Premier.  The band was amazing and absolutely nailed every beat.  Below are some highlights from the evening from our exclusive recording.

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Back in 2007, The Roots took the VH1 Hip Hop Honors on the road, with the help of Big Daddy Kane and MC Lyte.  It was one of my favorite tours from The Legendary as they did nothing but hip-hop classics all night long.  One of their covers was the Gang Starr staple, “Just To Get A Rep”.  The Roots crew nailed the beat and Black Thought brandished a slow flow that would have earned the respect of the master of the slow flow himself, Guru.  Here’s the flawless cover of a timeless hip-hop classic.

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Back in 2000, The Roots embarked on an Okayplayer Tour with Reflection Eternal, Slum Village, Bahamdia and Guru among others.  It was amazing to hear Guru perform backed by The Roots.  As we continue to honor the memory of Guru, here’s another great gem from the Okayplayer Tour 2000 stop in Phoenix, AZ.  Setlist and download after the jump.

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Its with great sadness that we mourn the loss of one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures.  With Gang Starr, he and DJ Premier became the definition of street hip-hop, but his versatility and appreciation for music stretched far beyond the confines of hip-hop, ushering in jazz hip-hop fusion with his JazzMatazz releases.  Its a shame that his passing, and events leading up to it, have been clouded by a certain self-proclaimed “super producer”, but I’ll choose to focus on his music and legacy as we pay our respects.  Here is our tribute to Guru:  Gang Starr live in Germany from 2003, Guru doing a solo show in London from 2005, and a JazzMatazz concert from France featuring the legend and his band.  Also, we will be posting a Guru + The Roots live set from the Okayplayer Tour back in 2000 shortly.

Rest In Peace Keith Elam.  July 17, 1966 – April 19, 2010.

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