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“Real Hip Hop’s been lost but now it’s found right here,”
Guru recently declared in a London hotel room. The rapper, made legendary for his work alongside
DJ Premier as the wordsmith of Hip Hop duo Gang Starr, was back in town “on a global grind” with producer and business partner
Solar to promote their latest work together on 7 Grand Records;
Guru 8.0: Lost and Found, which features Solar on the mic for the first time. I last spoke to the pair in the summer of 2007, when it was clear the duo were on a mission to shake up the impact of ‘intelligent’ independent Hip Hop. Catching up two years on, their path hasn’t changed... But has the climate?
No art form or genre has ever had to justify its very existence the way hip hop does. Whether it is the various accusations levelled at it as having negative effect on society, or the broad generalisations that question its very validity as an art form, it remains a source of huge debate from its very inception. It was always viewed as the new brash kid in school who always has to justify himself.
Well, this kid grew up and has become a force and is becoming harder to ignore as perhaps the voice of the 21st century. This is, of course, amazing considering where it all started. And this is what Ice-T's new documentary Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap attempts to tackle.
If the happy ending to the much chronicled story of Royce da 5'9" was his reunion with Eminem, the emcee now moves into the sequel stage of this novel. From ghostwriting for Dr. Dre, to prison, to his alliance with Slaughterhouse, the faith in Detroit’s recognised son hasn’t been deserted by his long-time admirers and this year has shown why. Whilst the emphatic performances on his Bad Meets Evil EP with Slim Shady have catapulted 5'9" back into the radar of critics and fans who seek material away from the underground, Success Is Certain aims to maintain the emcee's current momentum.
The warning is abundantly clear - that hardcore Hip Hop is back with a vengeance. So far this year, Raekwon, Talib, Saigon and Pharoahe Monch have dragged back into the forefront the rugged, unapologetic sounds which whips ciphers into a frenzy and causes fans to go wild in underground shows.
Looking to add to the mountain of solid music currently out is ten years in the game rapper 