Interview: Guru
You would need someone with the upmost kudos to stamp them self with the name tag Guru, but such alias has only fortified this man’s musical ability. One of the pioneering figures to fuse hip hop and jazz, Guru has proven to be a conquering force within the music biz. Away from the carat-gold hype of mass produced bling artists, Guru tells MyVillage why he likes to keep it real...
You have worked with many talented artists’ – is there anyone still on your collaboration list?
Aaah man, there are plenty of people! Definitely Corrine Bailey-Rae she has a wonderful voice greatly inspired by some of the greatest jazz soulful voices that I have heard. Also Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman they are two jazz legends that I would love to work with. I mean there are plenty of others in the rap and reggae world.
When in the UK do you have any local hangout/s?
We don’t get to hang out that much when we are over in the UK, but I use to hang out a lot. I have been everywhere from Brixton, Battersea to Tottenham. I used to live in Ladbroke Grove. Actually when I get a chance I like the night clubs over here, as people know how to have a good time.
What’s your take on the British music scene?
The last time I was here they were talking a lot about Grime, so I‘ve been listening to some of the guys, Wiley and a few others. I really like to see how their influences come together, from Jungle and Garage. I mean London is always at the fulcrum of new stuff.
What keeps you afloat in the music industry?
I try and stay non industry, because you can get caught up and taken to whole different zone, away from creativity and what music is really about. Hip Hop is a culture and in order for that to stay alive the realness needs to be kept fresh.
What is the ethos behind your record label 7 Grand Records?
The record label is based on the opposite of what happened when the bling era came, for me that took hip hop in a direction that wasn’t even hip hop and people cared for the lifestyle - the blingand the Bentleys. No one is living like that in New York, a lot of that stuff is not keeping it real to me. When we formed Grand 7 Records in 2005 that was the premise to put a new face on East Coast hip hop and hip hop in general.
What’s your breakaway from music?
We like to go to Jamaica – every time we go there, whether vacationing or not something profound always happens. It is a place to absorb the culture and relax.
www.myspace.com/guru7grand
You have worked with many talented artists’ – is there anyone still on your collaboration list?
Aaah man, there are plenty of people! Definitely Corrine Bailey-Rae she has a wonderful voice greatly inspired by some of the greatest jazz soulful voices that I have heard. Also Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman they are two jazz legends that I would love to work with. I mean there are plenty of others in the rap and reggae world.
When in the UK do you have any local hangout/s?
We don’t get to hang out that much when we are over in the UK, but I use to hang out a lot. I have been everywhere from Brixton, Battersea to Tottenham. I used to live in Ladbroke Grove. Actually when I get a chance I like the night clubs over here, as people know how to have a good time.
What’s your take on the British music scene?
The last time I was here they were talking a lot about Grime, so I‘ve been listening to some of the guys, Wiley and a few others. I really like to see how their influences come together, from Jungle and Garage. I mean London is always at the fulcrum of new stuff.
What keeps you afloat in the music industry?
I try and stay non industry, because you can get caught up and taken to whole different zone, away from creativity and what music is really about. Hip Hop is a culture and in order for that to stay alive the realness needs to be kept fresh.
What is the ethos behind your record label 7 Grand Records?
The record label is based on the opposite of what happened when the bling era came, for me that took hip hop in a direction that wasn’t even hip hop and people cared for the lifestyle - the blingand the Bentleys. No one is living like that in New York, a lot of that stuff is not keeping it real to me. When we formed Grand 7 Records in 2005 that was the premise to put a new face on East Coast hip hop and hip hop in general.
What’s your breakaway from music?
We like to go to Jamaica – every time we go there, whether vacationing or not something profound always happens. It is a place to absorb the culture and relax.
www.myspace.com/guru7grand
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