Guru in Stable Condition After Heart Attack, DJ Premier Says

The hip-hop community was devastated yesterday (March 1) when news broke that Guru, the celebrated rapper from '90s duo Gang Starr, suffered a heart attack.

On Monday, hip-hop radio personality Miss Info reported that Guru (born Keith Elam) experienced a cardiac arrest and was in a coma, but would be undergoing surgery soon.

Former Gang Starr partner DJ Premier took to his blog today to update fans on the Boston-bred MC’s condition. “Good news,” he wrote. “Guru surgery was successful, keep sending him love.”

“Keep Guru in your prayers, and encourage everyone to think positively so that our collective energy will help him through,” Guru’s former publicist Jackie Osare added in a statement. “Let's continue to celebrate our legends while they're here.”

Guru has been putting out hip-hop records for over two decades. His work with Gang Starr is highly regarded as one of the most influential MC-and-DJ tandems of the 1990's. Guru is also credited for being one of the first rappers to merge hip-hop and jazz with his Jazzmatazz series. Since going solo he has released several discs, including last May’s Guru 8.0: Lost and Found on the independent label 7 Grand.

Stay tuned to XXLMag.com as the story develops. —Elan Mancini