Gang Starr's raw element refreshing

By FEDERICO MONSALVE

Shaking your booty, polishing your Merc and getting your bling-bling seem to have become the stereotypes of rap and hip-hop, art forms that back in the 80s were considered by many to be the black CNN.

There is no denying it; today's rap and hip-hop artists have built a reputation that is more violent than most, more sexist than most, and undoubtedly materialistic.

Nonetheless, hidden under the pop misconceptions of the genre are a few pioneers such as Gang Starr who still retain a level of artistry and integrity that is as refreshing as it is cerebral.

Their music still holds on to that ideal of art, urban poetry and raw expression from the African-American urban youth that hip-hop originally catered for.

Back in 1987 the pair managed to re-invent underground hip-hop through a luscious mix of jazz and consciousness-raising lyrics.

"We started putting out singles like The Lesson and Believe Dat! on those big stabs. DJ Premier would lay down some beats and I would freestyle over them until we got something heavy," says Gang Starr's MC, Keith Elam - better known as Guru ("Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal").

And heavy followed.

"In 1989 we put out No More Mr Nice Guy, which made Spike Lee take notice of our music and asked us to do a single for his movie Mo Better Blues."

From there Guru and Premier moved on to polish their grooves, put out Jazz Thing, and lay a huge slab of funk on to their repertoire and release Step in the Arena. "That was a much more political side of Gang Starr," Guru confesses with laughter.

And these hip-hoppers are still angsty and political. Yet their anger is no longer just about the inner-city bullying but also directed to materialism, rap's new generation of sell-outs and, as Gang Starr's new album hollers, "America[s] ... deadly habits ... War without, war within, holy war, mortal sin."

Says Guru: "Rap's been exploited, it's a monopoly, and people are force-fed only one style of the music. This is not giving the audience much credit."

For this dynamic duo, the endless pursuit for a Mercedes car collection and label get-ups has corrupted the purity of artists who would otherwise be making music, not just profits.

"Some artists find a technique that gives them all sorts of money, and they stick to it just to milk the money. For us it's about making each song a labour of love," he explains in his trademark passionate, fresh-jiving monologue through a mobile from somewhere in the streets of Manhattan.

Guru's impressive collaborations (through Gang Starr as well as his side project Jazzmatazz) with people as varied as saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Macy Gray and director Spike Lee cemented his place as an intellectual alternative to mainstream rap.

"Working with people like Herbie and Snoop just came naturally," Guru explains. "The Dogg's a dude, I'm a dude, we're all dudes. DJ Premier worked in similar projects with Snoop, and then when Premier mentioned our album Snoop said, 'So hey, when am I gonna be in it?' So we took it from there."

The record flashes back to the hip-hop basics of 20 years ago: record-digging samples, jazz-like mastery of the turntable, and lyrics with more street knowledge than a gold lo-rider.

"The Ownerz was the most emotional piece of work I have done," Guru says. "There were challenges, especially in the song Peace of Mine. I wanted to say a lot in it, play with the double meaning of piece and peace, and the amount of words in it just made it difficult to adjust to the music."

"I wanted [The Ownerz] to be as intense as [our latest LP] A Moment of Truth but without copying that vibe. I think it comes across with a more controlled energy, more sophisticated."

Controlled energy is something Guru has learned since the birth of his 3-year-old K.C. "He's the main man. I see him building toy cities and trains and it just brings me back a kind of peace."

So after a sold-out European tour, a few high places in the R&B charts, Guru and Premier will be spinning their brand in New Zealand.

"What we are taking to Auckland and from there to the Good Vibrations Festival in Australia (where we are playing with Blackalicious and Soul II Soul) is a mix of our old repertoire and the new material in The Ownerz."

"We've been through things that no one else would be able to understand, and we are sticking to our guns, keeping it true to the New York sound, the street culture as we see it and some well thought-out beats."

Performance

* What: Gang Starr

* When: Wednesday January 28

* Where: St James Theatre

* Cost: $57