Though he's wildly known for creating the whimsical, genre hopping 'Jazzmatazz series,' you'll be happy to know that when MC Guru's latest drops next month, he's still retaining that gritty mentality that lined his earlier work with Gang Starr. Due May 19, 'Guru 8.0: Lost and Found,' finds him tackling a ying-yang way of life, a characteristic that's lined his career.
"It's all about opposites. From ignorant to wise, from lost to found," Guru tells the BoomBox about the title track, which deliciously samples 'House of the Rising Sun' throughout. "The verses talk about how many times hip hop has been exploited and used for selfish means."
"People are getting a glimpse of the time that music was produced in," Guru's producer Solar says. "We felt that if there was any problem in hip hop that was identifiable, it was the bling era. Being a born and raised New Yorker, to listen to these records being put out by these "bling moguls" or whatever they call themselves, you would think everything was great. If you hear darkness on our records, I'd say read a newspaper."
Now in their fourth record together, Guru and Solar are making quite a team; the veteran MC cites Solar's work as a driving force motivating his lyrics these days, saying "The style of production he's coming up with challenges me to push myself in new lyrical heights and conceptual realms."
'Lost and Found' is due out on Guru's own 7 Grand Records.
