Guru

Breaking into the business as the voice of Gang Starr, Guru and DJ Premier's conscious Hip-Hop gained them a following of dedicated fans in the 1990s. With the emerging Acid Jazz scene growing in NYC, in '93 Guru decided to take hip-hop further into the jazz realm with his first solo LP Jazzmatazz -- an "experimental fusion of hip-hip and live jazz." Veteran jazz players such as Donald Byrd are featured with talented vocalists and emcees such as N'Dea Davenport and MC Solar. While continuing production with Gang Starr (albums released in '94 and '98), Guru followed up in '95 with Jazzmatazz Vol. 2, hinting towards a more soul-influenced sound with acts such as Jamiroquai. The soul approach is even stronger on his third release in 2000 with acts such as Isaac Hayes, Erykah Badu and Macy Gray.