I was saddened to learn about the passing of GURU yesterday. As half of Gangstarr, he and Premiere were one of the greatest hip hop duo's ever and a huge influence on me. Almost all of their records are certified classic, if not by sales.

Thanks to his first Jazzmatazz record, I started a deeper interest in jazz which was providing a lot of the samples for the hip-hop of that time. It also remains a classic record today.

I'll never forget the track "Jazz Thing" they did for Spike Lee's Mo Betta Blues. It's a sad day.