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Today, April 19, 2010, we lost hiphop pioneer, Keith Elam AKA Guru. Guru lost his long bout with cancer at the young age of 43. Guru was half of the popular 80’s group Gangstarr, with former partner DJ Premier. Together, the group released six albums, including Step In the Arena, Moment of Truth, and Mass Appeal (The Best of Gangstarr). After his break with Premier, Guru, known as the father of hip hop/jazz, started a movement with his popular Jazzmatazz series, music with a mixture of hip hop and jazz.

His death was shocking to all who grew up listening to the music of Gangstarr and Guru, but what is even more shocking is how much this icon’s music was “slept on.” While reading different articles on Guru’s death, I was surprised at how many young people didn’t know Gangstarr, Guru or his music. But I shouldn’t be surprised, because Guru didn’t create a dance or rap about his riches. Instead, Guru, who attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, brought intellect to the rap game. And unfortunately, this is not “what the people want.”

We also lost Dorothy Height, the leading female voice in the civil rights movement and longtime president of The National Council of Negro Women. Ms. Height received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Bill Clinton in 1994 and was recognized by President Obama as a hero and “godmother” of the civil rights movement. So again, you can understand my disappointment as I read stories concerning her death and many young people wondering who she was. It was even more disturbing that most did not take the time to know who she was and came to the conclusion that they didn’t know her because they weren’t into that “sorority stuff” . She wasn’t interesting enought to read past the first sentence of the articles surrounding her passing and rich life.

I shouldn’t be shocked by our youths lack of knowledge in various areas of music. My generation, currently between the ages of 30 – 40, grew up listening to popular music that was played on the radio, but we were also enlightened by our parents with music that paved the way for the music that we loved and blasted from wall to wall of our bedrooms. Today, a “flashback” or “oldie” can be a song less than 2 years old. For us, an oldie was a little Al Green, Ray Charles, Barry White . . . .YOU GET THE PICTURE. Like the youth today, always on the go, music today is quick and to the point. . . 5 minutes tops. Our generation, on the other hand, enjoyed music that had a point and a good song was no less than six minutes.

Nor should I be shocked by our youths lack of knowledge and lackadaisical attitude towards the hatred endured and the pioneers that fought for rights that rightfully belonged to everyone, including Africans and African-Americans. Multi-cultural history has always been a small area in school curriculum. Unless you are in a school that is owned and focuses on a specific culture or religion, school curriculum includes “sensationalized” information with media household names. For American children, this includes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Malcolm X . . .no Dorothy Heights.

I urge youth and young adults to do your research as you set your path in life. Whether it is your goal in life to be a doctor, lawyer, sports figure, rapper, or actor . . .learn about those that have come before you and the strategies that they used to be successful at their craft. A school book education is good, it opens doors of opportunity on every level of education. But, an education does not define success . . . You define your own success. The decisions you make in life define your success. And there are many before you that faced the same decisions in life and have chosen the same path before you. They are ca