Founded in 1987, Gang Starr built a sizable following in the early 90's, releasing classic albums like Step in the Arena (1991) and Daily Operation (1992). Guru's lyrical style was based on battle rhymes delivered smoothly, modestly, and with sly wit; he typically avoided using overwhelming charisma, focusing instead on his rhyming ability. Over the years he even took on younger rappers, including Jeru the Damaja, as proteges. He is credited, along with DJ Premier, for the executive production of Jeru's debut, The Sun Rises in the East (1994).
In 1993, he released his first solo album, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. The album featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, Dee C. Lee, and Roy Ayers, whilst his second LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis, and Jamiroquai. The Jazzmatazz albums have been met with mixed reviews, Guru continued with Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul (2000) and Baldhead Slick & Da Click (2001).
Moreover, recent Gang Starr albums have continued to garner Guru critical acclaim. Prominent Boston underground rapper Mr. Lif frequently cites Guru as a major stylistic influence; he appears as a guest with Lif on the Perceptionists' debut album, Black Dialogue (2005).
Besides Gang Starr, his Jazzmatazz and solo albums, Guru collaborated with countless artists since the early 90s. Not only in Hip-Hop, but also with artists from various genres such as pop, electronica/dance, acid jazz, and even brass bands.
His "first proper solo album", in his own words, was Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005), released with the help of producer and new backup MC/producer Solar. The album reached #1 on the college hip-hop charts, but was a failure with both fans and critics. It still managed to sell relatively well for an independent release.
Guru's latest project is the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, entirely produced by Solar. It was released in early June 2007 and received good reviews and comments from fans.
In 2007 Guru was ranked at 45 for the Top 50 MCs of our time: 1987-2007
On February 28th 2010, Guru suffered a severe heart attack and was in a coma. He passed away on April 19, 2010 at the age of 49 after a long battle with cancer.
Theres another artist with the same name:
2. Guru also refers to a Ghanaian hip-hop artist known for his single "LaPaz Toyota" and the song "Akayida" - basis for a azonto dance craze
Alkayida
Guru Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mo felly me rhymes hahaha
MKZ, MKZ
Eh me maama sa alkayida, alkayida
Eeh me papa 3sa alkayida, alkayida
(See you baby), alkayida
Eh me maama sa alkayida, alkayida
Hey joo wei y3 new dance
Nkwadaa nkitinkiti nu ma h)mu chance
Me maama 3si dwom nti mo manu funs
Yoo mo manu funs
Nsem d3u tomi ma odo s)
S3 wodi 3kyinkyin saa wodi ab3 w)
Ok wodi3 bra y3n k)
Me p3 s33 beat ne tumi sisa b) hiphop
M3 b3 y3 me lazy jack n3 3tomi pa wo
Na fa guy guy saa obi ntumi hawo
Swaggy kakraa
Wo di3 k) wo left side na shorky kakraa
3nuaa nunu
Obo wo di3 bra y3n ko333
N)nku nu na ab) yi, nansu me nda3
School master bi su paa agye me girl
Nansu dia wo di y3 me yi
3y3a kai s33
Min nyine y3 mpo me w) ab)dwe s3
S3 3ka me ten cides me di ma akyw3
Me nne hwe kra mpo me w) abakyw33
Wo di Golf negetive k) p3 Tema girl
Eeh nkwadaa nkiti wa mbu adi3
S3 wo b3 tumi b)ka b3 y3 na y3n hw33
Wo de nkyini wo debi ka nsu charlie you dey flex
Wo ni wo maana kra na 3da nsu boy yi p3 girl
B3 hw3 na pampa mu apa nansu h) care
Wo di wo hu b3 tutu borga bi h) tumi manu cheque
3y3a young girl yi usu mun kie s33
Fromfrom nnti h) daa agye Nyame p3 nti
Nti 3y3a kai s33
Alkayida
Boys abr3, Alkayida
Why you dey wan flex, Alkayida 4x
Mmh yoo w3n ka h) da
3mr3 b3 sisa ma y3nsu y3 nya bi akasa
M3n paaba
Asomrofre b3 dwa ama okramai b3 nya adabr3
M3n paaba
Me miti krom na men nsaasi
Na mu kika ns3n hunu nu mo dwen s33 man ti
M3 kyenkyene mun nsu ab3 fi manfi
3nd3 me nne bi nti nu mun kai me
Ohia nti na mo de me d) totas
NOVDEC yi nsu i dey wan pass
Brother life y3 a show red card
Huhu nnfi nti i ni dey fit care
Me girlfriend su hame nti men br33
Akohw3 na 3mame more stress
Charlie obinini paa aka me 2 Cedi
Wey i get some girl charlie she flex
But
Alkayida
Boys abr3, alkayida
Why you dey wan flex, Alkayida
The song "Alkayida" by Ghanaian rapper Guru is primarily about the dance craze known as Alkayida, which originated in Ivory Coast and gained popularity across West Africa. The chorus of the song says "Hey joo wei y3 new dance," encouraging listeners to try out the dance moves. The song also mentions the potential dangers and negative consequences of the dance, with lyrics like "Why you dey wan flex, Alkayida" and "Brother life y3 a show red card."
The verses of the song contain various references to Ghanaian culture and language. Guru references his mother and father both being "alkayida," which can be interpreted as them being traditional, conservative, or perhaps even affiliated with a certain political or religious group. The song also references various Ghanaian locations, such as Tema and NOVDEC (a national exam administration body), and uses Ghanaian pidgin English and slang.
Overall, "Alkayida" can be seen as a commentary on the tension between tradition and modernity in Ghanaian culture, as well as the allure and potential pitfalls of embracing new trends and dances.
Line by Line Meaning
Mh eeh, che chede b3
I'm just starting to rap, watch out
Mo felly me rhymes hahaha
I'm feeling my lyrics, they're fire
MKZ, MKZ
This is the gang, MKZ
Eh me maama sa alkayida, alkayida
My mother knows how to dance Alkayida
Eeh me papa 3sa alkayida, alkayida
Even my father can do Alkayida dance moves
(see you baby), alkayida
Let's go, baby, let's do the Alkayida dance
Hey joo wei y3 new dance
Hey, listen, there's a new dance
Nkwadaa nkitinkiti nu ma h)mu chance
Everyone, let's get up and dance
Me maama 3si dwom nti mo manu funs
My mother's song makes everyone get up and have fun
Yoo mo manu funs
Yeah, we're having fun
Nsem d3u tomi ma odo s)
Let me tell you a story about love
S3 wodi 3kyinkyin saa wodi ab3 w)
If you're not careful, love can be painful
Ok wodi3 bra y3n k)
But we'll still dance and have fun
Me p3 s33 beat ne tumi sisa b) hiphop
I'm blending the beat of Alkayida with the lyrics of hip hop
M3 b3 y3 me lazy jack n3 3tomi pa wo
I'm not going to be lazy, I'm going to make you dance
Na fa guy guy saa obi ntumi hawo
It's not hard, anyone can do it
Swaggy kakraa
We're stylish and cool
Wo di3 k) wo left side na shorky kakraa
Step to the left and show off your style
3nuaa nunu
Let's shake our bodies
Obo wo di3 bra y3n ko333
Even if you're new to this dance, join us
N)nku nu na ab) yi, nansu me nda3
Let's have some fun, forget about everything else
School master bi su paa agye me girl
Even the strict teacher is dancing with my girl
Nansu dia wo di y3 me yi
Everyone is doing it with me
3y3a kai s33
Let's keep going
Min nyine y3 mpo me w) ab)dwe s3
I'm still going to dance, even if my feet hurt
S3 3ka me ten cides me di ma akyw3
If you challenge me, I'll show you what I'm made of
Me nne hwe kra mpo me w) abakyw33
I'll still dance, even if I'm tired
Wo di Golf negetive k) p3 Tema girl
You're driving a beat-up Golf chasing after a girl in Tema
Eeh nkwadaa nkiti wa mbu adi3
Everyone is dancing and having fun
S3 wo b3 tumi b)ka b3 y3 na y3n hw33
If you can dance, join us and let's have fun
Wo de nkyini wo debi ka nsu charlie you dey flex
Move your hips and show off your style
Wo ni wo maana kra na 3da nsu boy yi p3 girl
You're dancing with your friends and girls
B3 hw3 na pampa mu apa nansu h) care
Let's forget about our worries and dance carefree
Wo di wo hu b3 tutu borga bi h) tumi manu cheque
You're dancing and attracting a rich person's attention
3y3a young girl yi usu mun kie s33
This young girl is looking at me like she wants to dance
Fromfrom nnti h) daa agye Nyame p3 nti
We'll dance until dawn because God is with us
Nti 3y3a kai s33
So let's keep dancing
Alkayida
Let's dance the Alkayida dance
Boys abr3, Alkayida
Boys, let's do the Alkayida dance
Why you dey wan flex, Alkayida 4x
Why you trying to act too cool when we're just having fun
Mmh yoo w3n ka h) da
Let me tell you a story
3mr3 b3 sisa ma y3nsu y3 nya bi akasa
Our song will make everyone dance
M3n paaba
Let's party
Asomrofre b3 dwa ama okramai b3 nya adabr3
Our joy will chase away our troubles
Me miti krom na men nsaasi
I'm from a small town but I'm proud
Na mu kika ns3n hunu nu mo dwen s33 man ti
Come and dance with us and forget your sorrows
M3 kyenkyene mun nsu ab3 fi manfi
I'll keep dancing until I'm soaked in sweat
3nd3 me nne bi nti nu mun kai me
Even though I'm tired, don't stop the music
Ohia nti na mo de me d) totas
Because of hardship, I have to work hard
NOVDEC yi nsu i dey wan pass
I want to pass the NOVDEC exams
Brother life y3 a show red card
Life can be tough sometimes
Huhu nnfi nti i ni dey fit care
But I don't care, it's all good
Me girlfriend su hame nti men br33
My girlfriend is giving me a hard time
Akohw3 na 3mame more stress
It's making me more stressed out
Charlie obinini paa aka me 2 Cedi
I only have 2 cedis, my friend
Wey i get some girl charlie she flex
But I met a girl who wants to dance with me
Alkayida
Let's dance the Alkayida dance
Boys abr3, alkayida
Boys, let's do the Alkayida dance
Why you dey wan flex, Alkayida
Why you trying to act too cool when we're just having fun
Contributed by Jasmine A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stefanebruce2723
I'm Cameroonian and i'm definitively in love with Ghana Music and Dance
@jhonatanmontoya9285
Im colombian but afrocolombian it means my ancesyors were african i love to feel this song in my ears
amo esta cancion es verdaderamente un flow
@maxoupilote45
Is it right that there is a lot of racism against afrocolombianos or afroperoanos ? Because I'm French and we saw a documentary about it in Spanish class but that's really something that no one knows here in Europe !
@smunakwa8248
The beat is too sick. Africans all day
@tamale26
Just in case anyone is wondering what 'boys abr3' means, it means 'boys are tired'.
@brandakania3488
Je n'y comprends rien du tout mais j'adore 😍
@francisfofie3193
Dire que c'est arrivé dans les boites à Paris... :))
Guru all the way, even in France!!
@tiakyle2655
Bless from Mauritius.
@margotshaynat6413
KM no
@lloydlindsay3137
u ኘዸሪ ከሰ