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
All I Said
Guru Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo my girl's heated
'Cause I told her I was busy workin and I couldn't talk
I told her I'd call her back later and she still got mad
That was all I said, word up
Why she buggin if I promised that I'd call her back
Of course I'm honest plus I'm keepin things all intact
And on my mind, is a paperchase with minimal time
She should know how it goes - I'm, still into her
I got feelings for her, I been caring for her
But really though; I mean she ought to know the deally-yo
Especially if I'm in a meeting or out shooting a video
I love her yo, but I'm just doin my job
Ain't no need for confusion what I'm doin is hard
I'm the type of man, with a serious type of plan
I'm calmer no drama, no need for gettin hyper
And upset with me, because I'm busy a lot
And if I could you know I would, bring her with me a lot
Ain't nuttin wrong word is bond, it's all in her head
I was handling some business, and that's all I said
[Chorus: Macy Gray]
All, I, said.. I'll call you later
Sometimes, I forget
I love you baby don't be.. so upset
I'll call you later is all, I said..
[Guru]
I'm confessin no question yeah I chill with my boys
Still she gotta keep it real, either build or destroy
This is deep right here, she completes my square
Without a doubt, if she needs, I'ma be right there
This world is crazy, she's supposed to help me stay sane
Supposed to help with the pain, supposed to help me maintain
And quote this, I'm focused on the dreams we share
I got her all up in my mix, so it means I care
This job of mine goes on and on, twenty-four hours a day
And with trust we can win, in a powerful way
When I get home, I'm gonna love her down
I'll be like Teddy, get some hot oils, and rub her down
I know she's bored, feels ignored, all by herself alone
And she hates it, when I turn off my cell phone
But it's alright don't want to fight, it's all in her head
I was takin care of business, and that's all I said
[Chorus]
[unknown singer]
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
[Macy] I think we are ready
[Guru] We're ready as we'll ever be, girl your love is heavenly
[Macy] What we gonna do now
[Guru] We gon' do what we gotta do, I want to see a lot of you
[Macy] Just you keep it steady
[Guru] I'm steady and secure you couldn't ask for more
[Macy] see'mon let's work it out (aight)
[Macy] Just don't hurt me now (nah baby)
[Chorus]
[unknown singer]
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
[Macy]
I love you, baby
All, I, said.. all I said.. I forget
I love you baby don't be (so mad) so upset
In "All I Said," Guru raps about his girlfriend's frustration with his busy schedule and inability to always be available for her. He tries to explain that he is dedicated to his job and has a serious plan, but he still cares for her deeply. He acknowledges that he wants to spend more time with her, but sometimes work gets in the way. The lyrics also touch on the importance of trust and communication in a relationship, as well as the frustration that can arise from misunderstandings and miscommunications. Overall, "All I Said" is a song about the challenges of balancing work and love, and the importance of honesty and understanding in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo my girl's heated
My girlfriend is angry
'Cause I told her I was busy workin and I couldn't talk
I explained that I am busy working and unable to talk
I told her I'd call her back later and she still got mad
Despite my promise to call her back later, she remained angry
That was all I said, word up
I didn't say anything else
Why she buggin if I promised that I'd call her back
I don't understand why she's annoyed when I promised to call her back
Of course I'm honest plus I'm keepin things all intact
I'm honest and keeping everything in order
I be stressed out baby, sometimes on my grind
I'm often stressed because I'm working hard
And on my mind, is a paperchase with minimal time
I have a lot of work to do and little time to do it
She should know how it goes - I'm, still into her
She should understand that I still love her
I got feelings for her, I been caring for her
I have strong feelings for her and care about her deeply
But really though; I mean she ought to know the deally-yo
She should understand the situation
Especially if I'm in a meeting or out shooting a video
She should be aware that my work requires me to attend meetings and shoot videos
I love her yo, but I'm just doin my job
I love her, but I have to focus on my work
Ain't no need for confusion what I'm doin is hard
There's no need for her to be confused, my job is difficult
I'm the type of man, with a serious type of plan
I'm a man with a serious plan
I'm calmer no drama, no need for gettin hyper
I'm calm and don't want any drama
And upset with me, because I'm busy a lot
I don't want her to be upset with me because I'm often busy
And if I could you know I would, bring her with me a lot
If I could, I would bring her with me more often
Ain't nuttin wrong word is bond, it's all in her head
There's nothing wrong, she's just overreacting
I was handling some business, and that's all I said
I was working, and I didn't say anything else
[Chorus: Macy Gray]
Macy Gray sings the chorus
All, I, said.. I'll call you later
All I said was that I'll call her later
Sometimes, I forget
Sometimes I forget to call her back
I love you baby don't be.. so upset
I love her, and she shouldn't be so upset
I'll call you later is all, I said..
All I said was that I'll call her later
[Guru]
Guru is beginning a new verse
I'm confessin no question yeah I chill with my boys
I'm confessing that I hang out with my friends
Still she gotta keep it real, either build or destroy
She has to be honest and either help or hurt our relationship
This is deep right here, she completes my square
This is serious, she completes me
Without a doubt, if she needs, I'ma be right there
I'll be there for her if she needs me
This world is crazy, she's supposed to help me stay sane
This world is crazy, I need her to help me stay sane
Supposed to help with the pain, supposed to help me maintain
She's supposed to help me deal with the pain and maintain my responsibilities
And quote this, I'm focused on the dreams we share
I'm focused on the dreams we share together
I got her all up in my mix, so it means I care
She's very important to me, and my life revolves around her
This job of mine goes on and on, twenty-four hours a day
My job never stops, it's a twenty-four hour commitment
And with trust we can win, in a powerful way
If we can trust each other, we can succeed in a powerful way
When I get home, I'm gonna love her down
When I get home, I'll show her how much I love her
I'll be like Teddy, get some hot oils, and rub her down
I'll be romantic and give her a massage
I know she's bored, feels ignored, all by herself alone
I know she's bored and feels alone
And she hates it, when I turn off my cell phone
She doesn't like it when I turn off my cell phone
But it's alright don't want to fight, it's all in her head
It's okay, I don't want to fight, she's just overreacting
I was takin care of business, and that's all I said
I was working, and I didn't say anything else
[Chorus]
Macy Gray sings the chorus again
[unknown singer]
Unknown singer begins singing
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
When you speak like that, it turns me on
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Watch how I seduce you
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
When you speak like that, it turns me on
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Watch how I seduce you
[Macy]
Macy Gray begins speaking
I think we are ready
I think we're ready for whatever comes next
[Guru]
Guru responds
We're ready as we'll ever be, girl your love is heavenly
We're ready, and your love is amazing
[Macy]
Macy Gray speaks again
What we gonna do now
What are we going to do now?
[Guru]
Guru responds
We gon' do what we gotta do, I want to see a lot of you
We'll do what we need to do, and I want to spend a lot of time with you
[Macy]
Macy Gray speaks again
Just you keep it steady
Just stay calm and steady
[Guru]
Guru responds
I'm steady and secure you couldn't ask for more
I'm steady and reliable, you don't need to worry
[Macy]
Macy Gray speaks again
see'mon let's work it out (aight)
Let's work through our problems
[Macy]
Macy Gray speaks again
Just don't hurt me now (nah baby)
Just be careful not to hurt me
[Chorus]
Macy Gray sings the chorus one final time
[unknown singer]
Unknown singer sings again
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
When you speak like that, it turns me on
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Watch how I seduce you
Baby when you're speakin like that, it makes me ooh
When you speak like that, it turns me on
So watch as you hold on to my spine; I'll crush you
Watch how I seduce you
[Macy]
Macy Gray speaks again
I love you, baby
I love you, baby
All, I, said.. all I said.. I forget
All I said was that I'll call you later, and I forgot
I love you baby don't be (so mad) so upset
I love you, don't be so upset
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEITH ELAM, NATALIE HINDS, CHAD HUGO, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, PHARRELL L WILLIAMS, NATALIE MCINTYRE, PHARRELL L. WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind