March 01, 2010

By By David J. Prince, N.Y.C.

Rapper Guru, who rose to fame with pioneering group Gang Starr and later released a series of successful solo albums under the "Jazzmatazz" banner, is in a coma after suffering a heart attack and will undergo surgery today (Mar. 1), according to a Sirius radio interview with his former partner in Gang Starr, DJ Premier.

Guru, whose real name is Keith Elam, has kept a low profile of late. The 43-year-old artist released a solo album, "Lost and Found," in May 2009, which ended a two-year break following his fourth Jazzmatazz album, "The Hip-Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future."

Gang Starr never officially broke up but hasn't been active in more than five years. Its last album was 2003's "Ownerz."

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