Happy 25th Anniversary to Guru’s debut solo album Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, originally released May 18, 1993.
Jazz has been a part of hip-hop since its inception. The creators of the hip-hop art form like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa all incorporated records by artists like Roy Ayers and Bob James into their DJ sets. Mid-’80s hip-hop tracks frequently sampled songs like James’ “Nautilus” and “Take Me To the Mardi Gras.” And Gang Starr’s first single “Words I Manifest” sampled Charlie Parker’s version of “A Night in Tunisia.”
