Guru’s bomber jacket delicately leans off of his left shoulder as the emcee’s blunted eyes - under razor-blade sculpted eyebrows - glare into the camera. The photo that made the final cut is precise but lush. “DJ Premier and Guru were professionals, no matter how blitzed they were,” Gunther says with a laugh. A Gang Starr version of tough-guy renaissance.

The globe, the wolf’s head, a Remington Rand typewriter, a paperback copy of Elijah Muhammad’s Message To The Black Man in America, a closed turntable case, and a replica of a human skull were painstakingly placed to layer and enrich the space. In the foreground was a briefcase with bundled money spilling out. Still recalling what Guru mentioned during their dinner - m afioso - as well as the Renaissance-y theme some at EMI had communicated to him, Gunther and his crew moved elements into a frame. “It was,” he says, “a fun, s- show.”Įverything was carefully positioned. And when they did arrive - Gunther wasn’t caught off guard by the amount of marijuana smoke and malt liquor that followed the crew into the mansion. “We slept during the day while waiting for them,” he said. to 6 p.m.” Gang Starr and their crew of about 20 didn’t show up until 6 or 7 that night. “We were supposed to shoot during the day … had the venue from 9 a.m. “We rented an old mansion on Madison Avenue because we … needed a big space,” says Gunther. Soon it was decided that the cover would have a Last Supper theme - as Gang Starr affiliates Group Home and Jeru The Damaja were featured on the project. Guru was into the imagery of rappers wanting to get paid - but also about making a statement.”Īs happens in the creative process, ideas changed. The first concept was a ‘mafioso’-related theme. “He was very political, and the history of the civil rights movement. He still lives in and runs a photography studio in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. “I remember going out to dinner with Guru beforehand,” says Gunther. Little did Gunther know that getting to the final image - to take a page from the Daily Operation track list - would become a “ Soliloquy of Chaos.” Daily Operation, with songs such as “ Ex Girl to Next Girl,” and “ Take It Personal” and “ I’m the Man,” is the album that elevated the duo from Tristate heroes to East Coast luminaries. Rookie photographer and native New Yorker Matt Gunther was excited about the opportunity to photograph the duo for the cover of their third studio album, the gritty Daily Operation (EMI Records). By 1992, Keith Elam - aka Guru - and Christopher Edward Martin - aka DJ Premier - had laid down their sonic footprint in New York, but hadn’t reached mainstream status.

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