Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future is the sixth solo studio album by American hip hop musician Guru. It was released on July 31, 2007 via 7 Grand Records, making it the fourth and final installment in the rapper's Jazzmatazz series. Production was handled entirely by Solar, who also served as executive producer together with Guru. It features guest appearances from Blackalicious, Bobby Valentino, Bob James, Caron Wheeler, Common, Damian Marley, David Sanborn, Dionne Farris, Kem, Brownman Ali, Omar, Raheem DeVaughn, Ronnie Laws, Shelley Harland and Vivian Green.

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 31, 2007
Recorded2006–2007
GenreJazz rap
Length56:25
Label7 Grand
Producer
Guru chronology
Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures
(2005)
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future
(2007)
Guru's Jazzmatazz: The Timebomb Back to the Future Mixtape
(2007)
Singles from Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future
  1. "State of Clarity"
    Released: August 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
HipHopDX3/5[2]
RapReviews9/10[3]
The Skinny[4]
XXLL (3/5)[5]

A video for the song "State of Clarity" includes clips from the movie Fritz the Cat.

Track listing

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cuz I'm Jazzy" (featuring Slum Village) 
2."State of Clarity" (featuring Common and Bob James)
 
3."Stand up (Some Thing'll Never Change)" (featuring Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley)
 
4."Look to the Sun"
  • Keith Elam
  • John Mosher
 
5."Connection" (featuring Kem)
 
6."Fine and Free" (featuring Vivian Green)
 
7."Wait on Me" (featuring Raheem DeVaughn)
 
8."International" (featuring Bobby Valentino)
 
9."This Is Art" (featuring Ronnie Laws)
  • Keith Elam
  • John Mosher
 
10."Fly Magnetic" (featuring Dionne Farris)
 
11."The Jazz Style" (featuring Omar)
 
12."Follow the Signs" (featuring Shelley Harland)
 
13."Universal Struggle" (featuring Brownman)
  • Keith Elam
  • Brownman Ali
  • John Mosher
 
14."Infinite" (featuring Blackalicious)
 
15."Kissed the World" (featuring Caron Wheeler)
 
16."Living Legend" (featuring David Sanborn)
  • Keith Elam
  • John Mosher
 
Total length:56:25
Australian edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
17."State of Clarity (Remix)" (featuring Common and Bob James) 

Charts

edit
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[6] 90
French Albums (SNEP)[7] 155
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 55
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 45
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[10] 20
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[11] 20

References

edit
  1. ^ Brown, Marisa. "Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future - Guru | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Honigm, Daniel B. (July 11, 2007). "Guru - Jazzmatazz Vol. 4: Back To The Future". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Gailes, Arthur (July 10, 2007). "Guru :: Jazzmatazz 4 – The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Gieben, Bram (May 11, 2007). "Guru - Jazzmatazz Volume 4 | The Skinny". The Skinny. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Arnold, Paul W. (May 8, 2007). "Critical Beatdown: Guru – Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4". XXL. Harris Publications. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Guru – Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 4" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Lescharts.com – Guru – Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 4". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  8. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Guru – Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 4". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. ^ "Guru Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Guru Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
edit