(AllHipHop News) Producer Solar has addressed the intense criticism directed at him shortly after the passing of revered Gang Starr Rapper Guru, who died on Monday (April 19th) from cancer. Solar, who was Guru’s partner in his recording venture 7 Grand Records, has come under scrutiny over a series of press releases allegedly penned by Guru shortly before his death. In each release, Guru repeatedly snubbed Gang Starr co-founder DJ Premier, referring to the producer as his “ex-DJ,” while showering attention on Solar and his increased role handling Guru’s personal affairs. Solar told MTV that his relationship with Guru started in 2002, when the pair met through a mutual friend. “Me and him just hit it off as men. I got to know him as a man, he got to know me as a man. We were both going through tricky periods in our lives,” Solar told MTV News. “I was working with homeless children at the time. It’s a heavy problem … Guru was dealing with certain situations. We started hanging out, hitting the clubs in New York. We needed to lighten it up a little bit.”Solar admitted that Guru battled substance abuse, using weed, liquor and other drugs, although Guru had been sober since 2003. In 2009, Guru found out he had cancer after developing a consistent pain in his back. An MRI revealed that Guru, born Keith Elam, had cancer, leaving him “upset and distraught.”Guru underwent surgery in July of 2009, but according to Solar, the operation and the ensuing chemotherapy proved unsuccessful.Although medicated, Guru continued to tour and withheld the information from family members, even as the cancer spread throughout his body, as he was optimistic he could beat the disease. Solar shot down reports that he was taking advantage of Guru while he was sick or weak and also denied reports spreading that he and Guru may have been romantically linked. “He knew exactly what he wanted to do, not only his business but his personal life…I don’t want to say anything against anybody living a certain type of lifestyle — everybody is free to live their life how they choose to live it — but that’s not my lifestyle or Guru’s lifestyle. We’re straight men. He dealt with women and family. I dealt with women and family. There’s never been any blurring of the lines whatsoever.”
