Young Guru facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Young Guru
Young Guru at New York Comic Con, October 2014
Background information
Birth name	Gimel Androus Keaton
Born	(1974-02-27) February 27, 1974 (age 51) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Audio engineer record producer disc jockey record executive
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Roc-A-Fella Roc Nation Def Jam Jamla Records It's a Wonderful World Music Group

Gimel Androus Keaton (born February 27, 1974), known as Young Guru, is a talented American sound engineer, music producer, DJ, and music executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for his work on the album Everything Is Love by The Carters. He has worked with many famous artists, including Jay-Z and Kanye West. A 2015 article in The Wall Street Journal even called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of hip-hop."

Young Guru's Journey in Music

Young Guru got his nickname when he was a teenager. He used to teach African history classes at a community center. He also started working as a DJ when he was still young.

Early Interest in Music Technology

In the early 1990s, Young Guru bought his own sound equipment. This included amplifiers, lights, and microphones. This sparked his interest in how music technology works. While studying at Howard University, he saw how Bad Boy Records was just starting. He got some of his first jobs as a sound engineer there.

Becoming a Professional DJ

In 1996, he began DJing in Washington, D.C. He met a singer and rapper named Nonchalant, who had a popular song at the time. Young Guru became her tour DJ. He had taken piano lessons as a child. He used the money from the tour to pay for a six-month music recording course. This course was at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland, and it greatly influenced him.

After his course, Young Guru worked on Nonchalant's second album. This album was never released. However, the producer, Chucky Thompson, saw Young Guru's talent. Thompson had worked with famous artists like Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. He invited Young Guru to work with him in Washington, D.C.

Moving to New York and Meeting Jay-Z

In 1999, Young Guru decided to work independently. He moved to New York City. There, he worked with Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie on his Madd Rapper project. He also worked with Memphis Bleek. Memphis Bleek was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. This connection led to Young Guru meeting the famous rapper, Jay-Z.

Working with Top Artists

Over the years, Young Guru has played a big part in the careers of many artists. Besides Jay-Z, he has worked with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ludacris, Ghostface Killah, Freeway, Cam'ron, Redman & Method Man, Mariah Carey, Pete Rock, Fabolous, Talib Kweli, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and T.I..

He was also the tour DJ for two major world tours. These were the 'Watch The Throne' tour with Jay-Z and Kanye West, and JAY-Z's '4:44' Tour.

Teaching and New Roles

In August 2013, Young Guru taught an online class about audio mixing. The video lessons were filmed at SAE Institute New York. They were called "Sound Check: The Essentials of DIY Audio Mixing."

In April 2015, Young Guru became the Director of Operations. This was at 9th Wonder's record label, It's a Wonderful World Music Group.

Young Guru has also helped with EarSketch. This is a digital audio workstation designed for young people. He has provided instruments for it.

In November 2018, Young Guru was recognized for mixing the Meek Mill album Championships.

Awards and Recognitions

Young Guru has been nominated for and won several prestigious awards for his work in music.

Grammy Awards