- Courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
- Young Guru
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cuyahoga Community College will host a three-day series of events with Jay-Z engineer Young Guru, who'll participate in several student workshops, a panel conversation and a live performance. First, Guru will first be the subject of a Songwriters to Soundmen series that takes place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19 at the Rock Hall's Foster Theater. Jason Hanley, the Rock Hall’s director of education, will interview Guru, who has produced 10 of Jay-Z's 11 studio albums. The event is free but tickets are required and can be obtained here. According to the press release issued by the Rock Hall, "Young Guru possesses over a decade of experience in sound engineering, production, and has also served as an A&R for Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Heralded most for sonically shaping some of hip-hop's brightest talents, Young Guru has established himself as consistently in-demand: mixing 10 of Jay-Z's 11 albums, and DJing on the Watch the Throne tour, as well as Jay-Z's legendary Carnegie Hall and Barclays Center shows. On several recordings, Jay-Z himself offers verbal acknowledgments of Guru's importance, an immensely respectful testament to Guru's exceptional skills behind the boards."
Guru will also be on hand for a panel discussion that takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 at the Black Box Theatre of the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts of Cuyahoga Community College. Hanley will moderate the discussion that pairs Guru with Aaron Kleinstub and Jonathan Mannion. Kleinstub is a music producer who co-produced Eminem’s “The Monster," and Mannion is known for his celebrity portrait photography. This event is also free but reservations must be made here. And finally, Guru will perform with local hip-hop dancer Tony Fresh at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 21 at the Mainstage Theatre of the Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College. Those tickets are $10 and available at tricpresents.com or by calling 216-987-4444.
