Guru, the gravel-voiced rapper who as a member of the duo Gang Starr was one of the most expressive rappers of the 1990s and a major figure in bridging hip-hop and jazz, died Monday in New York.

The word guru originally comes from Sanskrit and means “great spiritual master or teacher.” Today the term is used to describe everyone from Deepak Chopra to Suze Orman. While being a guru may ...