Jeru the Damaja
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Jeru The Damaja (born Kendrick Jeru Davis) is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr whom he has known since high school. He spent his early years in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he has been rapping at block parties since the early days of his youth. He first showcased his hardcore Brooklyn style to audiences on "I'm the Man", a track from Gang Starr's 1992 album, Daily Operation. The following year he released his first single "Come Clean", produced by DJ Premier, which became an instant underground hit. His first album The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994 and entirely produced by DJ Premier, is nowadays being considered a classic. As an interesting side note, the album cover shows the World Trade Center on fire, long before September 11, 2001 attacks. Jeru's lyrics are very conscious [see The prophet], however he was strongly criticised by the Fugees for his explicit lyrics particularly in the song Da Bichez. The following album Wrath of the Math with DJ Premier in 1996 became an instant hit, and another timeless classic. The lyrics were very clever, and Jeru managed to rap about conscious eastern philosophy and eternal truths while using hip hop jargon [Revenge of the Prophet, Pt. 5]. The Heroz4hire album together with Mizmarvel came out in 1999 was his first album without production from DJ Premier and also his first under his then newly created KnowSavage Records. It featured a song 99.9 Pa Cent, which was a verbal attack on his former affilliates, Gang Starr. Heroz4hire was less critically acclaim due mostly to Premier's absence. His latest album Divine Design in 2003 was the first album under his new record label Ashenafi Records.
Discography
- The Sun Rises in the East (1994)
- Wrath of the Math (1996)
- Heroz4hire (1999)
- Divine Design (2003)
External links
- [Official website] of Jeru The Damaja
- [Jeru The Damaja] at the All Music Guide
- [Interview on Divine Design] from The Situation
- [Jeru The Damaja: Hip-Hop Icon Series Interview (http://www.halftimeonline.com)]
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