The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
1994
Album Summary
The Sun Rises in the East is the debut album by American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja, released May 24, 1994 on Payday Records. Production on the album was handled by DJ Premier. The album features fellow Gang Starr Foundation member Afu-Ra. The album cover depicts the World Trade Center on fire only one year after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower.The Sun Rises in the East was well received by most music critics upon its release. It is considerably significant in hip hop, as it contributed to the revival of the East Coast hip hop scene, along with albums such as Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993), Nas's Illmatic (1994), Big L's Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995), Notorious BIG's Ready to Die (1994), Onyx's Bacdafucup (1993), Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin (1995) and Black Moon's Enta da Stage (1993). The album has been considered by critics to be Jeru the Damaja's best work.
WikipediaHard hitting samples, crisp MC delivery, strong lyricism, balance between consciousness and gangster, Brooklyn sound, album cover shows WTC in flames (in 1994!). This one hits hard. Love! Ain't the Devil Happy Da Bichez
Sounds like Jay Z's granddad. I love the historicity of this album, but I also really dig the album itself. Jeru has great flow, good beats, and some truthful rhymes. This will definitely stay in my rotation for a while.
Damn, I always get surprised by how much I have grown to love east coast rap. This album is very strong as a debut and as a contemporary to Illmatic, Ready to Die, and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). I think because of how large those 3 albums are, this album and others end up getting lost in the mix, but they deserve a little retribution.
I thought this album was pretty cool. It is very emblematic of early 90s hip hop but it still feels relevant today. He had a nice flow and the album was pretty smooth while still being hard hitting.
Super unique and fun bars and flows. Another underrated throwback rap album that was extremely influential!
Great early 90s NYC rap. The juxtaposition between Jeru The Damaja's easy listening and fun flows with the discordant and jarring beats makes the album still fresh today even with all the hallmarks of the East Coast rap resurgence from that era easily identifiable. I'll be coming back to this for sure.
An underground classic that got lost in the mainstream due to its proximity to other major releases, notably Illmatic. A lot of it didn't age particularly well, but there's some cleverness in the beats (Come Clean) and the lyrics (You Can't Stop the Prophet, among others) that still stands up. Best track: You Can't Stop the Prophet
For the most part, never heard this. I know I’ve heard samples from this though. Pretty good. I enjoy it lyrically and a lot of it still as relevant as the day written.
Day 20 of Albums You Must Hear brings me the second Hip-Hop album so far, The Sun Rises In The East by Brooklyn, NY emcee, Jeru The Damaja. While the rap market was bloated and over saturated in 1994, some of the greatest acts in Rap Music, my first love, dropped their debut albums in 1994. It was a hell of a year. Ready To Die from The Notorious B.I.G., Illmatic from Nas, Creepin’ on ah Come Up from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, The Most Beautifullest Thing In The World from Keith Murray, Tical From Method Man, Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik from Outkast, all debut albums from icons, and thats just scratching the surface. The Fugees, Warren G and Da Brat also stepped out onto the scene. On top of all that, established artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ice Cube, 8Ball & MJG, House of Pain and Hammer released music in ’94. Shit, even Shaq had a rap record, and it actually wasn’t total crap! Thats just in hip-hop, 1994 was a great year for music in general. I say all that to justify why Jeru the Damaja wasn’t really on my radar… I knew of Jeru the Damaja and saw the video for his single Come Clean on Rap City on BET and I liked it, it just didn’t stand a chance competing with the above mentioned artists for my attention. Jeru went to high school with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr. When he was featured on the song I’m the Man from their album Daily Operation, doors were opened for the Brooklyn rapper. Come Clean gained a lot of traction with its gritty, authentic New York hip-hop sound. The Sun Rises In The East is entirely produced by DJ Premier. Jeru has a very clean and intelligent flow. You won’t be starved of any witty punchlines, and while the majority of the tone of this album is anti-gangster rap, he uses his distain for that part of the culture to come off pretty aggressive and violent. Jeru’s stance earned him more than a few adversaries with his colleagues at the time. I love Gangsta Rap, so while I recognize the abilities Jeru showcase in this album, its just not in my wheelhouse, as my Uncle Rick would say. Its 1994’s version of “woke music” and their were plenty of NY lyricists like Jeru the Damaja at the time. This might sound sacrilegious to other hip-hop heads, I found Coolio to have more of an impact on Rap. Side note, the cover art for this album depicts Jeru in front of a skyline of Manhattan with the World Trade Center buildings on fire and collapsing, eerie shit. In the end, I appreciate the lyricism on this album and how it stayed authentic to New York hip-hop. It may be among your favorite ’90’s rap albums, it just had way better competition in the genre at the time, in my opinion, to draw me in. With that said, Jeru the Damaja is still active even today and is passionate about his craft. No disrespect intended Mr. Damaja. Please share your thoughts, opinions and memories!!
The beats are often very dissonant such as ok D. Original and You Can’t Stop The Prophet. Personally, it’s not my favorite although I think it works better on YCSTP. Da Bichez is almost a good song but the lyrics are really sexist which really ruins it for me. Jeru does mention “I’m not a sexist” on My Mind Spray which honestly makes it worse. I find the hook on Come Clean annoying. That being said, most of the album is enjoyable. I don’t know enough about hip hop to get into specifics but I did like a lot of the beats and I’m sure this album was influential but I can’t help thinking that it hasn’t held as well as some other hip hop albums from that era. Favorite songs: Mental Stamina, Ain’t The Devil Happy, Jungle Music, Statik Least Favorite Songs: D. Original, Perverted Monks In Tha House, Da Bichez, Come Clean Light 5/10
Jeru has formidable intelligence with a freaky-freaky flow. Preemo’s production has a cold menace that’ll make your neck snap. An Essential Combo
Classic new york hip hop, gritty beats, and creative samples never heard of this rapper despite being a big hip hop fan and I loved this project the mixing is really bad but I think it really adds to the aesthetic of the album almost all songs are bangers but some of the songs were not as interesting as others but were still good. 9/10
I'm really surprised I've never heard of this album before because it's very much in my wheelhouse. some really clever rhymes, incredible production, and is over before you're even starting to lose interest.
It's hard to beat when both a rapper and a producer are at the top of their game. If I was Guru in 1994, I'd be lowkey pissed, because DJ Premier provides an insane set of beats for this album, and the Damaja more than lives up to his end of the deal. It's dated in the ways most of the era's best boom bap is—the requisite homophobia pops up in Come Clean and "dealin' with bitches is the same old song" in more ways than Jeru likely intends—but otherwise it performs an excellent lyrical balancing act: rugged yet conscious (without feeling overly preachy), delivered in a cadence that would hold you at gunpoint if it wasn't so tired with the gangster act. It even manages to have a bit of fun, with Jeru's spin on Redman-esque superhero storytelling being too corny to take seriously yet too entertaining to dismiss. It's not too shocking that an album like this would land under the radar compared to the Ready to Die and Illmatic crime rhymes that it rebukes, but it stands alongside them as a prime example of NYC hip-hop at its finest. Key Tracks: Mental Stamina, You Can't Stop the Prophet, My Mind Spray
I first heard this album years ago and wrote him off as another failed DJ Premier pet project in the vein of Group Home. After listening to this again, I have no idea what I was on because this is a fantastic album. Jeru has some real dumb lines but he says it all with such command that you can't help but go along with it, same with Premier's production. Easy 5 mics.
How have never heard this. Absolute amazing hip hop album…. I’ll revisiting this bad boy very soon!
A quintessential hip hop album of the mid 90s. This album is such a great encapsulation of east coast rap with its swing beats and its elements of jazz and world music. My only criticism is some of the misogyny in the lyrics though compared to some contemporaries, this album is pretty tame. The flow is acrobatic and the lyrics are clear and often socially conscious.
This is a classic, even though I personally prefer 'Wrath of the Math'. Jeru kicks esoteric knowledge and is a real rap legend. I went to see Jeru at Sub Tub in Umist in the '90s. After the show he went amongst the crowd to meet random people, even though it was mostly drunk students dancing to drum and bass. I vaguely remember seeing someone get punched in the face, but I suppose it was a rap show in the '90s.
Love it - old school sound with cool and unusual samples and beats from DJ Premier plus Jeru the Damaja's unique style.
Ovo je taj pravi hladni pa čak i mračni east coast klasik, 4.5, no cap. DJ Premier je napravio svoj posao kako on samo zna sa produkcijom. Esencijalan album za east coast. U ovom slučaju dajem peticu (4.5), jer ono, jeben album od glave do pete, no skips.
This album fucking rules. If you need introduce somebody to 90s rap, do it with this album. Beats are great and interesting--I'll always for jazz-inspired beats like on Da Bichez. Lyrics are great and important, flow is great. Favorite tracks: Da Bichez, Ain't the Devil Happy. Honorable mentions to Mental Stamina and My Mind Spray
Hip-Hop classic, the instrumentals are beautifully constructed and they have that marvelous 90's feeling.
I didn't think this was as good as Lauryn Hill's album but still fun to dive into old rap to see the roots of the genre
Are those the twin towers burning in the background? Not a bad album. Great production, and lyrics are mostly a refreshing change than the really gangster-y shit at the time (the f** flambé lyric notwithstanding).
Primo, ne? Hab ich sofort gehört. Und von allem (Prä-2010er) Hiphop den wir hier bisher hatten find ich den auch am besten. Trocken, reduziert, tight und trotzdem lose, dabei mit schönem Hang ins abstrakte (Top Track: Come Clean). Kommt super nachts auf der A3. Außerdem ist Jeru natürlich einer von den Guten, wichtige Antithese zu der ganzen nihilistischen Gangsterscheisse. Klare 4.
Love the unpolished gritty sound from early 90s hip hop albums. Plus this is fire and a lot of fun to listen to
I can’t tell if I’ve heard of this guy before or not, but the name sounds vaguely familiar. Either way, this is some excellent ‘90s NY hip hop. On first listen of course, I’m paying more attention to production, and I really love this dusty boom nap style. The lyrics I do catch are solid, and the vocal delivery is excellent too. Definitely on the higher end of the hip hop albums we’ve had on the list so far. Favorite tracks: Jungle Music, Come Clean, Perverted Monks in tha House, Statik, D. Original. Album art: Pretty standard art for this era/style of hip hop. But the twin towers burning is a surprising image. This was after a bombing in the ‘90s so it had to have been controversial then, but who could’ve known how controversial it had the potential to become? Maybe Jeru knew, y’know you can’t stop the prophet. 4.5/5
I used to score a lot of weed and pussy simply by wearing a t shirt with Jeru on. He was my inspiration, my hero, my lover. He just had to run off with my grandmother, didn't he? He broke my heart. He broke all of our hearts.
The early 90's was a great time to be a hip-hop fan. You had the incredible debut of Nas with Illmatic in '94, the explosive Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in '93, A Tribe Called Quest's jazz rap classic The Low End Theory in '91, and many more. Among all these, though, is Jeru the Damaja's debut. It's got classic east coast stylings with boom bap beats, but the interesting part is Jeru's willingness to push the boundaries on the samples. All be frank though, this is just great hip-hop. As far as I'm concerned, Jeru can hang with the rest of them. Wicked.
I was not familiar with the artist or any of the songs. However this was a good album and had good beats.
Cool, old school hip-hop. Was not familiar at all with this album but it's exactly the kind of thing I would have been into at the time. Kind of amazing what gems got lost in the pre-internet days of music discovery.
Murzynskie gransko wysokich lotow, jeden z mocniejszych debiutow, pan premier na bitach i danaja na zwrotkach, to mocno bijace slonce ze wschodu, na plejce juz mam wystarczajaco trakow z plyty
A hidden gem that came out in the year of hip hop, yet majorly influenced the East Coast scene. Hits hard but still has its fun, interactive moments. Album is very accessible, with funky samples and flow from track to track that is very easy to listen to. With decent tracks from start to finish, lots of creativity, a significant influence on the genre, and nothing that distracts my experience, there's no reason not to give 4 stars. Favorite tracks: D Original, Brooklyn Took It, Da Bitchez, Aint the Devil Happy, Come Clean
My one negative takeaway from this song is the borderline nice-guy-ish "Da Bitchez". It's a shame, cos it's a super catchy song, just feel like the message hasn't aged super well. Aside from that, the flows are tight, the lyrics flit between conscious hip-hop and classic, and the beats are great, occasionally showing some dissonance and noisiness. I got Gang Starr earlier in the list, and I still love the beats DJ Premier puts out. Also, massive, massive shoutout to Jeru for making cool little gifs that go along with each song on Spotify. Wasn't expecting that, and it's fun as fuck. Favorite tracks: "Come Clean", "Brooklyn Took It", "Ain't The Devil Happy"
Way better than expected, like a mix between Public enemy and Ice-T. And compared to modern rap, this is fucking Mozart. 4/5.
3/24/2022 Today's Album: "The Sun Rises In The East" by Jeru The Damaja - This album is really fun to listen to. I have very little experience with this era of rap, but the funky hip hop beats and fairly impressive flows throughout this project are really just a delight to the ear. It feels like the perfect music for just booling around the city and feeling like a badass with friends. The verses on these tracks are really great and seem to feature a lot of fantastic features, unless if this is just a rap group or Jeru putting on multiple voices. Anyways, There's a ton of diversity of this record and I like all of the interludes throughout the album. There's some great jazz accompaniments that boost the smooth feeling of these songs and there is just such a solid flow from track to track, with many dynamic changes in the sound, without ever feeling out of character. Other than that, it's pretty hard to review anything else about this record. I am pretty new to this genre and dont have a good frame of reference for the lyrical talent behind the record, but the grooves are smooth and theres a ton of character and talent behind the rap verses. Check it out if you like classic hip hop. The best I can compare it to is my very little knowledge of Biggie's top tracks. Score: 8/10 Enjoyed it a lot despite my lack of experience in the genre Highlights: D. Original, Da Bichez, Ain't The Devil Happy, Come Clean, Jungle Music, Statik
I have to admit this is probably the first hip hop album I've listened to fully. And this one is pretty good! The lyrics can get silly at times but the beats are great and the flow is always there.
Straight out of '94 east coast hip-hop. Great stuff, hazy samples and vicious flow. It's a couple of steps behind the classics of that era (Illmatice, 36 Chambers etc.) but it's well worth an inclusion. Best Tracks: D. Original; You Can't Stop the Prophet; Come Clean - E New Y Radio
Debut album from American rapper Jeru the Damaja (lots of the same letters in my name. It confused me at first). Produced by Gang Starr member DJ Premier. The album is credited with helping revive the East Coast hip-hop scene in the 90's along with Wu Tang, Nas, Big L and the Notorius BIG. Kind of ominous with the World Trade Center burning in the background of his album cover (the WTC had been bombed the year before). However, I did not find or interpret this album to be violent or even gansta at all. He seems to be challenging all rappers to his rhyming in a lot the these songs. And, his rhyming is great. I don't have a ton of experience in hip-hop lyrics but this guy sure seems prolific with his sheer number of lyrics per song. His non-stop lyrics are laid perfectly against hypnotic beats and weird and sometimes eerie sampling and sounds. As previously mentioned, Jeru seems to be challenging all comers to a rap-off against him and, in general, East Coast rap as in songs "Brooklyn Took it" and My Mind Spray." He goes anti-gansta in "Ain't that Devil Happy." Although he made some people (evidently The Fugees) angry thinking this to be misogynistic, one my favorite songs on the album is "Da Bichez" where he goes after a specific type of woman; those only after the money. Overall, a very well produced and recorded album. Along with the previously mentioned acts, probably a good place to start and/or experience early- to mid-90's East Coast hip-hop. I'm sure I'll be coming back to this album and scene in the near future.
I previously had only heard of Jeru through him being sampled by DJ Shadow. This is great stuff and with the exception of one dated track really top class Hip Hop.
Immaculate production with the weirdest early spin on the East Coast sound. Lyrics fell a little bit flat for me on first spin, though Jeru clearly created at least one elite project. Baffles me that I know nothing about this body of work.
This old east coast sound is such a vibe. Fun beats and fun bars make for a fun album (if dated at times).
Beats are fantastic and production tight. Rapping is fine but it really is the instrumentals that are the most enjoyable for me here.
I generally don't care for most rap, but I enjoyed this album quite a bit. I would listen to this again for sure.
Wow, I didn't think I was familiar with Jeru other than recognizing the name, but I actually know some of these tracks from 311 skate videos I used to watch in high school. Pretty good album; has that 90's hip hop sound and that east coast style of using dissonant samples.
Solid east coast classic, unique beats and flows across the whole album. Took me a second to get into it but once I did I started loving it.
One of the more lesser known but integral albums of the East Coast Rap Renaissance of the 90s, The Sun Rises in the East builds and lives up to its title with its minimal yet impactful instrumentation and potent rhymes from the original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel. Although overshadowed by what came before and afterward, this is an album that's not to be ignored and does more than it's required to hold its own. Favorites: D. Original, Brooklyn Took It, Mental Stamina, Da Bichez, You Can't Stop the Prophet, Ain't the Devil Happy, Mind Spray.
Giving a 4 because the beats are excellent and Jeru sounding really entertaining on his first album. Don't really care for the homophobic line but almost every 90s rapper is guilty of this. Can't rate it higher just due to the holier-than-thou attitude that would paint his imagine in later years.
I love this quintessential 90's rap. Im familiar with Jeru but Wrath of the Math has been my go to album. Sun Rises is definitely still really raw but the complexity and lyricism are still present - this sound is definitely way ahead of its time - you can hear a lot of this in Blackalicious, the Roots, and more modern high brow hip hop Standout Tracks: D. Original, Come clean, Da Bichez
Pretty good. The representation of women and gay folks is a little problematic, but the flow is good and there are definitely some good lines. Nothing super catchy and single-able
Some good old classic 90s hip hop to start off the week. Jeru the Damaja sounds nice and indie too… loved this record
Hip-hop de los 90. Pianos, samples de jazz, ... las torres gemelas ardiendo. Suena muy bien y no lo conocía. Algunas veces esta lista de 1001 álbumes te da una alegría. Temas como "You can't stop the prophet". "Ain't the devil happy" o "Come clean" siguen sonando muy bien.
I hadn't heard of this guy buy I'd heard of Gangstarr. I remember the song Bitches, which is catchy but... Overall, Smooth style. Easy to listen to.
Yay. A Hip-Hop album. Bet Bjorno is excitied!? Starts off slowly and its only when "the Bitchez" comes on i start to pay attention (absoloute Jam BTW!). Everything after that is a level above what came before. Especially liked "Jungle Music" and "Ain't the Devil Happy". 3/5 Mainly for the 2nd half of the album.
Not too much to say for me here. Enjoyed the album. Some awesome sampling and rhythm favorite track: Mental Stamina
I gave this a listen but I was multitasking and didn't really pay attention to the lyrics. I find with RAP in particular you can't really say you like or hate something without listening to the lyrics. Oh well, I didn't hear any "Yo Bitch" or comments on Cristal Champagne so that's a 3 right?
A little bit of a swing and a miss on this one. I agree with Tim that the lyrics, often such a focal point in hip hop, are pretty thin here. And while there are some good beats here, there were a few that didn't quite blow me away either. Favourite track: "D. Original"
This starts out really bad, with all the teribbleness of early 90s rap of bad flow and cheesy rhymes, then gets really good with all the awesomeness of early 90s rap, with on-point mixing and samples. Favourite track: "My Mind Spray"
The Sun Rises In The East starts of with a mysterious intro, which is followed by a real hip-hop classic. A tight beat, great rhymes and an edgy off-key piano makes for a great track. "Brooklyn Took It" and "Mental Stamina" have a beat that is too repetitive, with a sharp synthesizer riff that I can't ignore, besides the otherwise great lyrics. Fortunately, "Da Bichez" doesn't have a dominating sharp synth, which makes me appreciate the jazzy swing more. "You Can't Stop The Prophet" and "Ain't The Devil Happy" are the best tracks on the record, extremely tight beat that goes along with an engaging story. "My Mind Spray" and "Come Clean" are honestly underwhelming, maybe even boring in comparison. The last two tracks are alright, but add very little new elements to make the entire record more appealing. A 3/5 is fair.
Solid album. Some of the songs didn't age super well. But we are talking an almost 30 year old album.
Yet another name I know but have not deliberately listened to yet was not expecting that intro, interesting you can hear dj premier production all over this - "Before trains were graffiti proof I used to get loose great samples and scratches over classic early 90s new york rap complete with the kung fu influences very of its time "Until then, ain't the Devil happy" "even Men of Steel rust" like "Like Water For Chocolate" by common the standout here is dj premier Come Clean I have definitely heard this beat before but of course comes the casual homophobia of the 90s - "I snatch fake-gangster emcees and make 'em faggot flambé" but I think I recognise it because of the onyx song and not this song 3 - decent, could stick on again but a low 3 but i am more likely to look to the rest of his discophraphy to see so would give a 2.5 leaning to a 3
Not my usual taste but it's good for me to branch out. I especially liked the tail end of this album. Good hip hop album to jam out to
Another hip hop album that I quite enjoyed. Good music, rhythmic vocals. Usual questionable lyrics - Da Bitchez!
It's not my genre; I don't listen to hip hop. That being said, I can understand why this album would be on this list. This is one of the few times that the predecessor is just as good as the albums it inspired a year or two later. Sure the mix could use some work as the beat overpowers the words a lot, but other than that it's great. Favorite track: You Can't Stop The Prophet
Overall, I thought this album was alright. Not as great as the other Hip Hop albums we have seen here. Honestly, nothing stood out to me in this album to make it memorable....that is...except for one thing. I had to do a little research on this but funny enough, the famous song from this album is Come Clean. Well, that happens to be the only song where I caught something. "Don't provoke the wrath of this rhyme inventor, cause I blow up spots like the World Trade Center"....within this verse there is also something about flying like a jet. Not ONLY that but this album cover has him crouching next to what appears to be the twin towers burning. Mind you...this album came out in 1994 so while the album itself wasn't that exciting, this entire thing will stay with me forever. Jeru the Damaja possibly knew about 9/11 seven years before it happened. He was ahead of the game (and I tried to find what Damaja meant, maybe seer or prophet, but all I could find was that there was a Brahman in Indian text called Damaja).
The sound of a jug of thick cream lashing against the pert behind of an Argentinian tango dancer...probably.
Very interesting album. Hip hop is the genre that has continued to surprise with consistently fine albums. 3.5 🌟
Didn't really speak to me until I got to "Ain't the devil happy". May be my whiteness or my relative normalcore tastes, but overall it wasn't hugely for me. But the nuggets that reached me told me there's something here.
it's good sounds like explicit versions of the beats that play in the knuckles and rouge levels in sonic adventures battle 2 DX Could totally imagine every song as the theme for Shadow the Hedgehog, straight 90's
Listened to most of this album, busy day kept me from finishing. Solid rhymes throughout but the lo-fi Wu-Tang-esque beats were really what propelled me through the album. Jeru has an original flow and is definitely entertaining to listen to, but I never found that standout track.
East Coast hip hop... Lyrics seem to be focused on business... Again, hip hop is not a fave but there were some good stories told in the lyrics.
I liked to know this new hip-hop album, but for me, it's just more of the same thing that I already know. I understand the importance of it in a historical way, but I didn't get much from it
Pretty solid 90s hip hop. Classic DJ Premier Boom Bap production, but noting super stunning. Good rhymes and concepts, but again not much stands out. Fav track: Mental Stamina.
Debut album by American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja, released May 24, 1994 and called as the best Damaja's album by the critics. It is considerably significant in hip hop, as it contributed to the revival of the East Coast hip hop scene.
Nice listening experience. Hate to say I didn’t grow up listening to hip hop, but I’m eager to hear more from this era.
Ca sonne bien, bon rap, bon beat, bonne realisation classique de brook’yn. Dj premier 3.65
Rap. Geile Beats hier, das ist so peak harte Boom Bap Produktion, die Drums pushen richtig rein. Das verzerrte Klavier auf dem 2. Track kommt sehr genial. Ich hätte gehofft dass das ganze weiter so experimentell bleibt, so bleibts nur solide. Die Lyrics, bzw was ich davon so aufgeschnappt hab, wirken sehr verrückt und durchdacht. Ich glaube das könnte ein Grower sein, aber ich schätze dafür holt mich der Stil nicht mehr genug ab. Starke 3!
Jo keine Überraschungen hier, ein 90er Rap-Album was gut durchfließt. Nichts besonderes, aber schon wohl interessant genug. Sehr in Ordnung halt. 6/10
A 90s rap album I was not familiar with. Listened to int once. Sounds fine but made less impact than some other albums from that period, so will give it a 3.
Seems like standard old school rap/hip hop to my untrained rap ear. Nothing really stands out for me, but it doesn't turn me off like some rap does. It's okay...
Filthy beats, filthy lyrics. Good example of non violent gangster rap from the 90s but prefer lyrics that are more thoughtful
Good hip-hop. Nothing to blow me away. Will definitely have you tapping feet. Top 10 album covers that haven't aged well. Highlights: You Can't Stop the Prophet, D. Original, Come Clean, Jungle Music
Brash hip hop, musically very good but some fairly misogynistic lyrical stylings make this a tough listen
Love the flow, the delivery. Agree with the review that said parts didn’t age well, but good stuff.
man, i wanted to love but it felt solid but not incredible. a couple great tracks, nice production overall. i had never heard of this one though so it was nice to find something new!
Jeru the Damaja is a very talented rapper, the vocals and clarity are certainly noticeable. A little bit of digging through the history of hiphop, particularly in the early 90s, it certainly shows the maturity and shift of the genre, and this album helps put that into perspective. The times have changed, where such talent seems to have been set aside for singles and quick success rather than intentional hiphop albums by artists that truly care about their productions. This review may be biased through the lens of history, but the point remains. Jeru the Damaja, and this album are a credit to more intentional times where hiphop and rap could be seen as valuable contributions to music and a constructive society.
Best Song: Brooklyn Took It. Excellent flow, vocals drip feed a the perfect rate. Worst Song: Da Bichez. Kinda disappointing that a song this misogynistic slaps so hard. Overall: A lot of older hip hop has a short shelf life, if only because the genre changes and transforms so frequently, but this still works decades later. Great voice and a great collection of beats.
It sounds amazing and the bits are great but my English and knowledge of the artist's background are too limited to fully appreciate his album.
Even if Robert Dimery’s hip-hop choices are fairly questionable, this is a fine album, if a bit stereotypically 2conscious4u as some 90s rap albums are. It’s also tastefully short
J'aime beaucoup DJ Premier. Ses beats souvent construits à partir de vieux enregistrement jazz sont très minimaux et ont toute une groove. Les éléments de scratch aussi sont très intéressant. C'est bien d'entendre cette collaboration de cette époque, mais son travail au sein de Gang Starr avec Guru reste supérieur. Le flow de Jeru est tout même bien. Pas un essentiel pour moi, mais une écoute agréable.
C’est intéressant. Je ne connaissais pas. J’aime que ce ne sois pas que de la violence du sex et de l’argent. La prod est l’fun. J’ai beaucoup aimé le piano joué avec les mitaines (J’imagine).
I don’t know about this one. It sounds kind of generic and sexist to me. But hey, there are some solid beats, and it’s pretty brisk for a rap album. C-
It is unusual that I have never heard of the artist or album for a must-hear record. Better than average early 90s NY rap. It does not fall into most of the usual traps of gansta rap (which I cannot abide). I enjoyed the singles, and the production is crunchy and discordant in a way that really appeals to me. "Da bichez", however, I could live without.
This is a decent rapper who I'd never heard of, but like many 90's hip-hop albums it has not aged well and I would not listen to it again. I did like the line about meeting at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop. This is my subway stop so I could really relate to that line alone.
I tried to get into it but I couldn't. I can respect the creativity and the flow, but it doesn't get beyond that for me.
Really don’t like the beat in the first song but do like a lot of the others, especially in Da Bitchez and Ain’t the Devil Happy. All the beats on here are DJ Premiere, one of the best producers of all time, but he grew a lot as a producer since this project. Even his beats only a couple years later on reasonable doubt are much stronger. I generally find hip hop beats made before vocal samples were used in the beats to be pretty boring. The lyrics were fine but nothing special at all. I genuinely feel that almost every rap album from 1988-1994 sounds exactly the same. Jungle music was my favorite song. And a Big shoutout to Hoyt Schermerhorn though!!!
A solid, back-to-basics hip-hop album. Appreciate that this one doesn't have too large an ego about it, only a good sense of solid shittalk. A bit long in places, but solid beats and bars are hard to beat.
90s rap has a very unique feel to it I can't place my finger on, whenever I hear it, I KNOW its from that era of rap. That goes for this album aswell Some of the lyrics are very over the top I especially love Mental Stamina. Great feature from Afu-Ra and I enjoyed this album a lot overall. 6/10
I don’t usually listen to music like this so I’m not sure how to rate it, but I liked it. Will probably listen again.
An enjoyable album that flows well together. It really felt like something I would hear in something like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or something similarly 90s. A lot of the lyrics still accurate today, but sadly a lot of lyrics are also questionable, like the entirety of "Da Bichez", but at least somewhat enjoyable to listen to. Like one ear and out the other sort of deal here, can't see myself listening again, but we'll see.
i think i’ve been spoiled by the legendary 90s albums because even though this was great for the time, it fell flat to me.
Didn’t get to listen to this album a ton, but I love it! Definitely going to be listening to this again. My rating: 6/10
9. There's a jump in the intro? Someone didn't edit this properly 💀 The piano is literally terrible It just sounds incomplete and messy They need a proper pianist so bad 😭 Vocally completely fine! Mental Stamina could have been good if not for the weird high pitched sound throughout, makes it almost unlistenable. It also stutters a bit and it just sounds wrong??? Faves - Da Bichez, You Can't Stop The Prophet, Ain't The Devil Happy Overall - I had to listen to half this album before getting to something even somewhat listenable... Lyrics/vocals fine, music BAD Rating - 2/5