1001 Albums Generator
The Sun Rises In The East by Jeru The Damaja

The Sun Rises In The East

Jeru The Damaja

1994
2.89
Rating
22801
Votes
1
10%
2
24%
3
39%
4
21%
5
6%
Distribution
Genres: Hip-Hop Styles: Conscious, Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip-Hop, Turntablism

Reviews (page 2 of 8)

Worth checking out again. High highs but there were definitely some flat moments

I can't say that I enjoyed waking up to this. Not my favorite hip hop

Production by dj premier was good but found it boilerplate

Ripped! Excited to read about this one.

Fine. I added “Jungle Music” to my playlist.

Remember: if a man feels the need to say "I'm not a misogynist", it's probably because he just said something misogynistic.

Da Bitchez is a little incel-y but a good album nonetheless.

The beats here are great! DJ Premier does not miss…can’t say the same for Jeru

3/5. Solid album, though it definitely doesn’t rank among the best east coast hip-hop records of the 90’s for me. The beats are pretty simple but I honestly thought they were pretty good overall! Theres a hypnotic quality to them. Lyrically Jeru is alright, though there are some clunky ass bars here. Like on the song “Da Bichez” with the line “But you can’t obtain this, poppin’ that coochie for Gucci” which is so dumb that it loops back around to being hilarious. But there are still strong lyrical showings here like on the closer “Statik.” Will I revisit this one in full? Probably not, but I’m glad I listened to it regardless.

iskreno uopće mi nije bilo loše? naprotiv. svi nešto seruckaju i serendaju a meni se dopao, i to dosta više od suvremenika mu koje glazbeni kritičari izdižu u nebesa. možda mi se sviđa i jer je kratak i jasan; očekivao sam, budući da je riječ o albumu iz devedesetih, neko prenatrpano sranje od sat i deset minuta. dobar album sve u svemu

Expected to enjoy this one a lot more than I did. I’m a big fan of Gang Starr so the production was easily my favorite part, unfortunately Jeru isn’t unique enough of a rapper to stand out amongst his peers from the same era. Still a few fun moments but nowhere near what I had hoped for.

There's better

Best Track - "Come Clean - E New Y Radio"

Super meh 2.5

Fairly average hip hop to me. Nothing much to write home about. Da Bichez is a rather amusing sign title though.

2.5 to a low 3. The sound is decent and I don’t even mind this old school rap but can’t see me coming back to much

I dig any rap that sounds like this, as it evokes the NYC of my childhood. This isn’t quite Wu Tang, but it’s still pretty cool.

All that just to end up on a 2manydjs mix. I respect it. 5/5

cool but not for me rating: 5/10

nothing exceptional, just good Would I listen again: not really Deserves to be on this list: don't know hip hop history I guess 3.0

2.3 The lyrics were cool but i just dont like the sound too much. It doesnt give me tingles.

Fairly abstract hip-hop for the time I think (white guy appraisal 😆), conscious social commentary, enjoyed mostly ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DJ Premier is pure gold

- I know it says it's "conscious" rap, but there's still a whole lot of posturing and misogyny... who's going to tell him he *is* sexist? I don't have the patience to listen to all the lyrics. Also, found some accusations that he's a pedo/predator - not sure if it's true, but his response was "I have never talked to, touched, or did anything else to anyone who did not want me to do so.", and that's not a great response, so I'm going to go with him probably being a pedo predator. - Feels pretty dated, but there are some fun instrumentals at times, like the cool dissonant keys on D. Original - though, it goes on too long without any real changes. Basically, I found that all the songs were like that - nothing really changes throughout each of the tracks and there aren't any really interesting melodies. Each song feels like one idea the whole time, which I find dull. - This includes the beats, which are fine, but a little too laid-back and one-note throughout... nothing really stood out in that respect or made me want to dance. - His voice has a nice smooth tone. - It's definitely been sampled by some jungle/d&b djs I like, but I prefer what was done with these samples than in this original context.

Premier is so sick on production. Dope 90s rap. Love it

Probably the most enjoyable rap album I’ve listened to so far on this journey, I found my self head bobbing or tapping along to a lot of the songs. Once again, 90s rap far, far exceeds today’s garbage. Rap is still not my favorite genre though, and this still doesn’t top a 3/5.

Again, not my style. Interesting lyrics though,

Boom Bap is a style of rap that I do enjoy, thanks to its loud drums, groovy beats and fantastic flows, and this is another great example, even though is not one of the bests. On my first listens I was really digging it, but as I was getting use to it, I begin to feel less excited, but never really bored. In general, the record is basically a very solid hip hop album that isn't an incredibly mind-blowing experience. With that being said, there are two particular tracks that I like more than others: "D. Original" is a super interesting starter, having an incredibly tense sounding piano. "Ain't the Devil Happy" have some really nice violins that add a great layer of drama to the song. There is also another track that is special, and not in a great way, that one being "Da Bichez". The lyrical content here is kind of eyebrow rising, as the artist proclaims himself as non misogynistic person while describing a group of women as exactly as an misogynistic would.... so it feels a bit hypocrite. Either way, this is a nice album. Very solid boom bap with great grooves and flows,

At the risk of sounding like the old white guy that I am, this was a most unpleasant listening experience. The 5 second beats of music on an unending loop, combined with the unintelligible lyrics made this into everything that rock-era people despise about rap. I gave it a fair shot, but no thanks.

Nothing quite like the old stuff.

Didn't like this album but can appreciate the talent

Just okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand the “east coast hip hop revival” aspect of the hip hop albums on here that evidently earned them a spot on the list. Compared to artists like Notorious BIG and Nas who were making BETTER albums as part of the SAME MOVEMENT I really just don’t think the album is all that special.

Rather slappin

Never heard of this rapper.before. Very much sounds like they're heavily Influenced by Run DMC Has the same kinda cringe content most gangster rap of the era had, but the beats and tempo and melodies are good. I enjoyed this album though I think it's inclusion over a few other options is a bit criminal.

good hip hop album from the nineties, halfway between conscious hip hop and gangsta rap good pseudo-intellectual and philosophical lyrics, intricate and elaborate rhyme patterns that focus on knowledge and on hip hop as a path to achieve it

Are we not going to mention the album cover? Generally a okay listen.

Not for me

Classic 90s Black Hip-Hop

Tough but gentle, backpack but street. My new top choice for fantasy hip-hop uncle cousin, sorry Big Boi of Outkast.

Hadn’t heard this before, but I liked it. Good wordplay

*1994. *Lovely vocals - Jeru has a nice deep voice and smooth flow. *The background sounds and random percussion nosies are annoying - as someone else called it "dissonant piano or a buzzy tone." *I'm hoping he fired whoever made the percussion choices on this album and made more music. There's potential here, but it needs a lot of work. RATING - 6/10

I've heard a lot of essential 90s hip-hop on this list - this is not one of them. Jeru's flow is pretty mod, and his rhymes are simple and not that interesting. The beats are pretty weak, and resort to heavy repetition and cutting the sound entirely in moments. Not for me, unfortunately. 2/5

I don't get it.

Liked it more than I expected to. A couple lyrics didn’t sit well with me (casual use of the f-slur in particular), but it was a good listen overall.

Like most 90s Hip Hop, it feels dated, but comfortably so. Rap has changed a lot in the last 30 years, and Hip Hop is nothing if not a time capsule. So even though it definitely sounds its age, it's still damned good for what it is. Could I see myself getting the urge to pop this on in my car on a random Tuesday? Not really, but I'm quite glad it popped up on the list today.

Ooof. 1/5, 1/10

Very little care for this album. When people say they hate “rap” I imagine their experience with listening to hip hop is similar to how I felt with this album. Like the production tho.

This wasn’t bad but for me it pales in comparison to the more well known East Coast hip hop from this era.

First listen. It was alright. It’s got the NY 93-97 vibe. Jeru’s flow is good but the content has not aged well. DJ Premier’s production is wonderful and is the standout of this album.

90s hip hop >>>>>>>>>>>> modern hip hop, god these flows are so good and now the genre is ruined

More proof that all hip hop albums sound exactly the same.

Definitely from brooklyn, kinda wu tang influenced but less inspirational. Some of the bars are absolutely solid and then they grind to a hault with some questionable wordplay. Decent beats but they tend to use a really annoying sample line that is not like an ear worm. But some of the swagger and flow is pretty good. Just not 100% where I'd like it.

Some nice rap on here. I like his smooth delivery.

Surprised I've never heard this before. Fun. Great beats. Interesting dude that is like to know more about.

Musicalmente fraco. Batidas secas. Rap de 90, Particularmente não é o meu estilo.

Un sonido muy gángster desde el principio, pero en el buen sentido Tiene unos samples durísimos, me parece un rapero infravalorado Siento, ya que desconozco, que esta es de esas personas que pudo haber ido despertando un poco más el movimiento del hiphop en la Costa Este, pero si se ve que utiliza muy bien el disco para ser un buen MC La primera canción después del intro puede ser mi favorita, se pelea con otra que está en medio del álbum también, pero realmente como un todo se siente un proyecto completo y con propuesta clara Se disfrutó, es reescuchable y recomendable

Kind of surprised to see Jeru the Damaja on the base list here. He's quite underrated honestly. I also wasn't aware that he teamed up with DJ Premier on his first two albums. Explains the big, clean, and at times unique, beats ("Come Clean" was the best example here). Of course, also helps that Jeru is quite the competent lyricist as well. This should be up there with the other classic East Coast hip-hop records, but understandable why this may have been overlooked.

hadnt heard before today and liked it. but not sure i'll revisit it

Not bad at all - enjoyed it - one of the better examples of this genre I think

Forgetable

Literally never heard of this before. Surprisingly good, bit clear why it got overshadowed by Illmatic etc

Not bad, decent beats busy very generic topics of its time

On one hand it's not britpop. On the other hand, it's fucking awful.

gohja, niets voor mij

The Sun Rises In The East Jeru The Damaja 1994 Genres: Hip Hop Styles: Conscious, Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip Hop, Turntablism 1. Intro / Life (★★☆☆☆) - Contexto: Una breve introducción que presenta la vida como un desafío constante y prepara el tono reflexivo y serio del álbum. 2. D. Original (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Jeru se presenta como un MC auténtico, reivindica la originalidad y critica a quienes imitan estilos o buscan fama sin talento. 3. Brooklyn Took It (★★★☆☆) # - Contexto: Un homenaje a Brooklyn como una de las cunas del hip-hop, celebrando su influencia cultural y el orgullo por sus raíces. 4. Perverted Monks In Tha House (Skit) (★★☆☆☆) # - Contexto: Interludio humorístico protagonizado por los "Perverted Monks", pensado como un descanso entre canciones y para aportar personalidad al álbum. 5. Mental Stamina (★★★☆☆) # - Contexto: Junto a Afu-Ra, destaca que la fortaleza mental, el conocimiento y la disciplina son más importantes que la fuerza física o la violencia. 6. Da Bichez (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Una crítica a las relaciones superficiales e interesadas desde la perspectiva de Jeru. Es uno de los temas más controvertidos del disco por su contenido. 7. You Can't Stop The Prophet (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Jeru se presenta como un portavoz de la verdad que denuncia la manipulación, la corrupción y la ignorancia, afirmando que su mensaje no puede ser silenciado. 8. Perverted Monks In Tha House (Theme) (★★★★☆) - Contexto: Breve pieza instrumental que retoma el motivo del interludio anterior y sirve como transición dentro del álbum. 9. Ain't The Devil Happy (★★★★★) - Contexto: Reflexiona sobre cómo el odio, la violencia y los conflictos entre personas terminan beneficiando simbólicamente al mal, invitando a romper ese ciclo. -Fav 10. My Mind Spray (★★★★☆) - Contexto: Una demostración de habilidad lírica en la que Jeru describe sus rimas como un arma intelectual capaz de superar a cualquier competidor. 11. Come Clean (★★★★☆) - Contexto: El gran clásico del álbum. Exige honestidad y autenticidad dentro del rap, atacando a quienes construyen una imagen falsa o carecen de verdadero talento. 12. Jungle Music (★★★☆☆) - Contexto: Retrata la ciudad como una jungla donde sólo sobreviven quienes mantienen la cabeza fría, los principios y la inteligencia. 13. Statik (★★★⯨☆) - Contexto: Cierre del disco con otra demostración de destreza lírica y una reafirmación de la filosofía de autenticidad, conocimiento y confianza que atraviesa todo el álbum. -TOTAL = ★★★⯨☆ (3,45)

Admittedly I’m by no means a big rap fan so my word doesn’t count for much, but this just felt very generic and bland. I’m sure someone with more skin in the game than me could explain the intricacies and what makes this a good record but for me it just sounded like any other 90s east-coast rap record.

I don’t like hip-hop, sorry.

Unfortunately, this was not my vibe!!

Pretty good.

the other one better

Dear god. I do try. I try to keep an open mind in the spirit of the 1001 albums. I'm just getting tired of rap. It's not for me and even though it only lasted 39 minutes I was counting down the seconds. This album has no redeeming features despite me looking for them.

Just because this guy sold books with, or rolled blunts for, or worked at McDonald's with Masta Killah, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, NAS, Guru, etc, does not make him as good as them. This album was not too bad, mostly thanks to DJ Premier's production, but it was also not too good, and kind of silly.

If you don't like Jeru then you're Ignorant, simple as. Also that DJ Premier production, this is that Science.

Even with the piano or the strange electric sound coming in very harsh in some songs the flow is soo good throughout the album and I love the different instruments they throw in like a trumpet, not what I expected at all. A new artist in a genre I don't listen to a lot (at least albums in this genre from this time) but I really enjoyed it. Not something I see myself searching up often but some songs are already added to playlists to pop up from time to time.

slipped through my radar somehow but I’m okay with that. it’s fine

01) Intro (Life) - 5,0 02) D. Original - 6,0 03) Brooklyn Took It - 5,5 04) Perverted Monks in tha House (Skit) - 5,0 05) Mental Stamina - 5,5 06) Da Bichez - 6,5 07) You Can't Stop the Prophet - 5,5 08) Perverted Monks in tha House (Theme) - 5,0 09) Ain't the Devil Happy - 6,0 10) My Mind Spray - 5,5 11) Come Clean - 6,5 12) Jungle Music - 5,5 13) Statik - 6,0 TOTAL: 5,65 (57/100) Current ranking: 818/967

Бляяя

Maybe it's just cuz 90s rap isn't my thing but this sounds just like every other 90s rap I've heard.

Triple blind here… As a white boy who was 5 years old in Wyoming when this album came out I am DEFINITELY not the target demographic here. That being said… this album didn’t really have a distinct sound to me. The loop tracks felt generic and I’m not convinced that the lyrics were more meaningful than any other rapper of that generation. Again, it was a triple blind, so I may get more out of it with further scrutiny, but right now I’m left wanting more

I've wondered who Biggies contemporaries on the East Coast were. I guess Jeru was one! Not my genre but appreciate getting exposed to a little more of it.

Let klassisk hiphop lyd med lidt let ironi, og knap som gangster som så meget andet, lidt mere horror referancer. Det er glemt som alt andet gamle hip hop.

Klassisk 90s NY Hip-Hop. Det var okay.

I didn't love this unfortunately Playlist add: "Ain't the Devil Happy"

was fine, not my thing though

Decent 90s hip hop. Not to the level of Illmatic or 36 Chambers but enjoyable nonetheless

Not quite at the level of the heavy hitters of the time, illmatic and ready to die, but still pretty good in its own right with a good amount of humour too. 3.5/5 Top tracks: mental stamina, da bichez, ain't the devil happy

The content was meh, the flows and beats were great.

East Coast hip hop.

Really thought this was gonna be a 2010s indie album…

Wauw, dit was een fijne verrassing! De beats zijn heerlijk lofi, soms zelfs bijna overdreven. Waar veel albums uit deze tijd zich typeren door wat agressievere beats en raps is dit eigenlijk een soort proto lofi hiphop. Zonder dit album geen Loyale Carner zeg maar. Het doet me soms ook denken aan A tribe called quest, maar dan wel iets meer richting de brag n boast hiphop van bijvoorbeeld NWA. Wel duidelijk minder agressief, maar nog steeds word er een hoop verteld over het rauwe straat leven. Eigenlijk is 1 vergelijking bijna onvermijdelijk: Illmatic natuurlijk! Jeru is lang niet zo goed als Nas, maar dat is geen schande gezien dat een van de beste albums ooit gemaakt is. Dit album is lekker, niet te lang en blijft zichzelf precies genoeg innoveren om je aandacht vast te houden. Bijna niets op aan te merken dus, maar het mist voor mij gewoon de Wow factor om dit 5 sterren te geven. Dit album is gewoon heel goed. En dat is geen schande. Favo: Mental stamina, Da Bichez, Jungle Music, Statik

I have not heard this before, at least I don’t think I have. I have heard Jeru The Damaja but the last time was back in college, and I’ve forgotten what he sounds like so I might have heard this before and forgot. Most of these songs sound familiar, so I probably did hear this before. It’s got a lot of that stripped down piano line sampling that wu-tang used so well and the lyrics I heard were pretty strong too, I listened to this while working and while driving so there were parts I didn’t pay close attention to. Altogether pretty great album.

It's just not very good. Average listenable beats and no flow. The usual "I'm the best and will shoot you" nonsense. He rhymes sister with histor y. Maybe that's one of the "rhymes like semen" he later mentions, whatever that means. The lyrics on that last song Statik dropped its final star.

Sometimes decent raps that are brought down by the lyrics and production

I have never listened to this album, or this artist before. It seems to hit the sweep spot for 90s rap. The production is of the time without feeling cheesy. Getting towards the end of this record, I think I appreciate the production more than the lyricism/vocals.

And it sets in the west.

Pretty sick album but what the fuck is that album cover lol

Just felt too serious. Bit boring also

When I think of the sound/style of '90s rap, this fits the bill exactly. I enjoyed this one

I found the album a waste of time overall. Beats AB’s samples weren’t very interesting and apart from a couple tracks the lyrical content didn’t help my impression.

Sorry Jeru. This was nice, but utterly forgettable

legendarisch dat Jeru hier gewoon opstaat. Zijn flow was altijd al vaag Preemo is semi aan het cooken en ook echt een paar stinkers. all-in-all wel meer verwacht

While I will listen to some rap artists, it is generally outside of the music that I normally listen to. I had never heard of Jeru the Damaja. It feels like the artist was not into the gangster lifestyle and was pretty mellow by rap standards. Not bad.

Wish I would have heard it when it came out. I’d be cooler and smarter I bet.

I’d be curious to see what the book says about this album. I do enjoy it but I don’t know if I’d say it really shines in any particular way. It sort of feels like a lesser Wu Tang solo album.

Misogynistic and mid

Not spectacular at all. Sort of annoying. Typical mid 90s hip hop, but nothing really stood out.

Thank God the sun rises in the East, and we get a new record tomorrow. Jeru needs to go back and thank “Da Bitchez” for keeping him outta da basement.

Misogynistic lyrics. Check. Unnecessary skit tracks. Check. Dated production. Check. An album I need to hear before dying. Uncheck. There were some moments musically here and there that I actually liked. But this album no doubt fails most likely due to being overshadowed and outshined by others at the time like WuTang, etc. The sun should probably not rise anymore for this one.

A bit generic. It’s….fine. Nothing really stood out to me. 2.25

Thought this was pretty decent. 2.76/5

There are some records where the first job is not deciding whether you like them. The first job is working out what kind of listening they require. This was one of those. I do not think this is an album that benefits from being approached as “rap music” in some broad, lazy category sense, because that makes it too easy for the sceptical listener to dismiss it before it has even started. There is very little here that is trying to win over a listener who wants melody, warmth, harmonic development, instrumental soloing, or the sound of a band moving together in a room. But that is not a limitation. It is the point. This is hip-hop stripped back to its load-bearing elements: MC, DJ, beat, scratch, loop, breath, timing, voice, discipline and proof. Almost everything else is treated with suspicion. Gloss is suspect. Luxury is suspect. Commercial ease is suspect. Even conventional musical comfort feels suspect. The whole record seems to operate from the position that embellishment is where corruption gets in. That makes the production absolutely crucial. DJ Premier does not decorate the rapper. He builds hard little rooms for him to stand in. A bashed piano sample. A clipped drum break. A scratch used like punctuation. A strange little plinking sound that becomes less a hook than a signal. Small flashes of jazz-funk colour, but never enough to let the record become plush or comfortable. It is austere, but not empty. The sparseness is the argument. Again and again, the record asks: if we take almost everything away, who can still stand? That is also where the MC’s style becomes more interesting than it may first appear. He is not flashy in the obvious sense. He does not overwhelm the listener with speed, vocal gymnastics, theatrical charm or melodic invention. His delivery is clipped, severe, declarative. He often sounds less like an entertainer than a man issuing corrective notices over drums. But the lack of flash is deceptive. The technical skill is in the control: breath, stress, attack, articulation, timing, and the ability to keep thought moving rhythmically under pressure. One early track makes that explicit. It is not just about rhyme. It is about flow. The voice becomes a rhythm instrument, and the pleasure comes from hearing a mind move through a hard grid without slipping. That reminded me, oddly, of listening to great blues guitar the day before. Not because the music sounds remotely similar, but because both depend on fluency inside an idiom. A guitarist can demonstrate mastery through phrasing, placement, restraint, tone and timing. Here, the instrument is mouth, lungs, memory, vocabulary and nerve. Different form. Same basic principle: knowing the language well enough to make a phrase land exactly where it has to land. The album is also more conceptually layered than I expected. At first, it is tempting to hear the title idea as simple East Coast reassertion: New York telling the rest of hip-hop not to mistake commercial momentum elsewhere for cultural ownership. That reading is there, especially given the timing and the sound. But as the record develops, “the East” feels older and deeper than the American east coast. The record’s imaginative geography seems to run backwards through Brooklyn, through Black musical memory, through ritual rhythm, through African antiquity. Brooklyn is not presented as the original source so much as the current enforcement office. It is where the matter is being handled now. That gives the album its severity. It is not treating hip-hop as disposable entertainment. It is treating it as a discipline that has been diluted, misnamed, commercialised, misunderstood and abused. The task is to clean the form, strip away the fake glamour, and return to source. The strongest single statement of that idea is the famous minimal track built around that odd, spare, dripping/plinking sound. It is astonishingly bare. No lushness. No comfort. No crossover sweetener. No reassuring chord sequence for the unconverted. Just beat, voice, scratch, space and authority. It feels like a back-to-basics clarion call: stop faking, remove the gloss, prove it on the mic. That, to me, is the clearest answer to the question “why should anyone have to listen to hip-hop before they die?” Because a record like this demonstrates that hip-hop can build a complete musical world from pressure, repetition, voice, negative space and rhythmic authority. If someone hears only “talking over beats,” they are not hearing the form on its own terms. They are asking it to become something else before they will grant it legitimacy. The record has a daft side too, and I liked that more than expected. There is crew mythology, kung-fu language, lyrical combat, and one track that turns the rapper into a kind of conscious-rap superhero battling personified moral forces. It is ridiculous. There are organ stabs. There is a villain addressing The Prophet. It briefly becomes an audio comic book about social decay. But the commitment is total, and that saves it. The silliness is not throwaway. It is part of the world-building. The album is stern, but it is not without imagination. There is one serious flaw, though, and it is not a small one. At one point, after building a case around discipline, skill, wisdom, clarity and higher perception, the album collapses into ordinary mid-90s misogynistic rubbish. That matters more here than it might on a less self-consciously moral record. This album is not presenting itself as dumb entertainment. It is presenting itself as correction. It claims to detect corruption. So when its own judgement fails, the failure is structural. The inspector fails his own inspection. That stops it being a great album in the fullest sense. Its wisdom is incomplete. Its severity can become stiff. Its authority is damaged by one of its own blind spots. It can lecture. It can overclaim. It is easier to admire than to love. But I do admire it. By the end, the record reduces its argument almost to absurdity. The claim is not merely “I can rap over a beat.” It is closer to: give me crackle, give me static, give me almost nothing, and I can still impose flow on it. That is a proper closing boast. The MC does not require comfort. Skill creates order. So I land on a strong but not uncomplicated four. Somewhere around 3.7 to 4.1 feels right. It is brilliantly coherent, seriously flawed, and absolutely belongs in the conversation.

He's got a good voice, great flow and the production is solid, standard early 90s stuff. I found it a bit samey after a while and needing some more variety but there are definitely a handful of highlights.

Not for me. Solid musically though.

#387/1001. Apparently there are three types of women: queens, sisters and bitches, and the last ones the missing link in NYC hip hop / rap scene wants to sing about. And two types of reviews: ones where you ponder something meaningful about the music, others where you just write some bullshit to get on with the 1001 project.

Just some damn good 90's hiphop, simple as. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll just barely bump up to a 5, though I'd prefer to be at a 4.5. My biggest issue early on was that some of DJ Premier’s beats weren’t quite clicking with me. Good percussion, but with some weird backing choices like a dissonant piano or a buzzy tone that took some shine away from Jeru’s flow & lyricism – he’s got a good pen & he’s got a great wrapping voice, so DJ Premier not quite meeting the mark in terms of beats that are easy to melt into left me a little bit shaky. “Mental Stamina” is what cracked that shakiness for me; yeah, the beat still kinda sucks, but his talent fully outshone it in a way where suddenly, the beat didn’t feel like it was a big issue. From that point onward, everything about the album worked for me. It also helps that after “Mental Stamina”, DJ Premier locked in with more engaging / fitting beats – not quite as strong as his contemporaries in 1994, but some pretty solid East Coast stuff regardless. The only real misstep is the F-slur on “Come Clean”, & to a point, the entirety of “Da Bichez”, if only because despite the clear line being drawn, there’s still definitely some misogyny there. I think someone got it right with “Gold Digger” a decade later, though that might just be a “flirting” vs “harassment” sort of thing. The only thing I’d change is that “Jungle Music” should’ve ended the album, & that “Statik” should’ve been earlier in the album & not the closer. The rest of the album flows generally well, & I can’t find too much fault with it. If this album had a more clean / appealing start, I’d probably be a flat 5. The rest of the album pulls it up in my book, though just barely, if only because there’s some rather high highs here & not very many lows. I do feel like I’m closer to a 4.5 anyway, but I don’t think there’s anything bad enough here for me to go down to a 4, though it might get there down the line if things don’t click as well. I happened to enjoy it, I think it’s a fair (if maybe inessential) pick for the list, and if nothing else, it’s got an unmistakable East Coast vibe that I just generally fuck with. Hence, a bump up to a 5.

mmm let's put it a mid/high 3. I like this style of hip-hop but I'd say I didn't fully enjoy a handful of the tracks. The general flow Jeru does it pretty legit though, throughout. Neat.

Just no.

2.7 la misma canción (con flow) repetida 13 veces

Musically great, lyrically questionable and sexist

It was OK hip hop.

The beat was good, the lyrics not so.

Bro kept going on bout the bitches

It’s fine just not the sort of music I enjoy

I think a good update to this generator would be that when you make your account, you have one genre you can skip over and get a different group of albums swapped in. Call it the 'What Genre Do You Never Want To Hear Again' box. Hip hop would be mine for sure. And as of today this album has a 2.9 cumulative rating so I am 100% positive I am going to loathe this already without having even started it. I don't even need to listen, I can tell you exactly what this is going to be - homophobia, misogyny, violence, self aggrandizing set to programmed beats and samples from older music. The thing about all these hip hop records is that they're all pretty much exactly the same. I don't get why you would need more than one on the list anyway? I feel like that's the only genre where you can say that. I mean sure there are other genres I don't really care for but at least the music is different from one album to the next. Maybe I'm just grumpy today. Well, let's jump in, shall we? Yep, I was right. Please no more. I hate this kind of music. 1/5

Eh. Nothing special about this. I can see why he was overshadowed by the other rappers at the time.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I expected nothing, but enjoyed the beats and the 90’s style rapping. Good enough to give it a listen and earn a spot on this list.

Nice glows but the beats are thin and basic and the production is lacking. I understand why this never blew up.

Not great. The beats are simple and boring. Some tracks try to convey a message but mostly it's just a lot of word salad that doesn't go anywhere.

I was completely unfamiliar with this album prior to this. A great selection of beats from DJ Premier with lyrics and flows that for the most part really work with them. Sometimes he stumbles a little like I don’t think the flow on My Mind Spray really works. No filler here and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Favorites were Da Bichez, You Can’t Stop The Prophet, Ain’t The Devil Happy, and Come Clean.

I like a bit of Hip Hop, and although it's tricky to listen to and remain woke, I managed! Pretty cool.

Terrible cover art, pretty slick rhymes.

Not bad but not my beat. Definitely has some killer songs though.

I'm guessing the guy was doing this before anyone else? I don't otherwise see its place in the list. Anyhow, not very interesting hip-hop. 3/10

Was alright though the music wasn’t that memorable and kinda became background noise, a few good tracks other just sound too alike.

Mediocre album. A couple okay tracks with some good production. Lots of better boom-bap '90s hip hop that clears this so I don't know why this was included on the list.

There was much better and much worse rap from this era.

Most of the beats are pretty good, but the forced rhymes and mispronunciations just took me out of it. Has all the normal "I'm hard" bullshit that comes along with most rap.

i don’t like this very much unfortunately.

It’s fine hip hop is just not my favourite genre

Why ? Same old same old

Nothing special

Good album, had a great beat.

It's a very competent, early 90s hip hop album. It's nothing amazing, but it's enjoyable enough. I'm not massively into this genre but it sounds fine to me. Perfectly servicable rap album. Would I have put it on this list? Probably not. It's fine.

Rap still isn't my thing, but it has some alright beats.

Ok shit this is great album. I’m trying not to dole out too many 5s but I suppose this list is generally a list of amazing albums. I am trying to find reasons not to list it a 5, but I’m coming up short. I could see myself in the future playing this front to back with no skips. I’m a big rap guy and have never heard of this dude. I read that east coast rap was getting its ass kicked around by the west around the time this was released. Pretty sick beats and the rapping and lyrics are solid. The whole album is tight at 39 min. It’s got a slight bit of goofiness to it (like in You Can’t Stop the Prophet) but still goes hard.

I was excited when I read the short description of the artist, but was a bit underwhelmed by the album. It was an enjoyable listen but didn't offer anything that I needed to add to my typical playlist rotation.

How can this record not be more popular? Banger after banger, great vibes.

Love OG rappers for the raw authenticity they bring to the music, but damn could it use some dynamic range

Really good hip hop

Cool rap, quite moral for rap released in the midst of gangsta rap time. Okay for me. 3/5

Not my genre but better than expected.

l love early hip hop. Not sure the relevance of this or why it's on the list. Some of the jarring piano playing got old.

Most average rap I've ever listened.

Musically it doesn’t do anything for me, but there are some interesting lyrics on this. I’m no expert on rap, but there’s definitely some that I enjoy more than this one.

I keep trying, but this just isn't music for me. 1

Interesting 90s east coast rap, still prefer west coast

I'm not sure I'm the demographic for this one.

Decent. Probably fire back in the day.

An alright listen. Decent beats.

First few songs were not my taste but good after that

Pas convaincu

Très sympa ! Toujours chouettes les albums hip hop de la liste

Seems like a bridge album for hip hop.

Better than Coldplay

Ok fun! Just not a huge fan of hip-hop

stærkt album fra the golden age of hiphop i 94. Det er udelukkende produceret af DJ Premiere som har produceret vanvittigt meget kendt hip-hop. Det er boombap eastcoast rap som er de tunge beats osv. Det er vidst skåret helt ind til benet hvad beats angår. Jeg synes det var super godt, men måske ikke så meget min stil overall på hiphop men heller ikke det værste jeg har hørt langt fra.

One thing hip-hop does often that I can’t stand is when there’s a very repetitive high pitched sound (like a piano or some sort of synth noise, often atonal) that sticks out above everything else. It catches like a fishhook in my head and I can’t hear the lyrics or the beat or anything else, just that sound. So far every track has had a sound like that. I’m hating this so much.

not entirely my style, but it is okay

Blind album and artist. Cool instrumentals but not really my typical flow for rap or style. 3.

Have heard of him, but never listens. This is very cool 90s hip hop. Lacks the hooks of wu tang but beats are cool. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? No Owned: No 75/298 (25%) Will I get: Already have

This album was lacking for me. Not a fan.

Favorite Track: D.Original

I rock with the production. Kind of a Mobb Deep/Wu Tang feel. He sounds like GZA.

3/10 Best songs: Ain't The Devil Happy Early 90s rap/hiphop representative of the east/west coast battle from the time. Honestly, I couldn't care less about it. The album frustrates me because he writes some really great lines ("I'm not a sexist, don't have the power to be a racist"; "My style survived slave ships, whips, and chains, hardships / still through all this, the praise roll off my lips"), but then he writes tremendously problematic BS - Da Bichez is peak misogyny, and he uses slurs in various songs, for example. The music is generally what you'd expect from hip hop of the time, and the occasionally excellent writing never quite makes up for the problematic BS and the mediocrity/forgettable nature of the rest the album.

More tiresome, dull, misogyny. Too much of this in the list.

I thought this was one of the Wu Tang guys

I just don’t get this type of thing

Never heard of this guy before. Album is okay and not sure it stands up to other early 90’s rap albums

Comparing it to similar albums of the era, it holds up relatively well. It's not too obnoxious, and some tracks have some good grooves and flow to them. Some tracks are inevitably misogynistic, as can sadly be expected. It got better as it went on. 2.5 rounded up.

Rolling Stone magazine's writer Joe Gross said, "Jeru's debut is the platonic ideal of a certain kind of golden age hip-hop album: big beats, righteous lyrics, extremely serious vibe." This was an interesting listen. While I don’t think I’ll be revisiting any of the album, I’m happy for the exposure.

Some other reviewers noted how he said he wasn't misogynistic and then made a bunch of remarks proving him wrong. I noticed it, as well. This is very 90s hip hop. Its not bad, it's just never going to stand out against Nas or Wung Tang Clan.

An all-time great

This was pretty solid rap.

Highlights: Mental Stamina, Da Biches, You Can’t Stop the Prophet, My Mind Spray, Come Clean, Jungle Music

I am not sure why this is on the list. It's a great hip hop album. I dig the wisdom and rhymes are great. Beats are decent. I would say nothing really stands out to me

I think it's fine but also not that notable??

Still not into this genre, the language, and demeaning tones.

I still don’t like east west rap rivalry

There were a couple solid songs, "Can't Stop the Prophet", "Ain't the Devil Happy", but it was totally offset by everything feeling really slow and just sort of plodding along. Also lines like "ejaculating rhymes like semen" didn't help either.

just when I was thinking the lyrics didn't demean women too much.....I got to Da Bichez

let them bitches alone dude, omg

I have a hard time differentiating older hip hop unless I'm intently listening

그들 특유의 사운드가 마구들어간 앨범

Haven't heard of the guy. This is probably the first rap album on the list that is less than an hour long, thanks. Looking at his Wiki page I was surprised to find out he featured on a track by a Polish rap group once? Very random. Anyway, back to the album. The beats are nice but damn are the lyrics dumb and the rhymes are off 2/5

90s rap still reigns supreme in my book, with early to mid 2000s probably right behind it, and this is another good example of why. Just a really solid 90s rap album. It’s got that gritty, stripped down feel where it doesn’t need a bunch of extra polish to work. Sharp delivery and lyrics. Favorite song: D. Original

very 90s, not in a bad way

I've a soft spot for this kind of early-mid nineties hip hop which means I got some enjoyment out of this album, but only some. It seemed pretty pedestrian to me.

I thought Da Bichez and You Can't Stop The Prophet were both pretty funny, and I feel like that's the most I have to say about this album. Most rap albums I get why they're on this list, but I just didn't feel this one at all. I kinda saw what Ain't The Devil Happy was trying to do, but it felt like a weird morality message that someone said had to quickly be added in. Nothing else really stood out.

Perfectly fine hip hop album, didn’t leap out of the speakers and grab me by any particular body part.

Another hip hop album that's just OK and doesn't make me think

Half a point taken off for *ahem* questionable lyrics.

Standard 90's hip-hop album, bought it back in the day after hearing "Come Clean" on a pirate radio station. As per many albums of the time I paid c£20 (£43.28 it todays money, apparently) on American import only to find THERE WERE LITERALLY 2 GOOD TRACKS NOT THAT I AM BITTER ABOUT THIS. Also I'd argue "Wrath of the Math" is better. The album selector is definitely, as Jeru would say, playing himself.......

I struggled with this. If you say in a song you're not a misogynist does it then make it okay to spend the rest of the album calling women whores, harlots, bitches, and a whole lot more? Am I missing something?

Thought this was really quite poor, basic beats and quite corny bars

def want to relisten. it was great background music!

I just really don't like hip hop apparently... The songs and album are relatively short but they feel so repetitive and just drone on and on and on... like we get it, you're a "dirty rotten scoundrel" okay cool

The beats are pretty good. Some great rhymes in here. First time I hear about this guy tho

Quitando una canción que tenía una base un tanto estridente, me ha molado

Unfortunately nothing spectacular. Not bad by any means just nothing really to grab onto

Yeah this is okay… just every beat is so slow that it ends up feeling pretty monotonous. Maybe the worst 90s rap we’ve gotten so far, but not bad by any means. High 2

I hear the talent but it’s kind drowned out by the misogynoir

90s East Coast rap plagued with tropes. Victim mentality about gold diggas on Da Bitches, yet talks about how many honeys they attract. Please.

Interessante + produção maneira, mas misógino, especialmente a terrível "da bichez"

Ikke helt elendigt at lytte til, men rap bliver nok ikke min kop te.

Never heard of Jeru before. dope east coast 90's hip hop tho. That beat on D.Original is insane.

ok album, didn't really wanted to go much into the lyrics which I assume should be the strongest point here, so I'm leaving kind of neutral score. The sound itself is good enough to make me leave it in my library.

Great beats, decent rapping and interesting production. Would be four stars without "Da Bichez". I could still name quite a few rap albums that should be on this list instead of The Sun Rises in the East.

I’ve definitely heard better hip-hop albums than this. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 has a clear style and some solid production, but it never really grabs me. The beats feel a bit one-note over time, and while there’s a strong sense of direction, it doesn’t translate into something I’d come back to. Not bad, just not that interesting to me.

Wasn't sure, but it's pretty good

This is just more proof that 1994 was the all time best year for music ever. This does feel a little like someone heard 36 Chambers and did their best impression of it, but he's a solid enough vocalist and Premier is a solid enough producer to give it a solid identity that lets it escape that idea. I still don't get though why rappers in the 90s were like allergic to not saying the f slur. It's really not that hard to just like not say it, and they just couldn't do it. Crazy stuff, but the album still goes crazy. Favorites: D. Original, Ain't the Devil Happy, Jungle Music

This is verrryyy of its time, although not necessarily in a bad way. More the kind of way where you can tell when it's from so easily just from listening to it, but you still like it because it was a good era of music. Like this album isn't hugely worth remembering, but it's not one that we should be going out of pur way to forget either. It's just there, it exists as a reminder that this era of music existed, and is fun to revisit every now and then, but in the mean time there is other far better music to be listening to.

There are better 90s hip hop out there imo

Ehhh not my fave

This was fine, but I would say not especially memorable. I'm writing this two days after listening and struggling to remember anything on the album. I think that gives it a two, even though I didn't dislike it.

Fullkomlega meh.

Rap equals crap for me.

Pretty fun, some great beats and production throughout, but doesn't reach the same heights as other East Coast Hip Hop albums of the era. I definitely did not need to hear this before I die

I'm not a fan of hip-hop, but I have to say I found this one particularly boring.

Interesting hip hop album. At times super engaging, and at times it lost me as the lyrics drift into a conversation on who has the biggest nuts. Great beats however.

I liked the beats and overall vibe of this album. Liked Songs Added: Mental Stamina

There’s a strange amount of 90’s / 2000’s east coast hip hop on here no? This was alright, I feel like I have a similar reaction to most of these records. You can’t say you’re not sexist and then make “Da Bitchez” though, that was just laughably contradictory. Some good ones on here were “You Can’t Stop The Prophet” for its proto-MFDOOM concept, and “Ain’t The Devil Happy” for its sinister, cunning instrumental. A very sharp song. 3/5 I’m just so sure Jeru got a knock on his door for the album cover and line about the World Trade Center. What did he know LOL

некоторые тексты и ритмы кажутся знакомыми, возможно все эти реперы одинаковые)

Its an okay rap album that didnt particularly spike my intrest but its good and if someone put it on i wouldnt want it turned off.

Old school hip hop that isn't particularly good even for it's time. The mixing and beats are sometimes kinda whack. For instance on "Brooklyn Took it" the vocals are wayy to soft and the beep on "Mental Stamina" is genuinely irritating but just keeps repeating throughout the entire track. Da Bichez however is pretty good with a nice sax beat, although I don't particularly like the lyrical contents (although it is very mild for its time). The latter half of the record is miles better than the first, which is a baffling choice. If it wasn't for this project I would have dropped the record before getting to the actually good part. It has better flow, better lyrical content such as Ain't the Devil Happy speaking on black empowerment and more interesting beats in general. These tracks are only slightly good enough to make up for the bad start though. Also I find his pose on the album cover hilarious for some reason. Why is he sitting like that with his fists balled hahaha. Also are the twin towers on fire??? 7/10.

The slower Eastside rapping is something I can kinda enjoy.

I knew nothing about Jeru. He has pretty good delivery. The backing tracks are ok. But there's no particular hook for me.

This is pretty excellent, even if it's "blink and you'll miss it" short.

Like the Gang Starr album, this feels like it should be better known. Catchy, unusual samples that feel like RZA-ish beats punched up a notch, with largely solid rhymes. Added multiple songs to playlists (Mental Stamina, Come Clean, My Mind Spray). Only spoiled by the occasional dumb sketch (or interlude) that plagued so many 90s albums. And can’t help sighing at the irony of rapping you’re not a misogynist in a deeply misogynistic song.

It was OK.

good-ish album, just not really up my alley!

Intro (Life) - no rating D. Original - 1/5 (what the actual fuck is this beat??) Brooklyn Took It - 4/5 Perverted Monks in tha House (Skit) - no rating Mental Stamina - 3/5 Da Bichez - 3/5 You Can't Stop the Prophet - 5/5 Perverted Monks in tha House (Theme) - no rating Ain't the Devil Happy - 4/5 My Mind Spray - 4/5 Come Clean - 5/5 Jungle Music - 3/5 Statik - 3/5 Average score: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jeru's rapping ability is pretty good for the time, nothing mindblowing but he's definitely a skilled lyricist. the production is just downright awful on the 1st track, but besides that, there's at least a few tracks i'd definitely come back to listen to

not my vibes but I respect it

Not that bad

not bad but abit boring

It's fine, but also nothing new or particularly exciting.

In the absence of clever rhymes or a truly memorable beat I find it hard to rate hip hop. Nothing here that memorable but I didn't find it unpleasant. I might not be good judge however.

This is actually much better than the label of mind-90's hardcore hiphop would suggest - clever lyricism and great delivery over some really inventive and complimentary beats!

Very much of its time. Straight up didn't know him but he's Gang Starr-adjacent apparently. Does that annoying "acceptable misogyny" thing that later backpacker rappers became known for where he feels the need to specify to the Black queens that he's not referring to them when he's talking about money-hungry bitches. You're not slick. Otherwise this is the type of rap I gravitate to, although the beats are kinda same-y. Not DJ Premier's most impressive work.

Worth a listen, not my type of music, ok though

to cancel out yesterday's violent feminism here comes some unnessecarry hip hop album to sooth me... wait a minute this got a 3.76 on rate your music and this is nice but could actually be nicer 3/5

DJ Premier always has one of the best New York hop hop beats. But I do admit I prefer when Guru is on the microphone (but Jeru is no slouch for early 90s skills).

Somehow missed this one despite believing myself to be a bit of a hip-hop head. I do love the flow and anything with Premier is of course great. This feels quite important but this is released in 1994, the same year as Illmatic, as another NY rapper. This isn't anywhere near Illmatic by any means. Good but not groundbreaking.

It was an amazing experience, but I don't see myself listening to this on my own TODAY'S BIRD: Ruff

A hero of East New York

Pretty cool but all this 90’s rap is starting to blend together. As a Boston guy I appreciated reading about the Gangstar connection.

Overall, just alright. I enjoyed Da Bichez and Perverted Monks In Tha House

Ok rap album

There’s a bit to like here but I think there are albums from this time period that have aged better. Calling this a 2 feels harsh but I don’t think it’s earned the 3 either. Since I felt bad about it, I listened to wrath of the math and feel that’s a better album. Make something of that if you want!

The chemical formula for nitroglycerin in Mental Stamina threw me.

This would be 5 stars if this list was “1001 Corniest Albums”

I really liked the grooves. Cool that Spotify shows where the samples are from now. I didn’t care for the rapping 2.5

The beats were pretty cool and kinda interesting but the songs themselves i wasnt very interested and got a little bored by the end

I enjoyed parts of this but some of the rhymes were pretty bad. More like a thesaurus instead of making sense

Starting to take a liking to hip-hop, but I'm still a bit picky.

Good flow, good beats. Feels like a cousin to Wu-tang.

Two days in a row of hip hop I feel fairly indifferent towards. This album was fine, but nothing I would seek out again. Favorite track: "Ain't the Devil Happy"

No está mal, pero hay discos mejores del género. Parece musica de GTA

Not my favorite. Good production and good beats but WAY too much of my least favorite hip-hop trope: the sexualized lyrics. I don’t want to hear anyone rap about body parts and what they want to do with them. Save that for the singers, man.

An OK classic hiphop album with decent rhymes and production

Bitch bitch bitch pussy cock bitch bitch

Classic. Some of the production on this album are wild with melody bits on top that are so far front in the and so prominent that it's almost like Jeru is sparring with the beat instead of rapping over it

Bro cant spell

I'm glad I discovered this one, there were so much great hip hop albums in 1994 I guess it was easy to miss that one unfortunately

Good old school Hip-Hop, but it failed to hook me like so many others can.

Great old school boom bap hip-hop always hits hard!

#bernwoche Am Anfang dachte ich noch kurz dass das irgendwie avant-garde und interessant ist mit den nervigstens Sounds einzusteigen, aber es passt einfach alles irgendwie nicht zusammen. Lyrics blöd und uff, kein echter Flow.

Nervt. Beats: nerven. Lyrics: nerven. Flow: nervt. Nervt.

Gave us DJ Premier. Fascinating how this dude got market corrected.

I don’t mind DJ Premiere and this album is fun in an early ‘90’s east coast kind of way. Some cringey stuff (Da Bichez). Mostly left me kind of cold but it’s listenable.

Am I my old man? This is crap, not rap.

Powerful flow and the rhymes are intricate, smart story telling while maintaining dynamic flow. The beats are basic scratching and 808, but still well produced. Really solid 90s rap.

A surprise - I felt like I had a pretty decent knowledge of 90s hip hop, but this was completely unfamiliar to me. Sounds like 1994 (for better or worse), with some nice wordplay. Not at the level of Nas' Illmatic, Enter the Wu Tang, or BIG's Ready to Die, but not too far off.

not for me

Meh, I guess it wasn't terrible, but I am probably never going to just throw on an album that spends an entire track talking about bitches.

This album was good! I loved the beats DJ premier put out for other artists in addition to his work for NAS. The wordplay by Jeru is also quite phenomenal.