Reviews (page 4 of 7)
6/10
It helped that I listened to this with someone who loves this guy's style and spent the drive picking out and repeating the lines he liked. 3 from me, 4 or 5 from him.
there's a lot of great 90s hiphop that shoots itself in the foot with slurs and this is some of it
This was enjoyable enough, but I mostly wanted to revisit a prior Ice T album or maybe a TLC album for a lot of it. Maybe it's a familiarity issue. 2.5
This was ok, I suppose it gets a bit forgotten given what a fertile time the mid 90s was for hip-hop. Reminds me a bit of Illmatic in a few ways, even the cover, so it might have been influential I'm not as big a fan of the beats as some comments allude to.. to me the dissonance is a bit jarring and I also find them a bit sparse at times. The drums are pretty dominant and sound kinda tinny. I did like most of the rapping though, he has quite an easy flow and it's a chilled out listen
There were a couple of tracks I quite liked but for the most part nothing overly memorable on this one. Top Track - Come Clean - E New Y Radio
The Sun Rises In The East is a pretty enjoyable album. I've never really heard of this album or this rapper but if i hadn't had the info this site and Wikipedia gave me, i probably would have thought this album came out in the late 80s because it has all the vibes of a late 80s hip-hop album. There were definitely some pretty fun bits of this album and some boring ones but those were pretty few and far between. This album still had quite a lot of the cheesiness i enjoy from these sorts of albums. I was also pretty surprised about the length of this album being only around 40 minutes when i would typically expect hip-hop albums to be an hour. I'm not sure i can justify giving this album any higher than 3 stars but i still like it. Best Song: Da Bichez Worst Song: Ain't The Devil Happy
Absolutely of a time but what a great time it was.
Nice to know that I don't like hiphop at all. It really suprised was nice to listen to Best tracks: Brooklin Took It, Jungle Music
Interesting ideas but the beats were just a step off. It’s probably intentional
Not bad.
I like what it did to East coast hiphop, but I can’t enjoy it as much as most of the albums that came after it. Low 3
Not my style but I really enjoyed it. I like how clearly he rapped so I could understand everything that was said- you can tell he made sure to annunciate with intentionality. Not a Fan of Da Bitchez, but it was kinda catchy, lol. "Bitch!" This album definitely throws me back to early '90s rap. ...I can't be sure, but I think this guy might be from Brooklyn.
It's fine. Political rap is good I just think i've gotten the jist
fun listen v chill
First thing I think of? Is this some failed audition tape to joint Wu Tang? There’s hints of ODB and Method Man in this, splashed with KRS One. I have never heard of this guy and the 90’s were when I was deepest into hip hop. I guess this is a learning day for me. I guess this would have been a pretty good album back in the day. This was the sound. It’s not bad. Well in the past though. I can’t see this being a big album nowadays with the trash “hip hop” that is out now. Choice cut: Da Bitchez
Jeru used the word "sacroiliac" on this album 4 years after Maestro Fresh Wes. Just saying.
First he predicted 9/11... then the Fyre Festival. Impossible to estimate the amount of damaj this man has caused.
Thought it was pretty good! Unlikely to listen again but I liked what I heard.
Jeru is new to me. Sonically, I enjoyed this record for being gangsta-ish rap with undertones of New York jazz rap (ala Guru or A Tribe Called Quest). So very 1994. Lyrically, he so uncreatively dips his toes into misogyny and homophobia. It was and still is so completely unnecessary to getting a point across. That brings this score down a couple points. So overall not great all the way through but cherry picking a few tracks for a larger playlist does just the trick.
Good
Okay.
Fun east coast vibes, not my typical cup of tea but really enjoyable.
I asked my students if they had ever heard of Jeru The Damaja, and none of them had said "yes." That doesn't mean anything, fame is fleeting. Particularly in music. He has some good flow, although there were a couple of moments that seemed... off. It's interesting that three of the songs are uncredited, and to me two were some of the better pieces. "Da Bichez," however, could have stayed in the can. Yikes. Top tracks: "You Can't Stop the Prophet," "Come Clean," "Statik"
Interesting/cool samples, particularly the dissonant piano chords on D. Original. And, wow, that's some smooth jazz to rap about Da Bichez. But a lot of the songs got dull after a while, even when the samples they were based on were cool (e.g., Brooklyn Took It, My Mind Spray, Come Clean). I'll go with the 3 because there was nothing I disliked, but I probably wouldn't revisit. Favorite tracks: D. Original, Ain't the Devil Happy, Jungle Music.
Pretty much what I expected from a 90’s rap album. Which is generally good. But this one doesn’t really stand out from the pack for me on first listen.
The beats were good, the lyrics weren't safe for the office and got played at a low volume.
Decent
eh
All I know is I just got Drive Like Jehu the other day, and I used to see ads for both of these artists a lot back in the day, so in my mind they go together, even though they don’t. Really enjoyed this though!
3 ish. i liked it fine. GTA nostalgia. nothing extremely noteworthy for me to rate it more.
Goo ass straight boom bap with just a light sprinkle of misogyny? Yeah man I'll take it I guess
There's some pretty great production on this, particularly for the time. The samples add a certain sting to the beats. But is that more the work of DJ Premier? Hard to say as he co-wrote the album. Lyrically, this is another 90s hip hop album that's unfortunately filled with misogyny. On the worst offending track "Da Bichez", Jeru goes out of his way to remind you that he's not taking about *all* women and that he has respect for some. Unfortunately, he later describes the "Queens" like trophies to be stolen. I suspect that "respect" means "I'll give you money but not too much money". Ignoring these toxic parts, the album is pretty good. For 1994, it sounds like an impressive step forward for the genre.
Good production and evocative of the time in early-mid 90s hip-hop. It has some problematic songs, primarily “Da Bichez”, while claiming to not be misogynistic, it’s hard to argue through a modern perspective that it isn’t. Overall interesting for exposure, but nothing really grabbed me more than other hip-hop albums from this era that I’ve listened to through this list.
This is quality ‘90s indie hiphop. I love that sound—laid back, focused on lyrical dexterity and relatively simple beats. Brooklyn was really popping off with talent those days. It does come off a bit dated now, and I’m not necessarily compelled to add it to active rotation. High 3
The beats are vibey and well made, but sometimes a bit too minimal and repetitive. Still, some.made me bop my head. The guy is a bit less interesting on the mic than i remember but not bad either.
Goes well with drinking wine and doing lego flowers/puzzles on the floor of your first apartment with your boyfriend eating garlic bread.
Reminded me of Deltron, had the THPS soundtrack vibes that are a throwback to the late 90s/early 00s.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
Nothing I haven’t heard before.
I didn't hate it. Some clever rhymes.
Definitely enjoyed. Solid album.
ykw i’ll give him the credit for being creative with it
Dude claims not to be misogynistic then proceeds to use really sexist insults. Overall smooth and interesting album though
Decent hip hop album, a little low key in a nice way Will I listen to again: 22%
Not got me, but it was alright flow and beats from someone I hadn't heard of. Style reminded me of Aesop rock
I like the old beats they had and the off-key pianos they would put in rap. Album was fine
I'd rather busy a nut then busy a cap. East coast 90's rap! Solid beats and lyrics. I can see myself listening to this more. Little would Jeru know, the twin towers would fall less the 10 years later.
You really can't go wrong when Premier is on the beat. Jeru is a decent MC, but unfortunately he's competing with some rap titans from this era, so his music kinda gets left behind. Not bad though. Some good tracks on here.
Very solid 90's rap
Looks like he recorded one single beat and putted on loop, and then jammed a 40 minute rhyme book on top of that. I mean, it's cool, but boring at the same time.
algumas letras envelheceram bem mal musicalmente num é ruim não
Never heard of Jeru till just now. That’s not altogether surprising though; I like hip hop pretty good now, but I’ve never been a connoisseur, and back in 94 I was balls deep in strictly alternative and metal bands anyway. Save for the occasional foray into the Beastie Boys or Tribe Called Quest, I didn't really start to get into rap and hip hop until about a decade after this...and I still wouldn't say that my finger is or has ever been on the pulse of what's great in the world of hip hop, though I like a whole lot more of it now, and I've gone back to listen to the classics. So, Jeru the Damaja evidently slipped under my radar at the time, because it was pretty easy to do. That said, I’m enjoying this record more than I expected. Nothing on this record is a reinvention of any wheels, but it's pretty listenable. It sounds like a product of that era, which I think is a good thing. It doesn't have the same gravitas as, say, Nas' Illmatic, or the repeatability of Wu Tang's 36 Chambers, or the rawness of Ice Cube's The Predator; I don't think it really hangs with some of the classics from this time, but it is pretty decent. 3.4/5
Mixed bag. I like the instrumentals and some of the lyrics, but other lyrics are just so meh.
3.2 solid underground, not my favorite though
When I was in college in the mid 90's so Fraternity brothers and I took a road trip from Brooklyn to Alfred, NY in one guy's beater Nissan Sentra. He had a cassette player and maybe 2 tapes. One of those tapes was Jeru The Damaja and I haven't listened to Jeru at all since those 12 hours round trip. Is this a core hiphop album? Not even on that day when it was a literal 1/2 of the available albums to listen to. Yes it's a good album and the lyrics are good but must listen? I'm not convinced. 3/5
I know its good and it is so NYC but i think im too old (or too young) or not NYC enough to truly appreciate it... I may need to revisit.
Wasn't familiar with this album, but was pleasantly surprised. The self-proclaimed "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (as they reference it countless times) show what East Coast hip-hop is all about.
Pretty good, definitely had me dancing in my seat. Didn’t save any songs but it really has that classic 90s feel that you love.
It’s cool to see that conscious hip hop existed in the early 90s. Most of what I remember from that time was gangster rap, with all the east coast vs. west coast drama or even the whole red vs. blue thing. Looking back, it was kind of a cringe era for hip hop. This album really stands out because of its more meaningful and thought-provoking lyrics. DJ Premier’s involvement as both producer and DJ was also a cool element. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about how much of a presence he had in the 90s.
24/07/2025 Judged this way too hard and way too fast. It was actually okay.
Decent samples, not really my thing.
Well ... it's a 90s rap album. I didn't hate it, but it didn't do anything to alter my opinion about the genre.
Nice sound and production work on this album
Very classic east coast sounds, some fire beats. Nice mix of conscious and gangsta rap. Nothing really caught me unfortunately
It sounds interesting. Very 90s, and I mean veeery 90s. But not bad.
rap made me sleepy which i’d thank the album as i’m lack of sleep lately
It was okay!
An artist I had never heard of, or heard anything by, which is always fun while doing this project. Absolutely loved the discordant piano on D.Original because it was so interesting as a backdrop, and that sort of interesting choice carried on being made for the rest of the album (like the high pitched beeping - dial tone? - on Mental Stamina for example). In terms of the actual lyricism, I am not a big enough hip-hop fan to know if this is out of the norm - it felt like the standard "I'm great, be wary of women who just want your money, I'm gonna kill my rivals" schtick to me. I found it started dragging a bit towards the end. 3/5
This is generally good. I don't like the beeping in "Mental Stamina" it's very frustrating for me haha. Can't even hear anything else in that song. I also did not like "You Can't Stop The Prophet". Just don't care for their voices or the beats or anything really. I don't mind "My Mind Spray". "Jungle Music" had a fun beat in the background but there was something off about this one too. Absolutely hated the end of it with the jungle animal sounds.
This was really solid, i loved Statik.
Some subpar beats here. It drags down some decent rap. “I blow up spots like the World Trade Center” did NOT age well, although it was probably in bad taste even then.
It’s aight
Meh
Bang average.
actually really enjoyed the music, didnt enjoy the misogyny, but most of the other identity related themes were well explored and musically it was so tight
I've never heard of this guy !? No standout tracks. 6/10
Enjoyed this a surprising amount
Okay
Good flow and the production is very nice, good for my rap lore, but don’t feel the need to go right back to it like some other records
Apparemment, c’est un classique. Je peux comprendre pourquoi, mais il n’y a aucune grande chanson du rap/hip hop (que je connais) sur cet album. C’est pas mauvais en sois, mais ce n’est pas pour moi.
I’d probably give this one a 3.5 if I could. Pretty solid if not that memorable.
enjoyable enough to listen to but never again
very interesting i don’t think i’ve really heard such intriguing lyrics in a song before.
Some crazy lyrics on here but it was fun to listen to. 3.5/5
Premo halverwege de jaren 90 was een unstoppable force. Jeru ben ik minder bekend mee, los van z'n 'hits' van het album na deze. Ik kwam er een beetje moeilijk in, en het voelde een beetje als zoveel underground artists van die tijd. Maar vanaf 'Mental Stamina' werd mijn mentaal ook geprikkeld. Stuk voor stuk prima tracks, met een Premo die voor zijn doen erg gevarieerde beats aflevert. Hij switcht moeiteloos mee met de verschillende gemoedstoestanden van Jeru. Vooral die reeks van 'My Mind Spray' tot en met 'Jungle Music' is heel episch, met die soort van acid rap-productie. Jeru komt er ook steeds beter in, en doet me erg denken aan CL Smooth, wat een compliment is. Ik ga deze binnenkort nog eens een luisterbeurt geven. ''The Sun Rises In The East'' heeft zeker potentie om te groeien. 7/10 Highlights: My Mind Spray Come Clean
Golden age East coast gear. Jeru's voice and delivery are great. Classy head-nodding Primo boom-bap beats behind him. Some of the subject matter aged like milk though. A bit overshadowed then, and still now tbh, by some very illustrious New York peers.
I like listening to it, most probably because it has that dated quality. I liked the EC hip-hop production style of the era. The lyrics are so-and-so, some of the typical hardly bearable machismo, some of a genuine activism. The flow of the delivery is pretty good. Enjoyable in most parts but not outstanding.
A pretty run of the mill rap album. Not bad not amazing
First venture into East coast rap. Some good beats and overall quite fun, if a little of its time in places.
I like 90's hip hop but id never come across this. Turns out to be pretty decent but nothing stand out. Good beats and flow, the usual subject matter lyrically. As usual, it could have been 20% shorter.
3 out of 5
Ah, the 90s, when the World Trade Center was still standing, there was a hole in the ozone layer, and the misogyny came with a disclaimer about respect for women. Pleasantly hypnotic, though.
Solid beats, solid rhymes, overall solid experience!
It's funny, the beats here are heat, the flow is acrobatic, and anytime I checked the lyrics I was impressed by Jeru's skill with the pen. And yet, I feel like it somehow fails to stand out much compared to other similar albums from this era. As technically impressive as it is, I don't see myself coming back to it much, though it is some good fuckin boombap.
Was not sure if I should give this a 3 or a 4. Excellent sampling, and some really good lyrics on here, but I have never really liked the pre-Jay Z East Coast hip hop library and it just isn't for me (except Illmatic - obviously)
Good vibes with some funny skits too. Not really any songs that stood out to be tho.
It's a very okay hip hop record. If it came out like 5 years earlier I could see it having been a very influential album. It just came out right before that big shift in hip hop so when it came out it was just another album.
def not my cup of tea but i completely understand the influence and the vibe. not the genre i go for but i appreciated listening to it.
intro- 5 d original- 5 Brooklyn took it- 5 perverted monks in the house- ? 6 mental stamina- 5 da bitches- 2. "but im not a misogynist" coulda fooled me you can't stop the prophet- 5 perverted monks in the house theme- 5 ain't the devil happy- 5 my mind spray- 5 come clean- 5 jungle music- 5 static- 5
The hip-hop representation on this list confuses me sometimes. Okay. Obviously, you have all the huge names on here, right? Pac, Biggie, Nas, Kanye, Eminem, Kendrick, you get the idea. Then you have some smaller names that are still influential, but aren't as talked about nowadays. Stuff like Grandmaster Flash and N*E*R*D, you know? There's some big misses that should be here. No Lil Wayne? No MF DOOM? Hello? But then you have people that ARE on the list where you see the album and you're like "Literally, who?" That's this album. Who the hell is Jeru the Damaja and why is he standing in front of the twin towers burning up 7 years before 9/11? How did he get here? I'm sorry, but I don't think this album is noteworthy enough for a list like this. It's not a bad album. The production is solid. The writing is a bit basic by hip-hop standards and does fall into some of the pitfalls that plague early hip-hop. I can't say I was surprised to hear a homophobic slur near the end of the album. The rapping itself does its job. Nothing about this album is bad, but nothing here is unique either. What does this album provide that I don't already get from more iconic East Coast hip-hop albums of the time? Hell, even if we limit ourselves to 1994 debut albums, we already have Ready to Die and Illmatic. The album's fine, but not interesting. Still, I can't exactly fault it too much for blending in with other albums of the time. 3/5.
A bit better than the cover suggests but not much. 3.1
Some good beats, and good rapping - solid east coast hip hop, marred by misogyny.
This is #day275 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I'd never heard of Jeru The Damaja or The Sun Rises in the East, but given it's straight from the early '90s, and I like the golden age hip-hop, it feels relatable. Highlights like "Da Bichez?" and others. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day276.
The album summary explains that this came out around the time of some of the greatest rap albums. So I can see why this got trampled on. Okay, the work of DJ Premier elevates this album to another level. I'd say Jeru is good, but needs a little more sharpening. Some of his syllables aren't as tight as they can be. Don't punch like they could. It's like pro wrestling at a certain level you can look good but if people watch your feet the hesitations are exposed. That being said I really liked Mental Stamina and You Can't Stop the Prophet. Ain't the Devil Happy has some good bits. Really though this just makes me want to listen to some Gang Starr or Wu-tang Clan
I enjoyed it
I've never heard of this guy but he ran with good company. Definitely an era of hip-hop I enjoy. This wasn't particularly amazing but decent.
East coast 4eva
Some pretty nice early 90's hip hop that hits the usual "wants" that I have: smooth flow, fun sampling (I love the discordant piano on "D.Original"), and interesting lyrics. Could definitely see myself listening more as it reminds me of some of my favorites from this era- like Big L. Classic 90's rap album cover. Tight.
I enjoyed this but it gets knocked a star for the homophobia. Guess that’s just the 90s
Betra en margt homma og kvennahatrið sem við höfum fengið. Barn síns tíma. Smá ást samt alltaf á old school hip hoppið.
Ágætis rapp
3.5
This is fine. It feels like pretty generic 90s rap. I don't think this album is essential, but I did enjoy listening. Best Songs: Da Bichez, Jungle Music Worst Songs: Brooklyn Took It
This site has overwhelmed me with life and music options but this was good but I will have to revisit thoroughly one day
++: Intro (Life), D. Original, Brooklyn Took It, Mental Stamina, You Can't Stop the Prophet, Perverted Monks in tha House (Theme), Ain't the Devil Happy, Jungle Music +: My Mind Spray, Statik +-: Perverted Monks in tha House (Skit), Da Bichez -: Come Clean 7,7/10
Rating: 3.5/5 | Favorite Track: My Mind Spray --- This was an okay listen with a couple of standout tracks, but overall this album didn't really do anything for me.
Wasn't aware if this before. Lyrics are predictably dated but sounds okay.
nice
I liked some of the forays into different genres, but this album definitely felt a little dated. I also thought it maybe could've gone harder at times. 3.0/5.0: Good
this wasn't great but there are definitely worse albums on the list
There's a lot to like here, but Jeru doesn't really stand out. Nothing about Jeru separates him from other good rappers. I understand how he was outshined by Nas, Wu-Tang, Biggie and other East Coast Mac's. Good, but not essential
Never heard of this before but I really enjoyed this. The beats are sick.
This was mostly pretty good. The rapping and beats were good, and he has a great voice for this style. Musically, it got pretty annoying. It sounded like some annoying electronic alarm was going off for too often, and the depth of the musical phrases was as shallow as an August puddle on Arizona.
It's a decent album. No bangers, but it's good. 3/5.
We've not had a hip hop in a while during this challenge that I fully expected another weird white man singing album. Perhaps I'm a but biased because I've been waiting to clean my ears (Although Ms Simone did a really good job). I love the lyrics and I love a nasty 90s rap beat. Faves: - D. Original - Da Bichez - Aint The Devil Happy (best one) - My Mind Spray
Good 90’s hip hop album. Nothing overly impressive quite on par with some of his contemporaries, but Premier’s beats are good and the album flows well. 3/5 Might listen again
Some good ol' 90s rap. Can't go too wrong with this, always love the piano and more classical instruments contrasting with the rapping. Nothing in here I want but I respect it. 2.5/5 stars.
First time listening to Jeru The Damaja. Quite good! Always nice to listen to some Dj Premier production.
I am shocked I wasn't aware of this album or artist. This classic underground hip hop was my jam for a lot of years. I wasn't listening to this in 1994, but high school in to college. It's exciting to discover something new. Good beats, excellent rhymes.
Mid 90s NY hip hop w a message
Raw aggressive east coast rap, very good flow and beats. Some more pop sounds here and there. Sounds like the lyrics are sound, some social critic. Good album overall.
Ok, but not for me. 2.5 stars.
Enjoyed this album a lot- Jeru has a strong flow and clever wordplay. I appreciate the reflection in his lyrics. Overall 3.5 to 4 / 5
This is not bad as far as my taste in hip hop goes, apart from the usual misogyny, etc.
Okay, I liked this more than most of the hip-hop I've had so far on the list, but it's still pretty much a "no thanks, not for me" genre for the most part. Nothing too awful, just doesn't get much of a positive reaction out of me even when it's clearly very well thought through and made.
Hip-hop album from the mid 1990s - it has good flow and rhythms and it sounds quite fresh considering it was made more than 30 years ago. Perhaps it was overshadowed by other releases around that time (Nas - Illmatic is one example). I enjoyed it overall.
Sounds good but didn't blow me away. (21 known/34 new)
it's ight
For the most part (with a few exceptions), I don’t tend to gravitate towards hip hop, hence me being a day late with this review as there was always something else that wanted my time. As I listened to this, it did grow on my over the duration of the album, but I have a same complaint as I do for lots of music within this genre: there’s just too much sex talk. It just seems like the low hanging fruit and makes me disinterested. It was definitely better than I expected, but it didn’t win me over like Wu Tang or NWA.
2.5
It's okay
Good stuff. Like a lot of the hop albums on the list I find the lyrics hard to absorb and analyse on one listen. The title track was the first one I really paid attention to, simple parable narrative but I liked it. A few tracks remind me of Del Tha Funky Homosapien / Deltron's style, good. This album goes into the "needs another listen" pile.
This guy completely passed me by in the mid-nineties, but this is a pretty listenable album of golden age rap, and can hear the gang starr vibes pretty well, which is a compliment. Also 40 mins long and skits to a minimum. All positives.
Never heard him before. Sounded more old school than the time period he came out of. Pretty solid, nothing stuck tho.
Cool beats and samples, old school flows, some of the lyrics are pretty cool but others have been dated like most 90s hip hop. 3.5/5
Respect the talent but not my jam, and no tracks that made me say wow.
My first thought was this sounds Wu influenced. It's close enough in release year for me to drop that allegation. Its....ok. nothing really jumps out at me.
Not bad, not great. Major east coast rap vibes, but a lot of songs started sounding the same tbh. Could have thrown any of them in the soundtrack for NBA Street or GTA Liberty City and been right at home.
Yes, that was a 90's hiphop album that was just below the greats. And nothing more.
this just sounds like hip hop from a specific era to me. i don't dislike it, but this project had definitely helped me realize i like the chill and whimsy in west coast hip hop. especially when it can act as a counterbalance to the aggression (and misogyny) from this time period.
A genre I lack knowledge in is hip hop, so I can't provide a ton of insight. What I found on The Sun Rises in the East was a focus on Brooklyn. The album title backs it up, even! The lyrics weren't your standard fare; this is Jeru the Damaja's debut, yet his lyrics are so strong! His hooks are good. The songs are distinct from one another, like "Da Bichez" opens and continues with some beautiful horns. Maybe the many record scratches were overkill, but that may be personal preference.
Rap
90’s feel
First end to end album listen but familiar with many of the songs. Good work day music!
Didn't hear of this rapper before, but considering the time when this came out, it's no wonder, since there were a lot bigger fish in the sea back then. The album is pretty interesting, with strong and unusual beats, classic boom rap style. The technique is also pretty good, not as good as some of the other rappers of the time in my opinion. This explains the lack in popularity I assume. All in all, a good album to listen to, even more importantly, something new but well executed in the hip-hop sphere, where I tend to listen to the classics a lot, and not much else. So this was a nice breath of fresh air. Would give it 3.5 if I could.
Better than I expected but not for me to be fair.
3.11
I wish I had known this back in the day and smoked some Mary Jane while bouncing my speakers to it.
Pretty decent old school hip hop. Has the same issues as a lot of other hip hop, but I enjoyed it as a 90s throwback.
solid 3.5
This was pretty standard 90s rap I think, which is not a genre I listen to much on my own
búmbapprapp. fín lög, 5 prósent. vantar slagara. 3,5.
Decent but unremarkable early 90s hip hop.
Good beats yeah and an album cover that makes you go hmm
This was kind of fun--old school NYC rap. A bonus: relatively speaking, it rated fairly low on the misogyny-ometer.
Interesting. I don't love rap, and some production choices I disliked, but overall enjoyable.
Was okay, beats were pretty good. 3/5
3-4
I like "You Can't Stop the Prophet" and "Ain't the Devil Happy". As with all hip hop, I don't really know enough about it to feel like I can give it a fair rating, but I don't dislike it. I do feel like this got repetitive after awhile though.
Like a few other records from this time period, I don’t dislike the overall style, but it’s still too one-note for me. 3/5
I liked the flow and the overall feel of what was being said.
Unrelated but do yall put off listening to albums bc yk they will be on this list? because I definitely do and im thinking maybe I shouldn't. Also I never know if anyone is actually reading this or if im just making a fool of myself. I guess I make a fool of myself either way bc I write some pretty stupid reviews sometimes. Anyways. im not crazy about super traditional hiphop. Like this seems pretty good, but it's not super exciting to me. Maybe my perspective will change eventually. 7/10
The verses were pretty uncreative, and the production was a bit too creative - I think that led to a pretty dated feel. It’s even worse when you consider that albums like illmatic and ready to die were coming out of the same places at around the same time as this album. This album doesn’t come close to either of those. Comparisons aside though, the album was fine. I didn’t love it, but I wasn’t bored while listening which is worth something I guess
Enjoyed it, but because i enjoy east coast rap. As it stands it doesn’t stand out.
No clue what this was before I listened to it. The rhythms and accompaniment seemed fairly basic but I did enjoy the fact that I could keep up with the lyrics.
I like the rhythm and flow of this more than most East Coast hip hop. I'm still not a huge fan, but I get it.
Killer 90s rap with great beats from DJ Premier. Of course it has the requisite misogyny sadly but that's unsurprising. I don't think this album really has the influence and prevalence to qualify for a place here, but it's fun to listen to regardless.
The rapping is about average; maybe a bit better. The beats were okay
A fun underground hip-hop album with wickedly clean production by DJ Premier that ultimately just doesn’t live up to some of the larger albums of the time or have any especially memorable tracks to go back to
As good a score as I am ever likely to give to a hip hop album. Usually can't listen to it at all, but somehow I made it all the way to the end with this one.
Enjoyable early hip hop album 3/5
Great album that I have never heard before. Excellent lyrics and beats. It's a style of hip hop that I really like and grew up listening to. I'm sorry that I have not heard it until today. I'm sure that I will be listening to this again.
Good but not great 90s hip hop
This is no Jungle Music. Brooklyn Took It.
2,5
Jeru isn't fooling me. He's not a gangster, he's just a big ol' goofball. He may be rapping about his unparalleled skills, breaking backs, blowing up the World Trade Centre and most definitely not being a misogynist, but deep down he's really just a goofball.
A solid but not spectacular East Coast Hip-Hop album. It's a good listen that I could imagine listening to a few more times but compared to Illmatic, The Infamous and Enter the 36 Chambers, it's not something that's going to stand out. 7/10
Better than I expected. Kind of old school, on the border of the upcoming gangsta rap. Having just listened to Eminem for yesterday’s album, I really liked that he managed to respect women and differentiate between most women and those only after money. Might listen again.
WOAHHH SO BOPPY!! Some tracks were harder to listen to if I listened to the lyrics, but crazy grooves, lit samples, and a lot of fun. Fav songs: Statik
Hyvät taustat
I found this one pretty average. Rating: 3
Better than I had thought
Smooth raps, thumping beats (courtesy of one DJ Premier); this came out in 1994 but still stands up well today. A fine head-nodder to add to the collection.
Sometimes I really wish I could properly get into hip-hop. I'm sure there's a whole depth and layer of nuance that I'm missing. However, this also gets filed under "kinda funky I guess"
Good shit. Crazy album cover. Not incredible, which might be why I haven’t heard of it. It’s fine, I guess. 3/5
Solid album Standout songs: Mental Stamina Aint the Devil Happy Come Clean
It grew on me over time, but didn't consistently set itself apart. I really enjoyed "My Mind Spray"
Sounds like 90s rap. Good but forgettable compared to the bigger name releases of the time such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Tupac, Biggie, Nas and Bone Thugz-N-Harmony. Had this come out in 92 or 93 then it might be referred to more often. By 94 a lot of this sounded more derivative of earlier albums.
It's cool to hear Guru out of the box on 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' which is huge street cred for this collab since Jazzmatazz was a true early hip hop innovator when they dropped Vol. 1 also in 1993-- an album that forever forged a new path and split rap much more distinctly into rap and hip hop. That was impactful for me as a listener because I took that divergence seriously and forever took the offramp to hip hop *against* rap-- a lower form of music. It also shows how hot the scene must have been up in Brooklyn The Planet God Dammit. I hate the repeated tone in Mental Stamina which sounds like a truck backing up. It's a very annoying sound and I can't help but wonder what producer thought it was a good idea. Da Bichez [sic] really bends towards the innnovative hip hop of the era, but crosses the red lines of mysogyny and obscenity. These two traits are notably all but absent in other important hip hop related bands of the era like Brand Nubian, Arrested Development, Digable Planets, Jazzmatazz, Pharcyde, and of course legends, ATCQ none of whom really needed the crutch of toxic masculinity to absolutely crush. In that sense, just this song fails the album's sniff test for me.
I was mildly looking forward to this nostalgia but that ended soon after I clicked play. To be fair, Guru's Jazzmatazz and virtually every Gang Star album (except Hard to Earn) took a few listens before I fully enjoyed it. But damn! It's 2024 ain't nobody got time for multiple listens! I didn't mind the beats as much as some of the lyrics. The subtle horns, electronica was a nice touch. Ain't the Devil Happy was good blending in some old skool skratching, old world strings and electronic drum machines and lyrics were decent. It was probably a highlight. But a majority of the lyrics are super juvie and lack perspective. The track Da Bichez was terrible. Never herd this before, but good for an education for early 90s NYC rap.
Interesting beats but not quite as immersive as some other hip hop I've had so far, though I am the furthest you could possibly be from an expert on this genre! I enjoyed the flow and vibes for sure
Quite good recording quality just not my kind of music
#375. Pretty solid album. It's good, but I'm not sure that I'd pick it up to listen to a second time. 3/5: it is what it is.
Hip Hop, Rap. Grundsätzlich nicht so schlecht. Trotzdem nicht meins.
This feels very much like a 1994 record, it even has that same kind of offset typewriter font that graces the cover of Neil Young’s “Sleeps with Angels” or that the movie “Singles” used. There are some great tracks here and the 40 minute runtime is a plus, but it’s not the most engaging record to me and doesn’t really hit the same highs as some of its contemporaries, like De La Soul or A Tribe Called Quest or even DJ Premiere’s work in Gang Starr. Enjoyable, but not quite essential.
Easy listen. Would have been bigger if it was released earlier. The Wikipedia entry mentions Illmatic, Enter the Wu Tang, and Ready to Die which definitely dominated 93-94, but I think this more occupies the same place as Midnight Marauders which is the better album imo.
Once again had no idea this dude existed - good listen. The flow is a little slow / basic for me, but I get what this has probably done for the future of rap and it's a nice album to chill to in the morning. Highlights include: "Da Bichez" and the chill overall vibe (Yo! MTV Raps, anyone?)
Favorite Track: Come Clean - E New Y Radio
You Can Stop The Prophet is still a great tune. The rest are good, but I prefer Premier’s Gangstarr output. 3/5
My precoceived idea was that this would suck. But apparently I'm becoming indoctrinated into the east-coast rap scene of the 80s and 90s. I really enjoyed this record. Just the right mix of social consciousness and hardcore with some excellent grooves. I had a hard time with "Bitch," though. Weird to get this and Wu-Tang one after another.
Solid, but compared to the 90s hip hop pantheon records this can't compete.
Très posé, solide et confiant. Les échantillons sont assez lents et carrés. Même quand on nargue, on ne verse pas dans l'enfantin.
So much hip hop came out in the mid 90’s, I’m not surprised I missed this one. Solid beats and some provocative themes… and lyrics that don’t age well. Feels like 90’s east coast hip hop… and that’s not good or bad, just a lot of hip hop history under that bridge.
It’s got a good beat, and I can rap to it.
Never heard of this guy, glad I heard it. Solid album
This was fine. I didn't hate it. And while I don't have any sort of historical knowledge of the hip-hop genre, it seems like a product of its time.
Better than I was expecting. Good beats and solid lyrics
Ok.
It's fine but not spectacular. Some of the beats cook but some fall flat. Overall inconsistent but a decent slab of 90s hip hop.
Pretty surprised by this one. Great beats and a good MC. Not as good as Wu-Tang but definitely in that vibe. Still it’s 90s hip hop so expect some homophobia and misogyny that hasn’t aged well - less than the West Coast rappers, but still there.
Nothing I hadn't heard before, but I warmed to this as it progressed. Some interesting beats / samples and great production, that isn't too slick. New to me, but makes me want to hear more.
In the same year that Illmatic came out, we also got this, it feels so dated, some of the themes it tried to tackle are okay, but overall this wasnt my jam
An underground classic that got lost in the mainstream because 1994 was an amazing year for hip hop releases. I hope some of those records are in this project too (e.g., Nas - Illmatic, B.I.G. - Ready to Die, Big Daddy Kane - Daddy’s Home, Beastie Boys - Ill Communication, Outkast) DJ Premier is amazing as always with the beats, and the lyrics and flow are a great example of mid-90s NY bravado. Best track: You Can't Stop the Prophet 3⭐️
The Sun Rises In The East is decent, not something that properly grabs me but the beats are fucking stellar, they've not overly complicated or showy or anything but they stand up strong and make most of the album a good listen. His style is pretty methodical but not in the boring way like 50 Cent was recently, it's just matter of fact, lacks flair but works fairly well with the overall production. A solid 3.
This is almost really good - I really like his delivery on the verses, and the beats behind this are great - but it definitely lacks something. Not quite sure what it is, but it just doesn't grab me as much as it should do. It's all decent, but nothing screams brilliant. 3/5.
A not terrible rap album with some sick beats and great flows….for the time. Unfortunately this was a bookend for a previous generation of rap that was immediately overshadowed by releases from the GOATs in the same year that changed the game immediately, so this would have fallen under the radar for most. It immediately put my infant to sleep, so not all bad. 3/5
Solid beats, playful instrumentals and energetic lyrics
Above average rap. Some predictable tropes. Nice production.
Easy listening but a bit in one ear and out the other
Enjoyed this
decent sound although crude topics and not my style overall.
DJ Premier shows again how he's one of the best producers in hip hop. Jeru is alright. Not an album I would need to see on this list but you can't go wrong if you're in the mood for some good 90s eastcoast hop hop.
Not bad
Doesn't go hard like some of the other albums in this era, but not bad.
Quite mid
Pretty standard 90s rap album, nothing special.
5/10. It had some nice beats, but I'm simply not much of a fan of rap music in general. At least it's not trap.
Have heard better hip-hop from this list
I can’t look I say as I cover my eyes and peek between my fingers. That’s how I felt listening to this. Totally engrossed. Loved the horns and a lot of the humor.
Want my bag. There are other rap/hip hop albums I enjoyed more.
Two songs in and I do like the beats. Some good lyrics in D. Original. It was fine. Pretty mid to me honestly. Nothing stood out to me except very few of the lyrics.
Come clean was interesting. Overall take: I didn't hate it. I didn't love it.
Enjoyable, but not memorable.
Pretty much a by-the-numbers jazzy hip hop album
3.5/4 - rlly enjoyed standout tracks: - my mind spray - jungle music
Is chaos the opposite of form? Is substance the opposite of oblivion? This one loses me right off the bat. The cover doesn't help much. It sounds pretty solid but it doesn't seem to aim very high and there's not much here for me to dig into. It does have a track called 'Perverted Monks in the House', so 3 stars.
This feels fairly run-of-the-mill hip hop. I listened with the expectation that I'd at least register a faint ringing of recognition at hit single 'Come Clean' - but nothing. I didn't dislike this particularly, but I'd struggle to differentiate this from the glut of second-tier early to mid nineties rap releases out there. At least the line about blowing up the World Trade Center aged well.
This was fine. Ok. Nothing to dislike but nothing to love. Quite enjoyable but largely forgettable hip hop. 2.5
Mental Stamina Da Bichez Come Clean - E New Y Radio
Some decent beats, nice listen but nothing crazy
Much better than most modern hip-hop, but still nothing truly memorable
First time I heard this album. It's similar in style as other east coast hip hop from the same time period. My first impression is that I like it and I need to give it another listen. It's not really on the same level as Enter the Wu-Tang or Illmatic as both of those blew me away the first time I heard them.
Un poco rollo, pero te hace mover la cabeza con ritmo.
Not 36 Chambers, but pretty decent
I'm not a huge fan of rap music and had never heard of this before. I was about halfway through when I looked at the release date and was surprised as I would have placed this earlier than 94. That just made it sound even more dated. It was an interesting listen, although I wouldn't listen again.
Really enjoyed the production and Jeru's flow. Lyrically it's dated. This was robbed of wider success - if only it had come out any other year! The newly released (like a week ago as I write this - great timing!) expanded version on spotify has instrumental versions of D. Original, You Can't Stop The Prophet, and Come Clean. They slap.
Some dope boom bap beats on here. The lyrics didn’t age well on some songs, namely the bichez, and the use of the other f word, which I know was pretty prevalent in hip hop at the time, but still doesn’t excuse it. It’s hard to give this album more than a three. His rhymes are solid, but this album was released the same year as Illmatic and Ready to Die. Biggie and Nas pushed hip hop forward lyrically with those albums. So while Jeru has some solid raps and good flow he kind of gets left in the dust by his peers.
Solid 90s hip hop at its finest!
I confess I had never heard of this album or this artist despite claiming to be a hip hop head - I feel humbled. I enjoyed the lyrical flow and the DJ Premier beats. It slaps but it doesn’t scratch an itch - that’s where I feel a bit hollow. I like it, yes. I see the love for it. It’s not Wu-Tang. It’s not Young Zulu Nation. It’s something else. It’s something else.
I didn't find this super memorable, but it was a solid listen. Strong beats, an assertive flow and clever lyrics. Fave Songs: Mental Stamina, Brooklyn Took It, Ain't the Devil Happy
Pätevää riimittelyä, mut vieläkään ei ihan tää ysäri-geimi aukene.
Den var udmærket, har aldrig hørt om ham før. Megafede beats! Positiv nok overraskelse, men den kommer nok ikke i rotation herhjemme.
Sindssygt fede beats! Flowet var godt men gjorde ikke nødvendigvis så meget for mig, teksterne var nogen gange gode men ret hit or miss (lidt for ""conscious hip hop"" fokuserede måske)
Umiddelbart var det fint nok at høre der var en sang som er blevet samplet / genbrugt af The Prodigy på Diesel Power, hvilket var lidt en overraskelse
HL: “Ain’t the Devil Happy”, “Come Clean”, “Jungle Music” Rounding up to a 3 today. He’s not a misogynist, he says so multiple times
Sounds more like a like 80's west coast rap. It has some pretty good moments but there just so much other hip hop from that era and before that's much stronger. 2.5
I started off not liking this one much. But by the end I found myself nodding along with the beats a little. I probably wouldn't choose to listen to this one again. But I never wanted to turn it off so it must be okay.
We miss popped up. I assumed it was something international... British maybe. But no, this is straight up American '90s gangster rap that I have literally never heard of. Which is kind of crazy. Anyway, this was fine.
Never heard this, but it was an interesting bridge between hip hop and gangsta rap. I'm sure that's the reason this one made the list.
7/ 10. Rap albums not my cuppa
This was alright. I’m not a big fan of rap but this was tolerable. Happy 2nd generatorversary to me!
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. And it isn't one of those massively over-stuffed and over-long 90s albums, coming in at a succinct 39 mins. "Da bichez", however, I could live without.
I like it but for 1994 times had moved on maybe? Still, it's well produced and certainly controversial
3+
wasnt bad
I was pretty hooked from the piano sample on the first song after the intro. Had a good time with this one, a total unknown to me.
The beat and the flow were great. Listening to Da Bichez though took me out of it.
This one surprised me. I didn't expect much from the cover art, but I ended up liking it a lot. Apart from "Da Bichez". It was a different time.
I pushed the "like" button for one of the five-star review up there because that take was well-informed and nicely phrased and/or thought out. My own personal take about this hip hop record--which admittedly flew under the radar at the time of its release--is a little less enthusiastic, though. File under "very good", but not good enough to make it to that sort of list. Lyrics and rap flow are well-executed, generally speaking. "Da Biches" will rub a lot of people the wrong way, though, for obvious reasons. Jeru's take on the situation he's addressing is a bit immature and limited: complaining about "bitches" taking advantage of his foolish male friends while praising "sisters" and "queens" is missing the point about systemic patriarchal oppression, if I may venture to use that sort of feminist take. Actually, Jeru doesn't really "praise" the "sisters" and "queens". He's only interested in roasting the so-called "bichez". He may say he's not a misogynist because he doesn want to "body-slam" one of them (Uh-huh. Wow. How *nice* of him!) But he is a misogynist nonetheless. *Of course*, many other rappers have uttered FAR WORSE things about quote-unquote "lascivious" women. So maybe it's unfair to criticize Jeru, who tries hard penning "conscious" lyrics here and there. I mean, given that I can enjoy a Snoop Dogg song once in a while, I'm probably being a little hypocritical here. Still, let's be serious for one second... The thing is, musically speaking, there's not enough "stuff" to redeem those passing lyrical flaws or cringey moments. Indeed, it seems to me that there's nothing on a purely musical level in *The Sun Rises In The East* that its producer and beatmaker DJ Premier didn't do at least twice better for Gang Starr (and for probably many other rap acts as well). And there's nothing in it that a bunch of Nas and Wu-Tang albums (including their members' first solo ventures) didn't do ten times better. Not that the music is bad per se. It's appropriately moody and minimalistic on the first side. Yet it's as if some spark was missing to turn it into an "essential" offer. That said, fans of that sort of golden age hip hop shouldn't miss two or three gems on the second side, which is more convincing than the first. But does that make the whole album those gems are from "mandatory" somehow? I doubt it. You can't have every *decent* albums in this list now, can you? 3/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential records. Which translates to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 233 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 331 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 195 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 248 (including this one)
Strong production and quite solid overall. Just feels a little middling after all these years.
I'm not familiar with this artist or album, but then again, I'm not super familiar with 90's hip hop, so take that with a grain of salt. I thought this album was pretty good overall. The beats were really great (I especially enjoyed the piano parts, as they felt very east coast), the lyrics were good, and the rapping was pretty good too. Some of my favorite parts of the album were: -"D. Original": I loved the piano used in the beat. The discordant sound really gave the song that 'pre-Giuliani New York' feel, before New York became a 'safe' tourist attraction. The lyrics were great too. I loved the reference to Mortal Kombat and the rhyming of "sewer" with "manure." -"Mental Stamina": well this song references Blanka from Street Fighter II. Does this guy have any loyalties with his 2-D fighting games? -"You Can't Stop the Prophet": I enjoyed the way this song wove its dark narrative, especially with the 'villain' having his own lines of dialogue. -"Ain't The Devil Happy": thematically, I thought this might have been the best song on the album. The lyrics felt like traditional gangsta rap with some sprinkles of self reflection. I don't think I'd listen to this album again, but it was interesting to listen to something from 90's hip hop that's a little less well-known.
90s rap
Typical hip hop.
Man, totally forgot about this album.
its fine. good beats from preemo but jeru is just a whatever mc tbh
kinda dull to me, I'm not the biggest fan of Jeru
Enjoyable but not quite worth a second listen. 68/100
Jeru The DaMAJOR - this guy is solid.
Decent gangster rap
Ok, never ever heard of this one. Getting two records with skyscrapers on fire on the cover is quite something. This is an ok, half decent hip hop album. Nothing bad, but it also didn't stand out particularly for me.
Pleasant
It's okay! I like the sounds and such
Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.
Unheard this gets a bonus star for being a ‘90’s hip hop album that’s under 40 minutes, a unicorn on this list. Jeru the Damaja was someone I never reached, though I intended to: he was championed by the great Neil Kulkarni (RIP), and part of the noisy, wired lineage that includes Public Enemy, Show & AG and the Wu-Tang Clan, which was the only hip-hop I enjoyed back then - I love the heaviness, the nerviness. Yet I’d never knowingly sought out any of DJ Premier’s production work, including this. This unfamiliar record tests whether my enjoyment of this murky sub-genre rests on nostalgia. This has wallop and disquiet that I treasure in the records I love of the ilk, while the rapping is stalwart - he sounds straightforward, to the point, boasts and insults casually matter-of-fact. It’s a dry style, not afraid of cliche to get a point across efficiently, and I like it in the main, though it fails horribly on Da Bichez, which is half-hearted and half-baked misogynist commentary on misogyny. Involuntarily falling asleep when settling our kid to bed means I’ve only listened to this fully once, perhaps not enough. No outright bangers identified themselves to me over this playthrough, but I liked the vibes The shape-throwing on his Spotify video is beguiling, completely weird. After watching a few minutes over a spread of songs, I surmise these are interpretative dance loops bespoke to each song that he’s made decades later. I hope Simon has written something about the cover!
Not bad, I've heard worse. Nothing outstanding on this album. The beats are good, the lyrics are a bit mixed, and the samples are sometimes a bit out of place, but I suspect that this was on purpose.
Not bad. A surprisingly mature sound.
“I’m not a misogynist, but…” Riiiiight.
Never Eat Shredded Wheat
Best prima muziek. Lekkere beats, vrij typisch voor die tijd, maar dus ook niet echt vernieuwend, of uniek. Hoeft niet op de lijst.