Reviews (page 6 of 8)
wasnt bad
90s NY rap with a cool flow, no unnecessary language, and good story telling complimented with great samples. Excellent chill hip hop to enjoy.
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.
"Sounds like an angry, raw Jazzmatazz" I thought for a moment, believing I had a clever moment there making a connection, before looking up if, aha!, Gang Starr will also come up on this list. This is good. Will probably be on repeat today.
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)
Amazing, I feel bad for not ever hearing this.
This bumps
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
Jeru the Demaja - The Sun Rises In The East 90s hip hop album from one of the members of Gang Starr Foundation. From what I read it helped receive the East coast hip hop scene, along with Wu-Tang, Nas, Biggie. I didn't hear anything special on this album, but I also didn't know who Jeru was. 2/5
This rocked. Really coming to a better appreciation for rap. I could definitely get this on vinyl.
alright
Rap / HipHop is not my Taste!
Typical hip hop.
Not my favourite listen. Some tracks were more annoying than a dripping tap
Listened to about a minute of the first track then put abbey road on instead.
Can’t get into this type of music. I do have a couple albums I like very much. Unfortunately i reference my rating off them and this is far from being equal.
Man, totally forgot about this album.
its fine. good beats from preemo but jeru is just a whatever mc tbh
solid rap album,, really awesome wordplay, definitely a quintessential overlooked LP of the east coast underground. really interesting, almost ominous sound. homophobia and misogyny to be expected from this era but still threw me off. 7/10 fav tracks: you can't stop the prophet, ain't the devil happy
This guy thinks he’s descended from Egyptian royalty and his words transcend space and time, but this is just another ‘90s rap album, probably here to have some east coast representation. Not much new, misogyny and racism, despite him specifically denying both. There are some good beats here though.
kinda dull to me, I'm not the biggest fan of Jeru
I know just enough about old school rap to be dangerous, but I did not know this record even existed until I was today years old. Not only did I dig the whole thing end-to-end but it made me go for the old Nas, Eric B & Rakim, and Tribe Called Quest. I'm not complaining about an east coast rap Saturday morning.
Great rhymes
Enjoyable but not quite worth a second listen. 68/100
Listened 2x. Good album. 3.7/5
Cool album. Not very woke, but then not many rap albums are I guess. I liked it, and if you are looking for advice on rap music, always go to a white, middle class, middle aged, Englishman, I always say. We down wit dat shit Playa. With the Hippin and a hoppin etc....
That's some insanely smooth flows, lyricism is crazy high with this guy. Chill and very impressive rapping
Just let me disassociate and enjoy this.
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!
Praise be, a new-to-me hip hop album that is pretty good! I guess I just love the late 80's/'90s style. Enjoyed it a lot
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.
I see an angry disembodied elf in the cover art, and that is probably not what they were going for here. As I typically say with most of these hip hop/ rap albums, I don't know how to grade or compare these. In my world this sounds similar to Biz Markee without the funny. That could be a terrible comparison, but I'm just not a fan of the content even if I can appreciate the flow, spit, or whatever. Favorite track "D Original" 1/5
Not bad. A surprisingly mature sound.
Appreciate the attempts at positivity and consciousness, but he just doesn't have the lyrical chops.
1 or two good tracks, I thought the backing tracks were a bit rubbish
Solid hip hop album.
1 - Me caga el RAP
Yes. The rap. Very rappy rap. It's simply not my style. At all. And we've had a bunch of it recently, with some albums surprisingly enjoyable to me. This one just sounds like very typical rap to me. Therefore, I don't enjoy it. The jarring samples and loops such as the super annoying phone ringing on Mental Stamina definitely don't help either.
“I’m not a misogynist, but…” Riiiiight.
Never Eat Shredded Wheat
Never heard before; just great 90s hip-hop. The rather intense misogyny of one song aside I found the lyrics pretty enjoyable and the beats were really interesting
Best prima muziek. Lekkere beats, vrij typisch voor die tijd, maar dus ook niet echt vernieuwend, of uniek. Hoeft niet op de lijst.
Horrific.
I don’t Like Hip-Hop
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
I really like the lyrics and beats. My problem with this album is that almost every song is ruined by some sampled sound that’s really annoying. An awful high pitched sound that barely hits the rhythm or a terrible piano riff that goes for the whole song. “Ain’t the Devil Happy” is damn good.
No me ha gustado demasiado.
Rap/Hip Hop is really just not my thing. Definitely better than other rap that I’ve heard, but still only one or two songs I consider redeemable.
Hip hop
I’m not the demographic. I enjoy the rhythm and the rhyme but the content is not on my radar.
Interesting beats, fairly positive lyrics, not bad.
Exceptional East Coast hip-hop, but essential?
first listen good bars, even better production by DJ Premier
Have not heard Jeru The Damaja before, but I really dig the classic 90's hip-hop vibe. Certainly one to listen to again.
Even though this is the kind of hip hop that I tend to enjoy this album has no energy to it.
OK, I’m not sure about this but I really don’t remember anything about this after listening. With albums like this I always wonder if a re-listen or two would completely change my opinion, but I already have a lot of albums to catch up on. This at least isn’t the really dated 1980s rap that has popped up strangely frequently on the list.
It would’ve been a two out of five okay but towards the end it started getting really good and I was actually grooving.
Smooth, consistent beats. These rhythms were solid and the flow was relentless. This album flew by but nothing stood out as a potential hit or song for the radio.
Solid, East Coast, vibe, rap, similar to Gang Starr, mixed with Wu-Tang, good lines and vibe but didn’t do anything special for me. Cool track you can’t stop the prophet where he’s going against his enemy, ignorance The bichez intro: Life is the result of the struggle between dynamic opposites, form and chaos, … and all the variations of yin yang, things always balance out
I loved it even the bitches the bitches the bitches 😭 takes off one star so people know I disagree. But I kind of don’t mean it
Some good beats on there. He's got flow.
Surprised about this one. Though I was going to absolutely hate this record but turns out I liked it. Great sampling with great production overall and the vocals on this is solid and doesn't have that 1990's cheesiness to it (which is a good thing)
Man i was not expecting to like this. Immediately it just grabbed me and didn't let me go. Infectious beats, clever lines. This thing rules
No more old school rap. Please I'm so done. Abt 47 to go
Cool album for sure and I can hear how he influenced so many of my favorite hip hop artists that came after him for sure. This is old school hip-hop story telling, which I love.
Couldn’t do it, but seemed sound lyrically.
Drei Halleluja für die Skip Taste! Rap, HipHop & Acid auf einem Werk und das noch mit einer nerviger Stimme und unsinnigen Texten. Ich kannte den Künstler vorher nicht und werde mich an ihn nur erinnern wenn ich die Statistik mit meinen schlechtesten Alben sehe 😕.
Rap is usually not my cup of tea. This album, however, was very articulate and surprisingly eloquent for being quintessential rap of the 90's.
This was better than expected. Love the grimy New York rap, samples and beats were great.
This is excellent. How have I not heard of him before?
Love this type of rap. Consistent album but no huge hits or bangers. Need to delve into more Jeru the Damaja albums.
32/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 Generic 90s rap with a couple of quasi-moments.
Not bad for explicit lyrics. I liked the beat.
It wasn't until I left my wallet in Al Segundo came on that I realised that this album has no hook tracks.
You know, It Takes A Million of Nations of Public Enemy sets the standard, and this is for me a weak rip-off. Not bad, but lyrics are bit more "Look at Me, how bad or important I am". Feels like 2 stars, so I give it 2 stars.
Never even Heard this guy before. It was decent
Not a hip hop listener. But this has a good groove and doesn't seem to have aged. It's of its time, but clearly timeless
Liked it a lot more than I expected. The lyrics were deep and meaningful.
Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Mische: Beats mit feinem Impact, oldschool Scratches über handverlesene Samples, Delivery gerade auf "Mental Stamina" und "Aint the Devil Happy" fantastisch Mugge: Wu-Tang des kleinen Mannes - im Vergleich zu modernem Hip-Hop kann man selbst dafür aber nicht dankbar genug sein... Wertung: 3/5
4/5. These beats are insane and the samples are so fun, definitely feel the parliament-funkadelic influence throughout. The flows are fresh and still relevant today. The album is also really well produced and has the alien and old-school vibe but sounds modern. The first side is stronger than the second side but still goes hard. The best parts are the transitions between songs, skits, ad-libs, and samples. All flows together so nicely.
Genre: R&B Rap Instruments: 4/5 Modern Translation: 4/5 Dance Potential: 2/5 Listening Location: commute to/ from work Favourite Song: D. Original Made me feel: bad ass. Loved timing my walking pace to this old-school R&B rap album. Liked the drum and piano scattered in the album.
Vanaf de hoes kijkt een Heel Boze Meneer ons aan, achter hem een stad in vlammen. Heeft hij de brand aangestoken? Daagt de zon in het oosten? Wie zal het zeggen. Uiteindelijk beoordeel ik deze albums alleen maar op muzikaliteit, afwisseling en irritatiefactor, en als er een boodschap achter zit gaat die meestal langs me heen. Nu dus ook. Het constante gepraat is voor mij eerder een van de componenten van de muziek dan iets wat betekenis draagt. Hoe dan ook, als het maar een beetje aan te horen is luister ik zo'n plaat heus wel uit.
Een wat meer relaxte rapper, op zich toen al wat gedateerd. Maar toch prettig. Muzikaal iets minder relaxed, wat voor een fijne combi zorgt.
Typische beats van begin jaren '90. De teksten hebben weinig poetische waarde, maar het ontstijgt het kinderachtige materialistische geklets tenminste nog af en toe (af en toe ook niet). Er zit wel een aardige flow in en het duurt maar 40 minuten. Genoeg punten om het een degelijke 3 te geven.
Sounds like every other old school hip-hop album to me. Not necessarily bad I'm sure I haven't heard anything on this record that I hadn't heard before.
Sind doch ein zwei gute Lieder dabei
This was good. I've always gravitated more to old school hip hop, everything seems to flow well. I definitely want to listen to it again.
Listened Before? N This sounds like something that would've come out a few years before it actually came out. In a time when gangsta rap and g-funk style had taken over, this guy was still doing a late 80s - early 90s style. Probably the New York influence coming through. The samples are well done, and they lyrics are good. I enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: You Can't Stop The Prophet
Nett, aber bissl anstrengend
Are you telling me the fabled "90s hip-hop album that's shorter than an hour" is real? I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought half of the album was missing from Spotify or something! Kind of goofy, but not bad. Beats range from amazing to obnoxious.
Got a freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky, freaky flow
total hip hop gem
Love it - a talented MC and quintessential rappers in the NY 90s hip hop scene.
It was fine lol
Really boring. Repetitive loops and samples only occasionally broken up with brief flashes of something approaching a good flow. I love 90s hip hop but this doesn't quite reach the heights that other artists of the time were offering
Nice rap album a few decent tunes
Weak flow. Cliché pseudo-intellectual rimes. Toddler beats: somehow simultaneously annoying and boring.
Great voice, some good stuff, some formula
Quite enjoyed some of the jazzy beats and the flow. Less misogyny than most hip-hop of it's era, but still more than is acceptable. 2.5 stars.
Started ok but was pretty boring
not my thing, lots of cussing.
oh god
There is a lit of east coast boom bap mid 90s style to this, which I like. Lyrics not too complex. Good social message.
Man, am I a sucker for 90s east coast hip-hop. The music is fucking great (having DJ Premier doesn't hurt a bit), and the rapping has aged relatively well. This album suffers a bit from comparison to other albums from the same city in the same era (very few albums hold up well against 36 Chambers and Illmatic), but it's good overall. 3/5, but very close to a 4
honestly, not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s definitely not my favourite type of music and I don’t really see how influential it was. However, I did find myself nodding along to some of the beats. Overall, I just think that it was a little too long, and I got distracted along the way, and it lost my attention. If it was shorter, I could consider giving a higher rating however, all in all, not bad.
Maybe a little ironic that the usual dividing line on whether I like a hiphop record or not is primarily based on the music. 808s and trap beats are almost always gonna deliver a quick 1 or 2, I just can't get into it so when we get a semi-old-school beat delivered like this one from Jeru it already has a step up. Good jazz or soulful feel to most of these tracks, good head bobbing music. For the most part I like his flow, although his voice gets a little repetitive/monotonous over the long haul. Even tho the album is relatively short at 39 minutes I'm not sure I'm an album fan of his - and there are a few real real embarrassing or terrible tracks (skits, the execrable "Da Bichez" come tf on) that bring this down. I'll take a few tracks or maybe half the album at a time and call this one right up the middle. 6/10 3 stars.
This was just kind of generic east coast 90s rap,will probably never revisit.
Bien, no es un género que escucho muy a menudo, pero estuvo disfrutable.
Good
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Ain’t the devil happy, You can’t stop the prophet
un gros classique du hip hop des 90s qui un peu mal vieilli aujourd’hui imo mais ça reste hood
J’aime le old school avec un 25% sample, 75% bars, mais comme l’album précédent sur la liste, j’ai du mal avec le côté rébarbatif.
Hip hop is obviously a list unto itself; the selection on this list is a little heavy on this style. This is good for that style, though with the usual unwelcome doses of misogyny and hemophilia. I've had my fill of the style St the moment though.
Crisp and muscular East Coast rap of the Renaissance era, with strong flows and rhymes and real cool beats (which do feel supremely old school now, if not quite fully dated). Was well and truly outshone by quite a few other proximate records, through no fault of its own. And it's certaintly not hard to hear why this should be better known, and/or why it might be regarded as a forgotten/cult classic. One likes the balance of conscious observation/uplifting sentiment and slightly ominous gangsta vibes. "Da Bichez" shows Jeru can misogynate with the best of them. Best cuts = "Devil Happy," Can't Stop the Prophet," "Mind Spray," and "Jungle Music"
"The Sun Rises in the East" by Jeru the Damaja, released in 1994, is a landmark in East Coast hip-hop, and its solid beats are a driving force behind its success. Jeru's debut is characterized by gritty production and thoughtful lyricism that echoes the golden era of hip-hop. The album, produced by DJ Premier, features beats that are not just solid but iconic. Songs like "Come Clean" showcase the raw, minimalist production style that defined the era. Jeru's lyricism, combined with these beats, delivers a potent dose of street wisdom and social commentary. "The Sun Rises in the East" is a testament to the power of collaboration between a skilled lyricist and a masterful producer, earning a strong 4/5 for its influential beats and Jeru's insightful rhymes.
Hip hops straight off the turntable and into the bin.
Hip hop is not my thing but this was listenable
Meh Rating: 2.8
Favourite songs: You Can't Stop the Prophet, My Mind Spray, Ain't The Devil Happy, Come Clean - E New Y Radio, Jungle Music, Statik, Mental Stamina Least favourite songs: Intro (Life), Perverted Monks in Tha House (fuck skits) 4/5
Classic rap/hip-hop! Not bad. It's fine.
nope
Envie d'en finir
2/5 not my cup of tea
This was pretty good!
I'm surprised by the year. This sounds later then 1994. Which might point to why this is on this list. Very tight, if a bit shocking to be to shocking.
Not much to talk about. Good rhymes / lyrics, nice flows and beats, and pretty good production. Also, it did not age that well, ouch… it’s good but not GOOD.
I am sorry, not a hip-hop fan. I tried.
Good music to feel cool too, might listen to it agin from time to time.
Great east coast hip hop with wonderful music beds that reminds me of the best of Wu Tang.
Enjoyable. Some of the lyrics seemed a bit contrived, crammed in where they don't really fit.
Takes a couple of tracks to warm up. Quite enjoyed the second half.
Genius east coast hip hop, from a time most of the scene was looking west. An artist I had never even heard of, but wish I had! Hints of wu tang style, in beats and flow, and i can hear his influence on both Akala and eminem, and many others. Bordering on conscious, but with beats and skits too. Loved it, now off to find out what he did to be expunged from the history books!
Ganz okay aber auch nicht der absolute Wahnsinn
Not my thing
Less violently misogynistic than a lot of his contemporaries (and successors) but to paraphrase Mrs Doyle, it's wall to wall bitches in here. A shame because this is otherwise a likeable and solid album (which I'd never heard, or even heard of, before this list).
Never listened to the whole album before, but since I had an intense love affair with NY boom bap some twenty years ago, I’ve had around half of the tracks on mixtapes, mp3s and burned cds. The album is a great snapshot of the era of New York rap I personally like the most - 90s boom bap.
not bad, better than kendrick
Every song on this album bumps AND the cover features the World Trade Center on fire. What’s not to love?!?
Cool.
Great to listen to while working
Loops are quirky and cool. Beats less so. Soulful sound.
Crazy cluster dissonance. Favorite song: Jungle music?
New York style boop bap rap. Sounds like a blend of Notorious B.I.G. and Nas. Enjoyed it front to back although it did kind of all blend together. I'll definitely have to look into some more of Jeru's other albums because his work doesn't come up much on most 90s rap playlists but it definitely encapsulates that east coast vs west coast golden era.
Album is alright when it's not one of the worst mixed albums I've ever listened to (Brooklyn Took It). Pretty much just Dollar-Tree Illmatic
Listened to this album while eating humus and carrot sticks on the deck in the sun. Surprising good listening for when you're eating humus and carrot sticks on the deck in the sun.
Good beats. Solid 3/5
Damn!
3.5, I really like some of the beats and lyrics. Some of the other lyrics are corny tho
Paikoittain ihan svengaavaa räbäytystä muttei silti mitään asiaa jatkossa omille listoille. Olisin pärjännyt elämässä varsin hyvin ilman tätä(kin) levyä.
Laadukas setti, hyvät biitit ja selkeesti artikuloitua räpäytystä
This was some solid old school rap. Exactly what I expected. Part of me wants to give this album extra points because it’s an underground gem for all the great East Coast rap albums that came out within the 3 year span, but I also question why it’s not talked about more. I’ll ignore the pondering and just say that I enjoyed some of the songs like Da Bitchez and the album was well set up, but there was a bit of a repetitive nature with some of the beats which turned me off. Glad this made the generator though to provide more depth to this era, it was better than some of the famous ones in my opinion.
C+ Intro (Life) 3 D. Original 3 Brooklyn Took It 3 Perverted Monks in Tha House (Skit) 3 Mental Stamina (featuring Afu-Ra) 2 Da Bichez 3 You Can't Stop the Prophet 3 Perverted Monks in Tha House (Theme) 3 Ain't the Devil Happy 4 My Mind Spray 2 Come Clean 2 Jungle Music 3 Statik 2 I liked this better than the other rap albums we've gotten from this era.
This was better than the other rap albums than I've gotten, mostly because it's short! Thank god. It's a great length. It doesn't stay too long and gets to the point. Some stuff has aged well (standard disclaimer for a lot of 90s rap) but he had good flow and good beats.
Solid, if slightly indistinct East coast USA rap
This was alright. I can definitely hear the Wu-Tang influence. I think my favorite song ended up being "Da Bichez" but there are a few good ones on here. Didn't love it, but it was okay.
Nothing here excites me at all.
Not great. I wonder if it’d be in the book if it didn’t have a picture of the twin towers burning on the cover
I can tell it is an amazing and influential album for fans of the genre, but it wasn't stand out enough for me to enjoy most of it beyond as pleasant background noise. I did check out some of the lyrics, and I find them very evocative. I Ain't the Devil Happy is the track I enjoyed most.
This album is alright. Nothing to write home about. I'm not a big fan of the beats, as the producer seems to like to lay discordant samples over what is otherwise a decent beat. The lyrics are okay, but not great. It's listenable is about all I can say. Tracks I liked: Perverted Monds In Tha House (Theme) Ain't the Devil Happy Jungle Music
Un poco rollo, pero te hace mover la cabeza con ritmo.
This is the style of hip-hop that I tend to tolerate the best: musical hooks and non-screaming vocals. However, there really wasn't anything about this album that stood out to me; musically or otherwise.
This one surprised me. Didn't expect to enjoy it. But I really did.
Very good east coast rap.
Cool beats, interesting cover. Getting a bit tired of all the similar-sounding 90s hip hop albums.
Jeru is certifiably delivering some of the freshest beats of the 90’s on his debut album. The cover on the other hand probably won’t be that prominently featured in most US record stores today, will it?
Reminds me of when hip hop and rap had different flows and raps vs all mumble raps. Foundation of east coast rap - kung fu references, motivational speech and reminders of bitches aint shit
Heard before: no Some decent beats, but ultimately, this is an ok late 80s/early 90s East Coast hip hop record, even if it's a little generic for this list. Because there's nothing else to recommend it, I have even less patience for lyrics like Da Bichez. When I want this vibe, I doubt this will be the record I reach for. Top tracks: Come Clean (E New Y Radio), Ain't The Devil Happy, You Can't Stop The Prophet
A nice hip hop album, I like the jazzy instrumentals
Decent
Nostalgic
Great 90’s NY hip hop. Really enjoyed this!
Great hip hop album, just dwarfed by some of the other monster albums that came out around the same time
6/10 some good stuff here, but idk fairly week rap album imo
I thought I wouldn't like it, but it wasn't all that bad. actually enjoyable.
Perfect start to finish. One of the best classic hip hop albums I've heard
I like his sound - Jungle Music was my favorite track - but there wasn't a lot of meat to the album, it didn't hold my attention beyond a song or two.
Good lyrics/flow/beats. Hip hop isn't even my jam, but this was a solid album.
My main takeaway from this experiment is that I really like 90's music.
Savory jazz beats, samples. This is for me for sure
As soon as I saw the album cover and year I knew I would like it
Maybe it's a difference of East coast vs West coast or old school vs new, but this is not the style of rap I care for. Every song sounds somewhat similar.
Never heard of this guy before. Gotta be honest I couldnt be bothered with this, but when it’s good it’s really very good. Love the production of this, sounds very analogue (if thats a thing). The beats are class too, and I love the off key parts (like the piano in D.Original). Dont often heat that in rap. It does often drift into the cliche, but that cant be helped I guess. Couple of songs passed me by, but overall its canny. Is that the twin towers on the album cover?… 3.5
This guy is pretty impressive, especially for the time. The first half was better than the second, things started to become increasingly samey but there was always a few decent bars per track. As usual the parts where he strayed away from bigging himself up were better. I'd put it a shade below Quest, so 3-3.5
I love the sound and production. Very light on the bass, focused on the drums. East Coast is generally more my thing, harder beats and lyrics. Favourite tracks: You Can't Stop The Prophet, D. Original, and I even enjoyed the intro. Didn't outstay its welcome.
Had never heard of Jeru before but thought he was pretty good. There are some nice simple beats and good flow. However parts haven't aged well and I probably wouldn't listen to it again. Highlights: D. Original You Can't Stop The Prophet Ain't The Devil Happy
Not heard of this guy before. Thought this was quite good, but something didn't quite grab me.There is the good old misogyny trope in a few tracks which is boring. That being said, there was some good flow and beats at times Highlights: Mental stamina You can't stop the prophet Jungle music 3.5 but it's getting 4 as I gave Motorhead 3.5 and it's better than that
Pretty decent, but I’ve heard better
I mean, it's alright. The flow, while primitive, is good for the time and the bears are solid. The problem is that all the beats and bars are essentially the SAME so, regardless of the actual lyrics, everything sounds pretty much the same. Which is a shame. The back half of the album is better that the first half, though, which earned it back a star that it had lost due to repetition.
This is great! It keeps driving, and the lyrics are delivered so well. I love the underlying rhythms and harmonies. All very well done.
Too old school. Production flat.
I really enjoyed this album. I had never heard of it previously. I think East Coast rap has a lot of hidden gems and this is one Very high three I think
Heaps of family samples, and dope tracks. Up loud relive the hay day
Some cool tracks on here
I don't know, man. It's not the worst, but this is not for me.
Weird old skool hip hop
Some cleverness and wit in the lyrics, overshadowed by the dated misogyny that grates and drags it down
I bought this on vinyl and never really got into it. I put Come Clean on a fair few mixtapes, but nothing else really hooked me in. A disappointed 2 stars.
I'd never heard of him, nor the album. It was alright, as far as mid-90s hip-hop go - good beats and raps.
2.5
I happened to catch this album in the middle of a 90s hip hop kick I'm currently on and this has been... disappointing? Maybe I don't get it but I felt like most of the beats and lyrics were subpar compared to the other popular albums being released around this time. Even the supposed best song in "Come Clean" fell flat. I went into this never having heard of Jeru the Damaya and now I know why... Anyway, I liked "Jungle Music" the most despite having a slightly dated style to it as it sounded very late 80s/very early 90s. 6/10.
Really enjoyed this one.
fine. not really anything special overall. My Mind Spray was the one stand out song
Holy shit this album cover aged insanely poorly lmao; I wonder what Jeru thought of this 7 years later. Anyway, I think at this point I'm able to give my personal opinion of 90s rap/hip hop without totally qualifying everything I say with "it wasn't my thing" or "maybe I didn't get it" now that I've gotten enough of them on this list to hear a pretty diverse collection of the genre. I still don't have much of the historical contexts behind these albums but even so I don't really see it being alongside Illmatic and 36 chambers as one of the albums that revived east coast hip hop. This one I thought was just okay; it had some cool beats and perfectly fine lyrics but overall I just wasn't very impressed. However, that could be because I just got illmatic and I'm still fully in recency bias mode with that one.
The Sun Rises in the East is the debut album by American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja. Considered to be Jeru's best work, this album revitalized East Coast hip hop, and was well received by critics. Jeru has a unique, broken/disjointed poetic flow for his raps, and he paired that well with the hypnotic beats on this album. This was a cool piece of music history from around the golden age of hip hop. During the mid-90's, a listener could tell the difference between West Coast and East Coast hip hop which were both vying for dominance of the market. The rapping isn't as smooth as modern day's standards, but it brings a whole different vibe that was just as good when this album was released.
Gangster rap had a short time in the sun. That's good. A bit too strongly worded for current times.
A bit too angry and mean spirited for me
Es un rap muy crudo, muy yankee, del que no me llega tanto. Pero no es malo, se rescata algo
Important record in the underground east coast rap scene of the mid 90s. The beats on here are great, sampling is on point. Pretty good lyrics too, incorporating some social commentary in here which I appreciate.
Was just alright. There’s much better east coast hip hop. 4/10
A great old school hip hop album from an east coast magician, very Wu-Tang in feel but that's my limited reference speaking, I greatly enjoyed the beats and lyrics. He gets extra points for throwing in Imhotep in there.
Great production is easily the highlight of this ‘90s staple.
Pretty decent. A little bit too much "noise" for me, but I think that's the intent. Prose above the noise.
It's one thing to be a misogynist, but to be one that declares, "hey!, I'm not a misogynist" while demonstrating that he's a misogynist. the rest plays like a mediocre east coast Ice-T, though i did like "Ain't the Devil Happy".
Some great noises coming out of NYC back in nineteen ninety three.
Something of an underground classic, Jeru sure has some nice flow, solids beats and Primo production is top tier. Real east coast hip hop, dark and brooding, plenty of lyrics to mull over for weeks. Maybe even five stars with repeat listens.
ok hip hop
You know what you get by just looking at the atrocious cover and the ridiculous artist name - lots of misogynist "gangsta" Hip-Hop trash. Hard pass. 0.5/5
This is cool. I've never heard of this artist, much less this album. I am conversant with some hip hop... this reminds me of Public Enemy, probably more than anything else. Good beats, interesting melodies, nice timing. Color me impressed.
Not my cup of tea.
Whilst important at its time, I don’t think that it’s held up particularly well. More a museum piece than essential listening, and that’s coming from someone who was deep into the gangsta rap scene in the ‘90s.
13th July 2023 Listened during the day while working from home. Chilled evening. Caught up late with the rating so tough to remember but think it was solid 90s hip hop. 3.5 if I could.
enjoyed this one. 3.75
Ok hip hop album, only listened once, wasn’t for me. Rating a 3, might give a listen another time. Beat track wasn’t very engaging for me.
Ja kyllä, tiedän tapani kiertää aseen. Minulla on täysin varustettu AR-15, jonka ostin rahoilla, jonka äitipuoli aikoi käyttää kampaamon perustamiseen. Käytän sitä metsästämään monia suuria eläimiä, jotka eivät ymmärrä mitä ase on eivätkä siksi pelkää sitä. Sellaisen metsästäminen, joka on paljon suurempi kuin ihminen ja jolla ei ole pelkoa (kuten minä lol), on paljon vaikeampaa kuin taistella terroristia tai normaalia vastaan, tiedätkö mitä tarkoitan? Joskus nostan ruhoja kuvia varten ja ne painavat varmaan joka tapauksessa enemmän kuin painot. brooklyn took it
A near perfect rap album
A note to male artists: you can’t just say you’re not a misogynist and then go onto say virulently misogynistic things. I liked a lot of this musically but when I started REALLY enjoying it I looked at my phone and realised the album had ended and Spotify had shuffled similar songs. So.
Not really my thing, it's not bad. Fave track Ain't The Devil Happy.
Eh, not a lot of enthusiasm for this - kinda interesting as a transitional link between old school and modern hip-hop I guess. Some of the production was alright. "Da Bitchez" was cringe AF. Fave track - "D Original", for the wonky piano backing...
Nah, not for me this one, nothing in the musical side of it caught my ear and the rapping seemed pretty generic
I’ll be honest, never heard of Jeru before this, maybe if I did I’d rate the album higher, but judging it by today’s standards it sounds very “regular”
doooppe nyc tough g rap. good. nice and dark piano. plink plink.
No what I was expecting, a good slice of East coast 90's hip hop
This is a revolutionary hip-hop album....... for 1988. 6 years later, Jeru gets buried by hip-hop royalty in Biggie, Nas, WuTang and more. Rap was about to change forever but it sounds like the damaja was late to the party. This record is just ok.
Not a rap fan
I do like his voice, but few rap albums hold my attention the entire length.
It was fine. Honestly, nothing really stood out to me but it was good enough. Maybe it needs more listens?
Cat: I listened to 2 songs. I liked it!
Nothing special
Good music to clean to.
Not bad rap 3/5
Interesting Rap album
Pointsit omaperäisemmistä taustoista kuin monilla saman ajan raplevyillä. Kylmä tyyli, enteilee 2000-lukua paikoin. Ihanhan tämä rullaa.
Koukkuina dissonantteja jazz-sampleja. Jätän diggailuyritykset suosiolla muille.
It was OK 90's rap, but one star less for Da Bichez - a bit over this stuff
Jeru is something of a proto-MF Doom, with his buttery smooth flow, tongue twisting wordplay and jazz tinged beats. Even if not every track is a winner, this album is still an excellent example of what the mid-90s underground could produce.
That certainly is a cover.
Super funky, good flow - really enjoyed this one. Noting that this debut seems to be accepted as his best album.
New York rap from the 90s almost always works for me, and this is no exception. DJ Premier's beats are the star of the show here. His samples are brave, almost avant-garde, even dissonant at times, yet he still manages to make everything into a head-bobber. He creates such a rich atmosphere from so few elements. He cuts the samples up in a way that calls attention to the cuts themselves and it really punctuates the songs.
Overall like the sound but thematically doesn't propel things for me, there's better East Coast Rap out there for me.
Generic, average hip hop. Definitely not one of the best hip hop albums of all time?
Terrible!
Wow I can’t believe I’ve never heard of him before, but I was impressed by this album. While both are great, I’d consider east coast rap superior. I will definitely be checking out more of his albums.
Jeru has good rhymes and flow, but the album does sound dated compared to others from the same era. It’s good in patches, with ‘Da Bichez’ being a highlight and my favourite track, but I was hoping for more overall.
Definitely couldn't be made nowadays, I love the juxtaposition between 'I hate bitches' and using the f slur, and saying 'im not a racist or a sexist'. Also this made me remember that the etc was bombed well before 9/11, good luck getting that on an album cover nowadays
This was solid, sent me down a rabbit hole of DJ Premier's work, the production here is very cool, often atonal and surprising. The lyrics and flow are definitely pretty good too, less misogynistic than a lot of 90s rap (which isn't to say not misogynistic, but at least it's just one song and not even that bad for the 90s? 🤷). Solid 4 for now.
Yawn.
Forgettable
Most of what I know about hip hop I've learned on this project (namely that some of it is quite fantastic). Unfortunately my knowledge is not deep enough yet to enjoy this album for its place in history. Dated attitudes aside, there was nothing that really caught my ear. I appreciate the, I guess jazziness?, of the music, but overall it just feels too heavy. I don't love it but I certainly don't hate it. Middle of the road 2.5.
Decent. Not amazing, but decent. 3/5
Never heard of this guy. Good. Not great. Would definitely listen again, but not frequently. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding
This might have suffered from coming a day after a much more interesting hip hop record. It certainly didn't feel "must hear before you die" worthy. I didn't enjoy it, bichez. Next!
Was this album significant to the revival of the East Coast hip hop scene? So the Wikipedia tells me, but Jeru didn’t do much for me today. Not unlistenable, but not very appealing to me either.
I listened twice but nothing much grabbed my attention.
This was ok, but I found the music would get kind of tedious by the end of most of the songs. I was looking for a little more happening on that end of things. I listened to this a few times but remained underwhelmed with each listen.
cool just not for me!
What the heck amazing?! The root of some Dilated Peoples samples?! Super fun. Really good. Good vibes!
This varies for me from really good to not enjoyable. Overall though .. solid.
Honnêtement un des meilleurs albums rap j'ai eu dans ces 1001 à date. La production était super bonne, les beats étaient exceellents. Généralement je suis moins fan du style NY mais cet album est tellement bien monté. La seule chose qui l'empêche d'être un score parfait est le style de rap qui est un peu redondant. 9/10
I thought this was dope.
This surprised me, the lyrics are kind of awesome! Ain’t The Devil Happy and Statik are on the top for me.
Biiiitch! That is all.
I liked the beats and use of interesting sounds. Jeru’s lyrics are clever. This is definitely an influential rap album. Enjoyed it overall.
Flamme
Waaaaay better than I was expecting. Very enjoyable old school sound. 3/5
I'm hard pressed to think of a line that aged worse than saying "I blow up spots like the World Trade Center" 7 years before 9/11
Never heard this before and it’s got some pep. Good listening
This is a pretty solid 3. Nothing really spectacular but I definitely enjoyed it. A very good sound - well produced.
I enjoyed this album
Although I had never heard of Jeru The Damaya before seeing this the album cover alone screams classic 90’s hip hop and this project really does not disappoint. This album is filled with slick rhymes, abstract beats and little MF Doom-like skit snippets throughout with no filler whatsoever, I wouldn’t be surprised if Joey Bada$$ took inspiration from this album for his mixtape 1999 as there are a good handful of moments on here that remind me of that project, classic Brooklyn hip hop. I particularly enjoy the unorthodox piano on the track ‘D.Original’ and the catchy hook on ‘Da Bichez’. Despite the stripped back production making way for more lyrical focus the beats on this record kept me listening and that’s why I find this to be such a great record, because there’s that balance
I didn't listen to this album
Missed this first time around. Can appreciate it is good for the genre.
4.5
Not bad.
Not a big fan of hip hop, but this was okay as far as that genre goes. 2 stars.
Hip hop. Coñazo
2/10, 20%
Meh, ekki minn tebolli.
This was a dope ass album. Immediately went to Souls of Mischief
I like the beats but it’s not my style.
rapzao nask