The Sun Rises In The East - Jeru The Damaja - By Theo The Philosopher
The Sun Rises In The East - Jeru The Damaja - By Theo The Philosopher
This is one you should know and if you don’t know, I advise you get to know. A thirteen track album by a true underground icon from hip hops golden era of the 90s. Produced by DJ Premier, who himself is heavy weight when it comes to hip hop production, THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST is the debut album from Brooklyn’s very own Jeru The Damaja.
Released May 1994 THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST is an authentic hip hop album with depth and character which was well received by critics and hardcore hip hop fans alike. Songs like, Come Clean, and You Can’t Stop The Prophet, still stand has classic hip hop songs more then 2 decades later. In my humble opinion ‘Come Clean’ must have one of the most iconic and most recognizable instrumentals in hip hop history and was also the track that introduced the hip hop world to, Jeru The Damaja.
Released in a period which is widely recognized as hip hops golden era, any album dropping in this period had to be dope. To get a measure to the point 1994 saw, Biggy drop, Ready To Die, Nas drop, Illmatic, and, Scarface drop, The Diary, whiles Method Man dropped his first solo album, Tical. All albums that are widely rated in the top 10 to 50 hip hop albums ever made. In other words the level of competition was sky high.
This album contains all the elements you would associate with a dope hip hop album, dope lyrics on top off dope beats complimented by lots of dope scratching by one of the best in the business, DJ Premier. THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST was at the time a direct alternative to the hip hop the likes of Biggy, and, Puffy had exploded on the scene with. No boasts of financial and material wealth, no booty shaking, and definitely no Versace in sight. Instead Jeru found creativity in a more conscious subject matter that was more in line with his Rasta background.
The production could easily be described as cutting edge, authentic, and at parts legendary. Whiles the production and sound helped able Jeru to deliver an awesome debut album, Premo's work on The Sun Rises In The East confirmed he deliver with outside of his Gang Starr partnership with the Guru.
Jeru The Damaja delivers a potent debut album that packs a heavy weight hard core punch. Jeru’s rap style is un-complex but very effective, lyrically Jeru displays skills and depth that will convince you you’re listening to a seasoned vet. The album is well crafted filed with well crafted songs with switches of subject matter.
Three highlights of the album for me are, Come Clean, My Mind Spray, and, You Can't Stop The Prophet. Three songs the on there own are cult classics, but together with the other dope material on the album form together to make The Sun Rises In The East a cult classic.
Well deserving of it’s four mic rating in the much respected Source Magazine, THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST is well worth and has well earned it's cult status. A must for any collector and is a album worth revisiting or well worth getting to know
By Theo The Philosopher
