Jeru The Damaja
Speaking out against what he saw as a decline in rap during the mid-'90s, Jeru the Damaja came to the fore as a self-proclaimed prophet and the savior of hip-hop, much as KRS-One had done almost ten years before. Jeru first appeared as a guest on Gang Starr's Daily Operation album, and his own deal with Payday/ffrr appeared soon after, resulting in 1994's The Sun Rises in the East. Though he made few friends in the rap world -- given his outspoken criticism of such popular figures as the Fugees and Sean "Puffy" Combs -- he proved a vital force in the emergence of the new rap consciousness of the late '90s.
Raised Kendrick Jeru Davis in Brooklyn, the Damaja began writing rhymes at the age of ten. At high school, he met Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, and first guested on Gang Starr's "I'm the Man," from the 1992 album Daily Operation. Jeru toured with the group during 1993 and released his solo debut, Come Clean, for Gang Starr's Illkids label. The single became an underground sensation and led to his contract with Payday Records. He recorded The Sun Rises in the East with DJ Premier producing, and released the album in 1994. Though the album was well-received, Jeru got some flak for the song "Da Bichez" -- though he explicitly stated that most girls did not fit into the category. During 1994, he appeared on Digable Planets' second album (Blowout Comb) and recorded his follow-up, Wrath of the Math, with DJ Premier and Guru once again helping out with production. The independent record Heroz4hire followed in early 2000, and his protégé, Afu-Ra, debuted in 2000 with Body of the Life Force. Jeru kept a surprisingly low profile thereafter, though he did appear on a stellar track from Groove Armada's 2001 album Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). Two years later, another solo album, Divine Design, was released, but it wasn't until 2007 that Jeru made another record, Still Rising.
© John Bush /TiVo
Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Sun Rises In The East
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Island Def Jam on May 24, 1994
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wrath Of The Math
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Island Mercury on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Divine Design
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Ashenafi Records on Sep 23, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Set It Off
Camo & Krooked, Jeru The Damaja
Miscellaneous - Released by Hospital Records on Nov 15, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heroz4hire
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Sep 7, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Hammer
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Dec 9, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Truth Be Told
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Jul 30, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harriet Tubman
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Oct 21, 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
IF ( IF WAS )
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Aug 10, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sol Glow
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Oct 22, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spontaneous
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Oct 22, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love-Hate
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Sep 24, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Da Wave
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Nov 30, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Blackness
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Dec 31, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Process
Alternative & Indie - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Dec 3, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monopoly
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Maximum Warp Entertainment on Sep 10, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Beast (feat. Jeru The Damaja)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Landmine Entertainment on Feb 6, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo