Customer Reviews

The Sun Rises In The East

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ill rhymes+dj premier's beats, what else could any rap fan ask for?? After appearing on 2 gangstarr albums, JERU blasted his way onto the solo scene with his single "come clean". A 5min track educating heads about forgetting about the guntalk+to start taking it back to talent, with the immortal line "..leave ya nine's at home+bring ya skillz to the battle!!" Backed by an apocalyptic beat arrangement, ginsu sharp cuts+scratches by preemo and an unbelieveable sample of water dropping onto pipes, it ACTUALLY has to be heard to be believed. With only 10 tracks on the album (plus 3 interludes) there's no room for error and thankfully both mc+producer are at the pinnacle of their games on this. The musical soundscapes added with thunderous beats, wickedly original samples and breathtaking cuts+scrathes all by dj premier are a hiphop fan's dream. Add all that to JERU's intellectual hard street flows and welcome to a match made in heaven. JERU's full range of lyrics are on show here, with street anthems such as "come clean", "d-original", "brooklyn took it", "static" and "my mind spray". Then you bare witness to the wordplay of subjects closer to his heart on "da bitchez", "aint the devil happy" and "jungle music". You got the straight forward mc back+forth style with a very young AFU-RA on "mental stamina" and finally his intricate story involving peoples traits such as greed+hate as charchters which he battles against on "you cant stop the prophet". One of the best debut hiphop albums you'll EVER hear, a masterpiece from start to finish!!!

Jeru the Damaja's (Kendrick Jeru Davis) debut album "The Sun Rises in the East" (1994) is a memorable release. Getting a DJ Premier track on ones album is almost like a blessing these days, so to have a whole album produced by him is excellent. Jeru's flow and delivery are impressive throughout. From the first line "Life is the Struggle between Dynamic Opposites..." of the intro I knew I was listening to something special. Jeru comes out rugged on the dark "Brooklyn Took It" a track laced with crazy beats. Afu Ra & Jeru drop a nice collabration with "Mental Stamima", lyrics and beat to this track are ill. Jeru's storytelling skill excell on "You Can't Stop the Prophet" and my favourite track the ominous sounding "Ain't the Devil Happy". Jeru's Wordplay on "My Mind Spray" is memorable, and he controls the Mic like Fidel Castro on "Come Clean". "Statik" is a strong closer to a powerful release. Jeru's lyrcism on this release is as good as Premo amazing beats and the album has impressive continuity. This is Jeru's best album in my opinion, another reason I enjoy it is Jeru does not hold back whether he is creating controversy, delivering complex rhymes or making enemies his music is his. "The Sun Rises in the East" is a unique release an example of pure raw Hip Hop at its best.

Arguably one of the hardest hip hop albums of all time, The Sun Rises in the East is New York at it's grittiest. Every cut on this album is f*@kin magnificent. With the help of beat maestro extraordinaire DJ Premier, Jeru tears the frame out of fake gangsta emcees, Polo and Guess chasing B!+@#es, and Black Amerikkka's arch nemesis Mr. Ignorance, piece by piece. Make no mistake, Jeru is DEEP,mind of minolta deep, so this album wasn't and isn't for everyone. This is advanced hip hop. If this were a class at a university you would have to take a pre requisite course before being aloud to listen to it! This album showcases some of the best soundscapes Primo has ever concoted, so it is a must have for all students of Primology/Premierian thought. My favorite cut is the unbelievable "Ain't the Devil Happy", where Jeru takes on the plight of violence and materialism in the black community with a fervor seldom heard in today's brain drained hip hop scene. To make a long story short, BUY THIS ALBUM! New York doesn't make records like this anymore. As a matter of fact,no one makes records like this anymore.

Jeru The Damaja is officially one of my favorite mc's ever, his skills of flowing can be said in so many different ways. Picture C.L Smooth smooth yet untouched lyrical flow with U-Gods Rough, edgy, shaolin voice and then you get this guy, you have to hear it for your self to understand what I mean. Another thing I really enjoy about Jeru The Damaja is his rhymes, at times crazy and very humor. A Good Example is his qoute "You Can't Out-rock me, You can't out-rap me like the dreads on my head, you try to lock me" from the track Jungle Music which is backed with a really dope beat.

Speaking of beats, One of the greatest Hip Hop Producers...ever...PERIOD, DJ mother#$%$#ing Premier was behind this album front to back, backing Tha Damaja with some extreamly amazing and memerable beats that can be up there with the likes of albums like Hard To Earn(which is my favorite Gangstarr album). Honestly the song "come clean" alone is worth the purchase of this album as Premier samples simple water splashes(little ones)and some how uses his uniquie abilities to scratch n' sample the drain splashes in a way where it becomes very hooky and addictive, its crazy! And I hate to say this but sometimes I think this group meshes way better then Premiers other partner Guru. Anyways its a damn shame these too only worked on 3 albums, they probably could have and would have probably been bigger then the likes of Gang Starr and C.L Smooth...honestly this Duo is just awesome, NOW TO THE SONGS

1. Intro (Life) - N/A

2. D. Original - 10/10!!! Great intro song, reminds me of track 2 in illmatic with the pianos.

3. Brooklyn Took It - 9.5/10

4. Perverted Monks In Tha House (Skit)

5. Mental Stamina - 9/10

6. Da Bichez - 10/10!!!

7. You Can't Stop The Prophet - 10/10!!

8. Perverted Monks In Tha House (Theme)

9. Ain't The Devil Happy - 10/10!!!(This song is amazing!)

10. My Mind Spray - 10/10!!

11. Come Clean - 10/10!!

12. Jungle Music - 10/10!! -this track is a pure C-L-A-S-S-I-C 13. Statik - 10/10

There you have it,a crazy yet very original hip hop artist + The greatest music producer of all time = one of the best hip hop albums ever, honestly this album is just as good as Illmatic. COP THIS

5/5 stars

Jeru is an emcee's emcee. Impeccable breath control, commanding vocal tone, extensive vocab matched by few, not to mention he drops more knowledge than a MENSA convention. His disjointed flow perfectly complements Primo's minimalist production. It came to no surprise that hip hop heads were buzzing when they heard Dirty Rotten was hooking up with Primo, after a jaw dropping verse over a riot inducing Charles Mingus bassline, on Gangstarr's, "I'm The Man." Fans who dismissed Jeru as a braggart got a rude awakening with "The Sun Rises In The East."

When "Come Clean," dropped in 1993, it literally washed away the fraudulence in rap. It was a badge of honor for hip hop purists to recite every rhyme. AND what about that beat. Water dripping into jugs, hammers banging on pipes, and an Onyx sample were the sole instruments. It was the most bizarre yet greatest sonic perfection I have ever heard. "Come Clean," single-handedly set off a long list of collaborations for Primo's resume. Another incredible track is "D. Original" as Primo strikes an off-key piano chord that unbelievably turned out to be pure musical joy.

The whole album is all killer and no filler. "You Can't Stop The Prophet" is a metaphorical dream where the prophet battles hatred, jealousy, and envy - lead by mr. ignorance in a superhero-esque story. "Da Bitchez," might be mistooken as mysoginyst by new jacks when it is a cautionary song separating gold diggers from the rest of the flock, over an extremely dope horn loop. "Mental Stamina," with Afu-Ra flexes lyrical kung-fu over a wonderful battle-esque atmosphere. "Ain't The Devil Happy," talks about the struggles of the inner-city youth and "Jungle Music," talks about how black heritage scares people through hip hops influence on white America.

"The Sun Rises In The East," is so good that it also turns out to be sad. Now I can take groups like Main Source, Pete and C.L., and EPMD breaking up. But when Jeru split from Primo, due to creative differences, it was a shot to the heart. The prophet took a big step back musically after the split. In a day and age when real lyrics don't seem to matter anymore, you can tell that New York completely lost it's sound and no one held the realness down harder in 94' than ru and primo. The duo released another good record in "Wrath of the Math," but it lacked the sheer brilliance of their debut. It's a shame hip hop of this caliber is too far and too few between. Cop this...you won't regret it!

DJ Premier. Great cannot describe him. He is the greatest producer to ever walk the planet. I got my first taste of him on Nas's "NY State Of Mind". After that I was hooked. I ran out and bought every Gangstarr album. Then I had to have more. I learned that he produced every track on this album and I bought it, not knowing who Jeru was a the time.

I pop it in and here the same old DJ Premier greatness. But then I hear Jeru come in and he surprises me. His rap flow is amazing! The content of his rhymes is so fulfilling! I listen as Jeru drops bomb after bomb over DJ Premier's beats.

AND THEN I come across the track entitled "Come Clean". I here what sounds like drops of water falling in large glass jugs. Then I hear a baseline and snare that remind me of someone bagging on pipes with hammers. This was the most PROFOUND instance of SONIC PERFECTION I have ever heard in hip-hop music. Jeru then comes in. He is rapping with tremendous force and dexterity. This song ALONE is worth 3 times the price Amazon.com is charging. More outstanding tracks like "You Can't Stop the Prophet" skyrocket the value of this album into the hundreds of dollars.

YOU ARE GETTING A GREAT PIECE OF HIP HOP FOR LESS THAN $20. THIS IS A STEAL PEOPLE. TAKE ADVANTAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

You know, sometimes I feel glad that I've started comming to Amazon.com to look at some new CD's. If it wasn't for this, I never would have known that this album existed. But anyway, Jeru The Damaja's debut, "The Sun Rises In The East" is one of the best albums that I've heard in a while. After appearing on Gang Starr's Daily Opperation Album, he came out with the single "Come Clean" Since DJ Premier of Gang Starr was at a high point of his production he was buzy producing albums like Jeru's.

One thing you must do while rhyming over Primo's beats, is you must come off very hard on the lyrics and at the same time rhyme smoothly over the production while he throws or scratches a sample in the hook. Jeru does exactly that on this album, as heard in his single "Come Clean" he says, "I don't gangbang, or shoot out, bang bang/ the relentless lyrics is the only dope I slang..." He does the very exact thing on the next track "Jungle Music" as he takes his rhymes to another level over Primo's heavy drums. The song "You Can't Stop The Prophet" is an entertaing song about making a fool out of the people that hate on him. "Da B*****z" is a song dedicated to women who are out for the money. Jeru doesn't call all women the "B" word, because in the song he says he knows who's a real woman, and who's not. The final track "Statik" is a song with a statick beat over some drums as Jeru spits rhymes over that, once again showing off his skills.

There are not many guests on this album. In fact there is only one, Afu-Ra. He and Jeru trade verses on the song "Mental Stamana", which makes it a nice song.

Overall, a classic album, entirely produced my Primo. Its one that you will enjoy again and again. I don't think this received commercial success and was one of the many album that was heavily slept on in 1994, but its a must have.

Lyrics: A+

Production: A+

Musical Vibes: A

Overall: A+

Standout Tracks: Mental Stamana, Da B*****z, Come Clean, Jungle Music

Jeru is raw and skillful. The man is a poet and expresses feeling. Great CD! I wish he would cut some more!

Jeru the Damaja's 1994 release "The Sun Rises in the East" is one of hip hop's most underrated albums and one of the most complete overall that I've ever heard. The team of Jeru and DJ Premier was a match made in heaven, both complementing each other beautifully and matching each other with similar hard styles. Jeru really emerges as an amazing lyricist, displaying a simple flow but always having a purpose with his verses. He tackles all kinds of issues on this debut, from our way of life to women problems and racial commentaries to detailed storytelling. Jeru is a raw, self described prophetic MC, and DJ Premier deserves just as much respect for his beats on this album. He comes out of the jazz rap he made famous in Gang Starr and makes simple yet beautiful beats, using various instrumentals, sampling, and sometimes simple elements like vocal pieces and scratches. Other reviewers have compared it to "Illmatic", but I don't find too many similarities. It is really an original album all its own, and deserves much more respect than it ever received.

The album's first full song is "D. Original", a cut with hard production where Jeru reps himself and his personality. "Brooklyn Took It" is the first track where he represents his borough, featuring nice production as always from Premo. He displays a great flow on "Mental Stamina", over a catchy looped beat to match. "Da Bichez" is a true standout, first for Premo's production. The slow beat and deep bass are overtaken by a ragtime-style trombone which sounds amazing. Jeru's lyrics here were controversial, but if people really listened to the song they wouldn't have been. He talks about the problems he has had with gold-digging women but acknowledges the beautiful "sisters and queens" of the world. "You Can't Stop the Prophet" tells an awesome story where Jeru is tricked and runs from the universal villian "Ignorance". The beat there, containing bells and clarinet, is also excellent. "Ain't the Devil Happy" is the most socially conscious track here, Jeru dropping relevant verses condemning the way people treat each other and that the only one we please with our ways is the devil. Premo's production on that song is among the best on the album. On "My Mind Spray", Jeru lashes out at everything and everyone, and "Come Clean" boasts incredible original production and excellent lyricism. "Jungle Musik" speaks of hip hop and why people are scared of it, a very effective and well-produced track. The album closes with "Statik", a fun and fitting close.

"The Sun Rises in the East" is a classic album, boasting two talented hip hop artists teaming up to make excellent music. Jeru cemented himself as one of hip hop's most dangerous lyricists, and Premo reinvented himself by making hard, simple, and creative beats that were totally different from his Gang Starr production. I recommend this album to all hip hop fans because it is one that I enjoy for many reasons, and is almost as good as any I've heard.

Best describes what you'll find on this CD.

Well I don't have much time, so I'll just go through some tracks with you.

D. Original - Dirty... Rotten... Scoundrel... hot stuff right here. 9/10

Mental Stamina - My favorite track

Pugilistic linguistic

Check out the mystics near fantistic

''''YOU MEAN FANTASTIC!''''

F***k it, you'll get your A** kicked

Challenge, the verbal, gymnastics

''''VANACROBATICS!'''' vocabulary calisthetics

Can't understand the mathematics are esoteric

I'd go through the whole thing... but

10/10

You Can't Stop The Prophet - 10/10... Just listen to it right now... you'll love it. It takes 1 or 2 listens to get it, but its real dope.

Come Clean - Hip Hop Classic... you all should know this one 10/10

Aint The Devil Happy - This track... I wish could make controversial.. Because this is truely deeper than what Pac could ever imagine to be. I'm not personally a big fan of Pac or the Westside at all. But this track... is real deep 8.5/10. The flow falls off a little, so it may sound awkward.. This takes a lot of listens to get also. You really listen to it. Pac is too blatant. Jeru somehow puts it out there for you to find. It's real nice stuff

The Production - Almost flawless, at the end it sounds a little off, nice none the less

Lyrics - Don't even get on about this one... flawless.. dope... intelligent... metaphorical.. straight hip hop

Overall - Classic for various reasons

I'll be writing some more reviews....

Recommended - H**L YEAH!