Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises in the East

May 24th, 1994.

PayDay

Jeru's introduction to the Hip-Hop landscape came in in the form of 'The Sun Rises in the East'; a true gem in the crown of New York Hip-Hop - the wider world of Hip-Hop to those that are clued in. Partnering up with DJ Premier - known at the time for his work with Gang Starr and the Gang Starr Foundation, and providing Nas and The Notorious B.I.G., amongst many others, with some of the finest beats to ever bless this earth - Jeru the Damaja couldn't have made more of a statement. All Jeru really had to do was show up - and show up he did. 

Jeru the Damaja takes part in vocabulary calisthenics - didn't your mother ever tell you that the pen is mightier than the sword? - as DJ Premier lays down the dustiest of beats. Jeru and Premo meet on a purely symbiotic blend - beats and rhymes. 

The final days are upon us. The smell in the air signifies this. Ash has replaced rain. God knows where the water went. The airwaves now play the sound of water dripping - each drip three seconds apart from the last. You could refer to it as communal sonic water torture; around here it's known as the norm. Blackholes have been spotted around. Who knows if the rumours are true. Ignorance walks the streets with no consequence. It's contagious nature renders it too little too late. Breaking through the noise has become near impossible - pointless. Going underground is the only way out. Beats and loops can be heard at all times. The faint thud of a kick drum can be felt in your temple - some believe that it's just the heart sloshing blood around your body.

Some hum to it, and some have lost all hope. Some put their ears to the floor and say they can hear it clearer - who knows what to believe. 

'Life is the result of the struggle of dynamic opposites.

Form and Chaos, Substance and Oblivion, Light and Dark.

And all the infinite variations of Yin and Yang.

When the pendulum swings in favor of one, it will eventually swing in favor of its opposite.

Thus the balance of the universe is maintained.'