Leave ya nines at home, and bring ya skills to the battle
It is a matter of debate as to who is the greatest producer in hip-hop. The question of greatest rapper of all time is one I am sure we have all chewed over at some point, but as for the beat-makers, well I'm not so sure that we feel as qualified to make the call. Not to say that we won't have opinions, and there are some definite entries who surely hold a place in any top ten list, but it just feels to me as though there is more objectivity inherent in this question. Not that this will stop us returning to the question at some future juncture I am sure, but I just wanted to get that off my chest. And anyway, lists or rankings are only a way of trying to put order to something which, at the end of the day, does come down to the subjective, and like a drive-thru family bucket from the colonel are always going to be moveable feasts anyway.
However a man who can arguably lay claim to the title is of course DJ Premier, a man whose innovation and diversity of styles, unlike this posting, have rarely gone off point. And for me, one of his greatest achievements is an album that I feel is in some ways a forgotten classic in the rap canon. Not forgotten, in that heads will of course recognise it as an instant great, but rather that it is not often that you hear much said about this record. If we are talking 1994 it is "Illmatic" and "Ready To Die" that will generally be heralded, and rightly so, but Jeru The Damaja's stunning debut "The Sun Rises In The East", wholly produced by Premier, often only serves as a footnote. And I for one think this is a shame, a view reinforced by a digging it out and treating myself to a full play through recently. And what an amazing album it is.
Classic first single "Come Clean" is, to my mind, almost faultless as a hip-hop tune. Check Primo's tap-drip sampling backing beat, providing an almost cinematic atmosphere to Jeru's intellectually intense rhyming and his knack for storytelling. I have always thought that Jeru is a bit like the enlightened and conscious cousin of the Wu, a deadly monk who trained alongside them and then took his own path to enlightenment. Certainly there is a large echo of influence from eastern martial arts iconography throughout the record, which is perhaps as coherent in style, subject matter, production and delivery as you will ever find from a hip-hop album.
Jeru was blessed with lyrical invention and seems to almost breathe metaphors and punchlines, such is the ease with which he spits his complex yet accessible wordplay. He copped flak for "Da Bitchez" from myopic critics unable to see the story of knowledge of self and appreciation of women through their intent to reinforce negative stereotypes. This is another standout track on an album full of them. "The Sun Rises In The East" is a hurricane of braggadocious raps, enlightened consciousness, off-kilter beats and tales of eastern mystery and mind mastery. If you are ever in need of a reminder of how music can make you think about your place in the world, reach for this album.
Since this incredible debut release, Jeru has only sporadically hit similar heights, and certainly not come close to repeating the feat. However that has often been the case in rap's constantly changing landscape, and should not detract from the fact that for enlightenment and a unique perspective, you should always look to the horizon in the east.
However a man who can arguably lay claim to the title is of course DJ Premier, a man whose innovation and diversity of styles, unlike this posting, have rarely gone off point. And for me, one of his greatest achievements is an album that I feel is in some ways a forgotten classic in the rap canon. Not forgotten, in that heads will of course recognise it as an instant great, but rather that it is not often that you hear much said about this record. If we are talking 1994 it is "Illmatic" and "Ready To Die" that will generally be heralded, and rightly so, but Jeru The Damaja's stunning debut "The Sun Rises In The East", wholly produced by Premier, often only serves as a footnote. And I for one think this is a shame, a view reinforced by a digging it out and treating myself to a full play through recently. And what an amazing album it is.
Classic first single "Come Clean" is, to my mind, almost faultless as a hip-hop tune. Check Primo's tap-drip sampling backing beat, providing an almost cinematic atmosphere to Jeru's intellectually intense rhyming and his knack for storytelling. I have always thought that Jeru is a bit like the enlightened and conscious cousin of the Wu, a deadly monk who trained alongside them and then took his own path to enlightenment. Certainly there is a large echo of influence from eastern martial arts iconography throughout the record, which is perhaps as coherent in style, subject matter, production and delivery as you will ever find from a hip-hop album.
Jeru was blessed with lyrical invention and seems to almost breathe metaphors and punchlines, such is the ease with which he spits his complex yet accessible wordplay. He copped flak for "Da Bitchez" from myopic critics unable to see the story of knowledge of self and appreciation of women through their intent to reinforce negative stereotypes. This is another standout track on an album full of them. "The Sun Rises In The East" is a hurricane of braggadocious raps, enlightened consciousness, off-kilter beats and tales of eastern mystery and mind mastery. If you are ever in need of a reminder of how music can make you think about your place in the world, reach for this album.
Since this incredible debut release, Jeru has only sporadically hit similar heights, and certainly not come close to repeating the feat. However that has often been the case in rap's constantly changing landscape, and should not detract from the fact that for enlightenment and a unique perspective, you should always look to the horizon in the east.
posted by Twelve Bar at 6:01 AM
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