JERU WEEK! Where You At? Jeru the Damaja

This week the Tortoise General is celebrating hip hop legend Jeru the Damaja. Word Up!

The best way to start off Jeru the Damaja Week is to find out what he’s been up to lately. I mean I would consider myself a knowledgeable fan but I haven’t really heard anything from him in a long time. Sure I caught some tracks and verses over the years but I don’t remember anything about them. What gives?

So let’s see what Jeru jas dropped for dolo over his career:

Wow. I spun “The Sun Rises in the East*” and “Wrath of the Math” thousands of times, I think I picked up “Heroz4hire” and listened to it once, and I’ve never heard any of the other albums. So, how is this possible? I'm a big fan. Well, I think it’s important to note that the first two albums were produced by DJ Premier. Then Jeru ventured out on his own and his production stunk. “Heroz4hire” sucked. Apparently Jeru needed Premier. He should have set aside his differences (something about his sister and some hook ups *rumor*). So let's skip way ahead to today, the last Premier produced Jeru album came out over fifteen years ago, Premier is still hittin', but where is Jeru?

"Watch Your Step"

Well, in 2009 he did some drum and bass. Kabuki Watch Your Step. Yikes!

What is to like there? Nothing. That’s really terrible. The funny thing is that when Jeru started spitting I was loving it, Jeru is the best! But man, this sucks. No thanks.

Then he worked on a Guru tribute in 2010 (fine). 

"Oddałbyn"

In 2011 he somehow ended up working with a Polish hip hop group called Slums Attack on a song called Oddałbyn. Good Greif.

Well this is just weird. Really weird. I can’t believe this at all. Weeeeiiiiiiiiiirrrrrddddd. The beat is okay I GUESS.  The Polish words are WEIRD because I don’t understand them. I’m not saying that Polish hip hop is weird (it is), it’s weird that Jeru is on here. Weird. Well, Jeru’s verse is good but WTF is everyone else talking about (LOL?).  The scratching at the end is fantastic. Do more of that Poland. We love you?

Now Jeru claims to be working on a new album where he is calling in heavy hitting production (mainly DJ Premier). I hope it comes out hard and it gets five mics or whatever. That is if he can stop doing photography for five minutes, what??

Jeru Kabuki Score: 2/10

Jeru Peja Reedukacja Oddałbyn Score: 4/10

* “The Sun Rises in the East” is a hip hop classic and you should have already been heard this. Otherwise, get out my face. Word.

Jeru 2011