The Sun Rises in the East
Studio album by
Jeru the Damaja
ReleasedMay 24, 1994 (1994-05-24)
Recorded1993–1994
StudioD&D Recording Studio (Manhattan, New York City)
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length39:33
Label
ProducerDJ Premier
Jeru the Damaja chronology
The Sun Rises in the East
(1994) 		Wrath of the Math
(1996)
Singles from The Sun Rises in the East
  1. "Come Clean"
    Released: October 26, 1993
  2. "D. Original"
    Released: May 3, 1994

The Sun Rises in the East is the debut album by American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja, released May 24, 1994 on Payday Records. Production on the album was handled by DJ Premier. The album features fellow Gang Starr Foundation member Afu-Ra. The album cover depicts the World Trade Center on fire only one year after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower.[1]

The Sun Rises in the East was well received by most music critics upon its release. It is considerably significant in hip hop, as it contributed to the revival of the East Coast hip hop scene, along with albums such as Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993), Nas's Illmatic (1994), Big L's Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995), Notorious BIG's Ready to Die (1994), Onyx's Bacdafucup (1993), Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin (1995), Black Moon's Enta da Stage (1993), and Kool G Rap's 4,5,6 (1995). The album has been considered by critics to be Jeru the Damaja's best work.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
NME7/10[5]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette[6]
RapReviews10/10[7]
The Source4/5[8]

Melody Maker named The Sun Rises in the East "bloody essential", calling it "hypnotic and chilling as a blues party on Pluto" and "another step forward for hip hop."[9] NME said that "Jeru is more original than most [rappers]",[5] while The Source remarked that "the music both contrasts and complements his disjointed flow and deep poetical lyricism."[8]

Track listing

# Title Length Songwriters
1 "Intro (Life)" 0:50 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
2 "D. Original" 3:36 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
3 "Brooklyn Took It" 3:24 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
4 "Perverted Monks in Tha House (Skit)" 1:15 K.J. Davis, C. Martin, A. Phillip, W. Garfield, C. Clay
5 "Mental Stamina" (featuring Afu-Ra) 2:21 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
6 "Da Bichez" 3:52 *Uncredited*
7 "You Can't Stop the Prophet" 3:53 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
8 "Perverted Monks in Tha House (Theme)" 1:02 *Uncredited*
9 "Ain't the Devil Happy" 3:45 K.J. Davis, C. Martin
10 "My Mind Spray" 3:45 K.J. Davis, C. Martin, B. James
11 "Come Clean" 4:57 K.J. Davis, C. Martin, C. Parker, F. Scruggs, K. Jones, T. Taylor
12 "Jungle Music" 3:51 *Uncredited*
13 "Statik" 3:07 K.J. Davis, C. Martin

Singles

Single information
"Come Clean"
  • Released: October 21, 1993
  • B-side:
"D. Original"
  • Released: January 29, 1994
  • B-side:
"You Can't Stop the Prophet"
  • Released: April 6, 1994
  • B-side:

Charts

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1993 Come Clean 88 53 10 6
1994 D. Original - 74 22 6
You Can't Stop the Prophet - - 45 19

In popular culture

"D. Original" is featured on the GTA IV Soundtrack and can be listened to on the radio station 104.1 The Classics hosted by DJ Premier. Unlike the other stations featured in the game, "The Classics" has one continuous mix of all songs featuring smooth transitions from every song to the next and so a slightly different version, exclusive to the game, can be heard there.

"You Can't Stop the Prophet" is featured on the soundtrack of the video game NBA 2K16. The soundtrack was partially curated by DJ Premier.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Sun Rises in the East at CDUniverse.com". Retrieved December 20, 2006.
  2. ^ Bush, John. "The Sun Rises in the East – Jeru the Damaja". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  4. ^ Bernard, James (July 29, 1994). "The Sun Rises in the East". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East". NME. June 18, 1994. p. 34.
  6. ^ Warikoo, Nirai (August 26, 1994). "Jeru the Damaja, The Sun Rises in the East (Payday)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Juon, Steve "Flash" (June 10, 2003). "Jeru the Damaja :: The Sun Rises in the East :: PayDay/FFRR". RapReviews. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East". The Source. No. 59. August 1994. p. 86.
  9. ^ Columnist. "Review: The Sun Rises in the East". Melody Maker: 33. August 13, 1994.
  10. ^ "Jeru The Damaja Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Jeru The Damaja Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Nunneley, Stephany. (July 24, 2015). "Get your groove on with the official NBA 2K16 soundtrack". VG247. Retrieved October 17, 2015.

External links

Jeru the Damaja
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