ThaFormula.com -
Let's take it from the top Jeru, how did it all begin for Jeru The
Damaja?
Jeru The Damaja - It
started when I was a kid and I used to go to block parties and it
sparked a love in me. It's just like I had to do it so it started from
there. Then I did it all through high school and what happened is my
homie he was from Boston who was going to my high school, he was like,
"look my man is gonna come up here to New York and he's gonna
make a record." He was talkin' about Guru and he said, "why
don't we come and hang out and whatever whatever?" So we just
started hangin' at first it was strictly just hangin' out. Guru came
to Brooklyn, we took him in and basically showed him the ropes. It
wasn't even me at first, it was my DJ, Tommy Hill 'cause this was
before Premier had came along. He would DJ for Guru, Lil' Dap and
others. They were the ones who really started showin' Guru around and
hangin' with him. Then it just happened that we went to the
"Manifest" video and from there we just got cool.
ThaFormula.com
- Did you know anything about Gangstarr itself about that time?
Jeru The Damaja - It
wasn't Gangstarr as you would think it is today. Premier wasn't even
down with Gangstarr at first when Guru first came to New York. Premier
came when "Manifest" came. The first record that Premier did
was called "No More Mr. Nice Guy." that was the first joint
and that's when I first met Premier and all those dudes together.
ThaFormula.com
- So what were you doing leading up to that time?
Jeru The Damaja - I
was just more into the street at that time. My thing was that I was on
the gangsta vibe right there. I was runnin' the streets, I was trying
to get paper, I was trying to do stick ups, I was being dumb. That was
the time that was defining my life. Like either you gonna be Dead, a
criminal or you gonna end up doing something great 'cause we gonna
have those times in our life that tests you and that's what that was.
That was a test right there.
ThaFormula.com
- So you went to the "Manifest" video shoot and what went
down from there?
Jeru The Damaja - I
went to the "Manifest" video cause all the dudes from the
hood they was like, "yo we goin' to my mans video come on!"
So I was like aight whatever I'll come.
ThaFormula.com
- Were you rhymin' at all though at that time?
Jeru The Damaja - Oh,
no doubt but it just wasn't my main focus. Like rhymin' is something
we did every single day like my man True Master from the Wu-Tang Clan,
we used to rhyme together all the time cause he's from around my way.
We grew up together so we would stand on the corners for hours just
havin' rhymin' sessions from sun up to sun down. Rhymin' and rollin'
dice.
ThaFormula.com
- When you were comin' up back then was there a lot of MC's that you
would see around that ended up becomin' known MC's?
Jeru The Damaja -
Well, True Master we grew up together. Masta Killa, we grew up
together we from the same neighborhood, The GZA and the RZA already
had albums out but we knew them through True Master. ODB we knew him
through GZA and there was more dudes around that did it big in the
90's. Like I used to run into brothers like Lakim Shabazz, and Treach
before he really blew up, Masta Ace I knew him for years before I even
had a record deal. Showbiz and AG, uh, I used to get my haircut at the
same barber shop as Nice & Smooth before they really had their
deal. I remember getting' my haircut and Greg Nice comin' in playin'
joints from their album before they even had the record out so I used
to see a lot of different things you know. I had a lot of different
run-ins with a lot of different dudes. Fat Joe and all those dudes. My
DJ he went to Fat Joe and Lord Finesses' first video before he was
really blown up or anything.
ThaFormula.com
- Do you look at those particular times comin' as the best times as
far as the vibe and environment of hip hop?
Jeru The Damaja -
Yeah, I think everything was less pretentious in those days. It was
more true love I think. I mean we was just hangin' just coolin' to be
with your boys and maybe lighting up a spliff. So it's definitely, uh
times have changed. I'm not even gonna say it was better but it was
definitely more fun and it that sense I think it's better. It was just
that time when you felt good and you just wanted to have a good time.
It was like oh you had your boys, you had your 40 ounce, no Cristal or
none of that.
ThaFormula.com
- Did you ever get a chance to see Biggie comin' up seeing that you
guys came up around the same time in Brooklyn?
Jeru The Damaja - We
used to hang together on the corner. That's my man. I mean Biggie,
that's one of my favorite MC's and I think that I was one of his
favorite MC's. He told me, "Yo, you need to do a video for
Brooklyn Took It and I just wanna stand there." Like on MTV they
were doing the Biggie story and he had on a Jeru the Damaja T-Shirt.
Like I remember when he used to stand on the corner and just shoot
dice. Nas and Premier used to come pick me up when Nas was recording
his album "Illmatic." I was in the studio when all them
dudes did they album. I was there for the whole Illmatic. I was there
when Biggie did his whole first joint.
ThaFormula.com
- So you and Biggie both kicked it growin' up?
Jeru The Damaja - Not
really as growin' up but before we both really had our deals like
that. I used to stay right up the block from him. We never really
rhymed, it was more just hangin'. Like rhymin' wasn't the center of
everything. But it was somethin' that brothers knew how to do.
ThaFormula.com
- See that's some incredible experiences right there and that's why I
feel that a lot of these new kids don't realize how deep this Hip-Hop
thing really goes?
Jeru The Damaja -
Right, and another thing is it was like that was the thing, it wasn't
like oh brothers was cool 'cause brothers was rhymin'. Brothers was
cool cause brothers was from the hood. 'Cause it was the hood first
and rhymin' second. It's so funny man, we used to hang with Fat Joe
all the time. He heard "Come Clean" and he said to Premier,
"yo who's that kid who's got that record?" He didn't even
know it was me and he's sayin' this right in my face cause it was
never like, "yeah I could rhyme, I got skills" or none of
that. It was always just on the QT, we just chillin' hangin' out.
That's why I think a lot of kids today get a little too excited. They
push too hard to do anything to get on where as we was just layin' and
waitin' for our turn and when your turn came you did your thing.
ThaFormula.com
- So when you went to the "Manifest" video shoot had you met
Premier yet or was that the first time you met him?
Jeru The Damaja -
That's the first time I met Premier.
ThaFormula.com
- Did he know who you were at that time or heard you rhyme?
Jeru The Damaja - It
wasn't about rhymin'. It was all about just hangin'. I was already
doing my own demo. It wasn't nothin' about rhymin'. Brothers didn't
hook up on the premise that you could rhyme. Everything came up after
hangin'.
ThaFormula.com
- So what happened from there?
Jeru The Damaja - We
used to just hang everyday and they finished one album and then we
just hung out and kicked it for a year or 2, then the next album
brothers put me on it. It was like aight, boom, what's up? So we did
the joint on "Hard to Earn," "I'm the Man," and we
went on tour and that was it, we just took it from there. We got a
huge response from the record. Then uh Premier when he would do
soundcheck, he would always cut up Onyx. You know that "uh oh
heads up cause we droppin' some shit?" So I was like, "yo we
should do a record with that as the hook!" And he was like
"yo word up, when we get back from the tour we gonna do
that." That's it we got off of tour, we went to Premier's crib,
we start listening to mad records. I heard a sound I liked, I was
like, "oooh I like this." He was like "you want me to
loop it like this or like that?" I said like that and the rest is
history. 'Cause he had already had the drum pattern so we were just
listening to a bunch of records and I don't even think we listened to
that many records. That might have been like the third record we
listened to.
ThaFormula.com
- So how long did you and Primo spend recording that first album
"The Sun Rises in the East?"
Jeru The Damaja -
Maybe like 2 months.
ThaFormula.com
- Did you already have the lyrics written for that album or was it
something written on the spot?
Jeru The Damaja - I
always write all my lyrics on the spot. No lyrics are ever ready
'cause if they are then they can't go with the beat. All my lyrics are
inspired by whatever the track is cause any lyric you ever heard me
rock was a direct result of what the beat inspired within me.
ThaFormula.com
- So you dropped the single, you had your album ready and you did your
video for "Come Clean," at this point how were you feelin'?
Jeru The Damaja - I
mean it was one of the illest experiences of my life. I mean I was
feelin' the hood. It was like I had no million dollars or nothin'. So
it was crazy like a kid in a candy store or a person realizing their
dreams. It was ridiculous and felt good. I was proud, I was excited.
ThaFormula.com
- In your eyes Jeru how do you see that first album now?
Jeru The Damaja - I
thought it was butta. That was a culmination of years of emotions and
nothing will ever be like the first. That's all my life experiences
that came out right there. Things that I wanted to say for years and I
was finally able to say it.
ThaFormula.com
- When you were comin' up rhymin' as a teen, did you always have it
planned to make a conscious type of album like that?
Jeru The Damaja - Not
at all. When I was first rhymin' my rhymes was more bustin' guns and
whatever, whatever. I had changed with time that's why I never had an
album before that or anything.
ThaFormula.com
- So what basically made you change and come the way you did?
Jeru The Damaja -
Well I was raised conscious and grew up making incense, bracelets, and
I grew up knowin' who I was and where I came from and all of that, but
to peer pressure sometimes you lose those things.
ThaFormula.com
- So at what point did you decide that "Sun Rises in the
East" was what you wanted to do?
Jeru The Damaja - It
just came out, I don't even know. It's like I can't say, "well
this was the defining moment." You know how things just happen in
you. It was just one of those things that just happened in me. I think
what it was really is that I got to see the world. Going on tour with Gangstarr
I went to countries like Finland, Norway, Austria, and
Sweden. So it opened my mind a lot to the world in general where
before I knew a lot of different things and had knowledge but I got to
see it and apply it. Not only that, but I had started sellin' books
when I was about 18 with my man True Master from Wu-Tang. We was
sellin' books together and I started reading the books and the books
just solidified all the things that I knew before. When you're out
sellin' books 12 hours a day there is nothin' to do but read the book.
So I started reading the book and it just made me aware.
ThaFormula.com
- Now Guru put out your first 12" single "Come Clean"
himself right on Ill Kid?
Jeru The Damaja -
Yeah, actually I didn't even have a record deal. We just put that out
on our own.
ThaFormula.com
- What was your relationship with Guru like?
Jeru The Damaja -
Everything was just homies. It was real brotherly. Everything was on
that level. Today everybody is all about makin' money, you can do
this, or you can do that. Back then we was just kickin' it. It was
just strictly brotherly love nothin' more, nothin' less and the reason
that you did everything you did was because of brotherly love. Whether
a dude could rap or couldn't, whatever, it was everybody just played
their position and that's how it was.
ThaFormula.com
- I always wondered when the change came with you because "Come
Clean" seemed more like a battle track where the LP was on a very
conscious tip?
Jeru The Damaja -
Right, and "Come Clean" was my introduction. It was like a
battle but it was also lettin' them know that I'm comin' on the mental
tip. I'm comin' on the righteousness tip but not on the wimpy tip.
That's the thing I think where a lot of MC's fail who try to kick
conscious lyrics. I wasn't trying to kick conscious lyrics, I was only
being me.
ThaFormula.com
- And you were kickin' the truth man cause everyone from the streets
could relate to everything you were sayin' unlike a lot of these soft
corny conscious MC's who the streets can't relate to?
Jeru The Damaja - And
that's the balance. Where if you notice a lot of the dudes who try to
do that so called "conscious lyrics" they like extra weird.
With me, I'm just being me. I don't gotta wear a ten foot long dashiki
(Laughs). I'm just a regular brother on the street just like any
brother on the street so I think that that's the thing that people
liked about my record. That's why it was liked by so many different
people. The gangsta nigga like it, the intellectual liked it because
it was comin' off all of those levels. It was like, "aight he's
just a regular dude from the hood speakin' some shit." That's why
I could go to Cali and they look at me just like a regular nigga cause
they like, "oh aight he ain't on no super star trying to be fake
righteous shit, he's just a brotha and he real with it and he's on
some regular street shit too."
ThaFormula.com
- What was the response to the first album from the industry 'cause
that was an album that was definitely ahead of its time?
Jeru The Damaja - I
think that was one of the most groundbreaking albums of it's time. To
me I think it came on a lot of different levels like even the title.
People misunderstood the title. Like when it says "The Sun Rises
in the East," they was thinkin' "you know 'cause I'm comin'
from the east coast" or whatever right? But the science was that
the place in New York that I'm from is called East New York. It's in
Brooklyn, that's my neighborhood. The name of it is actually East New
York and I'm the sun. So I'm sayin' that the sun rises in the East
now. Like I'm getting' my chance to shine. Keepin' it in harmony with
the universe. That's what that was all about. I wasn't even talkin'
about a coastal thing you know what I mean? It was strictly me talkin'
about "I'm the Sun. I'm the sun of man and now I'm rising and now
I got my turn to shine and then that was also on a esoteric level
sayin' how that's the balance of nature that the Sun rises in the
East.
ThaFormula.com
- Did a lot of people start reachin' out t you from that point on?
Jeru The Damaja - Oh,
I got mad love from everybody. I think I was one of the most well
known MC's of my time. World Renown and it's still the same way you
know what I mean. The game is a little different but its still the
same way. There's nobody that can ever really deny.
ThaFormula.com
- So the album came out and the response was great what happened from
there 'cause it took a while before your second LP dropped?
Jeru The Damaja -
Right, 'cause I was constantly touring'. It took like 2 years for me
just to get off tour and find the time to record another album. Now
the next album was a little different cause I had changed as a person
in a lot of different ways. I was exposed to a lot more things than I
was exposed to before.
ThaFormula.com
- And normally like in the time we're in now when someone has a pretty
popular debut the next step is either sellin' out or getting a little
softer with their sound. But you seemed to have decided to come even
more hardcore with "Wrath of the Math"...
Jeru The Damaja -
Yeah, I got more hardcore. I think that was youth and ego. I felt
like, "alright I'ma save the world now." I did get this
acclaim and people do know now so fuck that "I'm superman"
you know what I mean? When that wasn't actually the wisest thing to do
as I look back but that's youth.
ThaFormula.com
- So you went back 2 years later to record the
"Wrath of The Math" album right?
Jeru
The Damaja - Right.
ThaFormula.com
- Hip-Hop had changed in those 2 years…
Jeru
The Damaja - Yeah it had. It changed tremendously.
ThaFormula.com
- So knowin' that and seeing what you had seen, what
were your thought's and how did you approach the
"Wrath of The Math" album?
Jeru
The Damaja
- I was anti-jiggy then. I had seen how things
had changed. You couldn't get into parties
unless you were dressed a certain way. I just
saw that as a negative trend. I started to
notice that it's not about what you are doing.
So on that album I was on straight attack mode.
That's when I started exploring my power.
thaFormula.com
- It always seemed like you and Wu-tang had sort of a
similar style?
Jeru
The Damaja
- I remember the first person to see the "Your
Playin' Yourself" video was the GZA. The GZA and Masta Killa was at my man's crib playing
catch up and we came home from Hong Kong and we went and
we showed them the video. GZA was like, "oh
man, you beat me to it." Cause our little
click watched kung fu movies. People didn't know
that we would have little Kung Fu tournaments.
Me, Tru Masta, Afu, and Masta Killa. After we
smoked a L or whatever, we would just go bug out and
have kung fu tournaments. So brothers were on
that same time of vibe.
thaFormula.com
- What made you call out Puff on your album?
Jeru
The Damaja
- I wasn't dissin'. I was just droppin' a story
on how I see things going. I never said Biggie's
name in a record cause I wasn't pertaining to
him. I'm the type of person that will say your
name. The response from the fans to that album
was great, but from people in the industry, I think it
kind of put a black eye on the game. It had
people not liking me. So it definitely wasn't
the wisest thing to do. But I was a youth.
There is a proverb that says that the young general
always rushes forward to battle because he doesn't yet
know the perils of war. The old general is very
cautious because he knows the perils of war.
thaFormula.com
- So would you look at "The Wrath of The
Math" as a mistake?
Jeru
The Damaja
- Not as a mistake, just as a young general. I
wanted the war, but I didn't truly know war. For
what it was for, it played it's part. There is
ways I could have did that and been more clever.
thaFormula.com
- Did that album do good for you?
Jeru
The Damaja
- It did well, but I think it got under some peoples
skin. It was touchy and people didn't know where
to stand on that. It was the track "One
Day" that really had peoples panties up in a
bunch. But like I said, that was my youth.
thaFormula.com
- When 9/11 went down, what did you think of your
album cover seeing that you had the World Trade Center
burning on that first album?
Jeru
The Damaja
- It was crazy, but nothing surprises me. I know
the true power of the universe. People were
buggin' out. I got my man on tape tellin' me,
"Yo son, they are burning down the twin
towers." I made a track with that on the
intro. I didn't use it on this album, but I
might put it out as a single.
thaFormula.com
- So after "Wrath of Math" what was your
next move?
Jeru
The Damaja
- Shit got to much on a cash level. I'm the type
of brother who doesn't break everything down to money,
but how I live is that we all have things in life we
wanna do and if we are brothers, we supposed to all
help each other do it. So I think some brothers
got caught up in the fame. Some brothers got
caught up in the money. So sometimes you
got to do what's best for your life, and sometimes the
best thing for your life is to move solo.
Reconnect and redesign. My quest is to keep hip
hop alive and keep the truth flowin'. I like the
way my life is moving right now. I like having
my own label. I feel fulfilled because that's my
vision.
thaFormula.com
- So basically it comes down to the fact that people
change and things change?
Jeru
The Damaja
- That's it and there is nothing wrong with that
either. I got love. I mean people have to
know that sometimes muthafuckas don't just come
together on the basis of the music. I'm sure you
don't hang with everybody you used to always hang with
10 years ago and probably not even 2 years ago.
If something is gonna happen, it's gonna happen.
But you can't want me to be down with somebody because
you want me to be with them. The vibe may have
changed so the music might not even come out the same
no more. So that's all that is.
thaFormula.com
- So what did it feel like going solo and just
basically overseeing your whole project on your own
label?
Jeru
The Damaja
- It was a new experience. I sold over 100,000
units worldwide and I been on tour since. It's
lovely. I'm the type of person that likes to be
in control of myself and I'm not happy unless I'm
really in control. I'm not the type of brother
that is cool with a record deal. I need a record
label. When I started in this whole game, I only
wanted to do that. I'm a hustler, an entrepreneur.
That's my character. That's how I do it.
It's different to do, but I love every minute of
it. I know win, lose, or draw, it's on me.
I don't got no corporate dude on my back or none of
that. If I say this is the direction I'm going
in, then this is the direction I'm going in.
thaFormula.com
- Now you produced your first album yourself.
Did that turn out the way you wanted it to?
Jeru
The Damaja
- I been doing that for years. I co-produced all
the joints on my first 2 albums. Premier never
just came to me and said, "Ok, here's the
beat." I just didn't have the equipment to
make it happen. I always had a hand in all the
records.
thaFormula.com
- So now you dropped your new album "Devine
Design." What has changed since
"Heroez 4 Hire"?
Jeru
The Damaja
- I quit smoking so I think my lyrics are gonna
reflect that. This is the first time I ever
wrote a whole album without being under the influence
of any type of substance. I think my lyrics got
better. I think that this is one of my greatest
works to date. It's dropping on my own
label also. Independent because The Damaja is
all about liberation.
thaFormula.com
- Alot of people have always seen the similarities in
you and Ja Rule's names and I noticed that you
recently spoke on that....
Jeru
The Damaja
- People always come up to me and say what's up with
that so I was just addressing that issue. I'm
not saying that he did or he didn't. I was just addressing
that issue. Jeru is my pops name. Even
Block Rob said one time, "Yo, what's up with that
kid Ja Rule biting your name. So I just addressed
it. That's why I said, "I guess it's part
of the game, like Ja Rule biting my name."
thaFormula.com
- How do you see hip-hop now and did you ever think
that it would turn out the way it has?
Jeru
The Damaja
- Of course I did. That's why I said what I said
on "Wrath of The Math." But people
acted like I was crazy. Now if you don't like
something, your a hater. You can't not like
something.
thaFormula.com
- How did the more righteous rap turn from being real
hardcore to almost on a gay level like you see today?
Jeru
The Damaja
- Because basically, we let anything happen and also
brothers made it seem like you had to be soft to be
righteous. You can't be a warrior, and that's why
Jeru The Damaja is here to let them know that
righteousness is hardcore. It's not just all
about wearing flowery shit or being pretty and saying
peace and all of that type shit. You got to be
hardcore to stand up to people where you are dropping
knowledge on them. If your a punk, they are not
gonna accept that. I think alot of the chumps
really wanna be hardcore, but they just don't wanna
face the wrath of the people. So they take that
alternative route, which is the flowery route.
That stuff ain't really doing nothing for the
community.
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