(AllHipHop News) Some fancy Jeru the Damaja as one of the best lyricists to come out of East New York’s rhyme heavy streets in the 90s.
Arguably one of the most gifted lyricists associated with Gang Starr, his The Sun Rises in the East married certain themes super prevalent at the time: righteous indignation, spirited aggression, street culture, and the cultural menagerie of martial arts, lyrical dexterity, and knowledge of self.
A brand new generation will get the chance to dive into what makes him such a quintessential artist as a featured performer on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series.
Jeru the Damaja joins the ranks of Tyler, the Creator, Run the Jewels, Gucci Mane, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
As streaming becomes the new venue for concerts during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Tiny Desk has emerged as one of the most dominant spaces on the internet for artists to perform intimate and vulnerable concerts for their fanbase.
“[We] can’t be next to each other right now because of social distancing. So this is just me and my living room in Berlin. I set up my desk, I got my equipment with me and I’m rocking with that,” Jeru the Damaja told AllHipHop.com.
“People right now, they need some type of encouragement to boost their morale a little bit because of everything that’s happening in the world,” the legendary lyricist continued. “I decided to put songs in that meant something to me, and that hopefully will mean something to other individuals.”
In addition to his classic tracks, Jeru ends the Tiny Desk concert with a brand new track from his upcoming 6th full-length album titled Power.
“I ended it with a song from my new album that I have coming out and it’s called Power.” Because I think that the power still remains in the people and we don’t always realize that. It’s all about the power itself,” Jeru the Damaja said.