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Jeru
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Jeru The Damaja; D Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel.
Jeru, whose name refers to the 'first God', son of Egyptian deities Osiris and Isis, earned a living from changing tyres for Greyhound buses, but steadily rose to become one of Hip Hop's most respected underground artist. He made his first demo's with DJ PF Cutting' But then his hard-core, Brooklyn style had to be premiered on Gang Starr's Daily Operation album ('I'm The Man'). In turn DJ Premier would produce Jeru's debut cut, 'Come Clean', which is most definitely a Hip Hop classic. A single released on Gang Starr's own label, Illkid
Records. His debut album was widely acclaimed in both the specialist and general music press, not least due to one of Premier's most effective productions and Jeru's clear, heavily enunciated style. But that was then, that was before the not so talked about split with Illkid Records, that was before Jeru's statement saying: "I don't really plan on working with them cats ... It's all me. I'm not trying to outdo Premier, but still the student must become the master. I need to step up for myself. My new stuff is better than my old stuff, it's 100% Jeru the Damaja."
Now with a new album and various secretive projects?? Phatmag talks to Jeru between sound check and phone calls.
phatmag: Hey! Jeru, what brings you to the UK?
Jeru: Right now I'm doing about twenty shows, doing a UK and European tour and I'm trying to keep real underground Hip Hop alive.
phatmag: Where are you performing in the UK?
Jeru: I'm doing the lyrical lounge, I did a show the other night in Bristol, 2 shows in Norway, Copenhagen in Denmark, so actually this is the fifth show. phatmag: What is the audience like in Europe?
Jeru: They love it, you know Jeru The Damaja fans keeping it real all over the world.
phatmag: Have you got a new album coming out?
Jeru: Yep I've got an album "Jeru The Damaja Presents The Super Human Clique'. It's actually out now, it's on my own label. I've already shipped a nice amount of units for me, personally, I've scanned a nice amount of units for myself personally and I mean I'm just working on keeping Hip Hop real, keeping the art alive.
