No. 12: Jeru The Damaja

It may have been dumb luck that Kendrick Jeru Davis — that's Jeru The Damaja to you — wound up becoming high-school buddies with DJ Premier. But let's not let the fact that he's been able to spit so many of his rhymes over beats made by arguably the best producer ever change the fact that Jeru is one of the best to ever grip a microphone.

He could have been rapping over No Limit production this whole time and he'd still sound fresh.

Jeru made his first splash with a guest appearance on Gang Starr's "I'm The Man" in 1992, and he blew up the underground a year later with "Come Clean," spitting methodical bombs over a classic Primo track that sounds sort of like an underwater steel drum.

Ready to leave comp defunct...

"Come Clean" fueled the full-length solo debut, The Sun Rises In The East, in 1994. The album (which, in a bit of foreshadowing, depicts the World Trade Center towers on fire) was a massive critical success, quickly establishing Jeru as one of the best in a group of young New York rappers that would dominate hip-hop in the mid-1990s.

The follow-up, 1996's Wrath Of The Math, was lauded by many but slept on by the masses. Following this, Jeru and Premier parted ways and the former vanished from the scene for a while, resurfacing in 1999 with his third LP, Heroz4Hire. He has continued making music since, and his next project reportedly features a long-awaited reunion with Premier.

In addition to his own albums, Jeru made a number of notable appearances on other works during the mid-'90s, including a cleanup verse on the posse cut "1,2 Pass It" and a fantastic anti-police riff, "Invasion," that was featured on the second installment of the New Jersey Drive soundtrack...

When I was young I used to shoot for the stars, but got shot down by demons in patrol cars...
That track showcases Jeru's somewhat unconventional cadence and thought-provoking verses — it's one of the best and most ignored songs of the era...which, in a way, sums up his career perfectly.

His time in the spotlight didn't last as long as it probably should have, but with an ability to get deep like few others, Jeru has definitely earned his place among the upper crust.