Short answers, pulled from the story.
Jeru the Damaja is the stage name of Kendrick Jeru Davis, an American rapper and record producer born on the 14th of February, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn and began rhyming at block parties as a teenager.
Jeru the Damaja's most acclaimed album is The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994 and produced entirely by DJ Premier. It was ranked among the 100 greatest hip-hop albums of all time by About.com in 2013 and among the 200 Greatest Rap Albums Of All Time by Rolling Stone in 2022.
Jeru the Damaja has known DJ Premier since high school, through their shared connection to Gang Starr. Premier produced Jeru's 1993 breakthrough single "Come Clean" and went on to produce both The Sun Rises in the East (1994) and Wrath of the Math (1996) in their entirety. The two reunited in 2019 for Gang Starr's final album One Of The Best Yet.
The Fugees criticized the lyrics on Jeru's debut album The Sun Rises in the East, particularly the song "Da Bichez". Fugees member Pras responded on the track "Zealots" from the 1996 album The Score with the line "No matter who you damage, you're still a false prophet", referencing Jeru's single "You Can't Stop the Prophet". Jeru answered in the intro of "Me or the Papes" and on "Black Cowboys".
Jeru the Damaja founded Know Savage Records, under which he released Heroz4Hire in 1999, and later Ashenafi Records, under which he released Divine Design in 2003. He also released the 2014 EP The Hammer through Hedspinn Records.
Jeru the Damaja has a home in Berlin, Germany.