Droppin' Knowledge: Rap Icon Jeru The Damaja Shares New Song - "Power"

Legendary artist Jeru The Damaja has released a new song, “Power,” the first single from his forthcoming album, Home Cookin‘. The stark video, which Jeru shot himself, from his home in Berlin, is a conscious assessment of the current state of affairs in the United States. In the song, Jeru urges people of all races to join together for the common good, in order to create a country defined by equality and justice for all. The Prophet reminds us that strength comes from unity, not division, and that strength gives us the “Power” to change the world.

The song features snippets of a speech by Fred Hampton, a leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers, and founder of the original Rainbow Coalition, a multi-racial umbrella group, dedicated to civil rights for all. In 1969, Hampton was killed in his home during a police raid, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that he was a “radical threat” to the United States. The speech segments referenced in the song are from what is often referred to as Hampton’s “I Am A Revolutionary” speech. Many scholars believe that the FBI essentially ordered the assassination of Hampton. In 1982, the City of Chicago settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Hampton’s family, and that of Mark Clark, the other man killed in the incursion.

Jeru, who has lived in Berlin for the past several years, plans to release one new song per month, along with accompanying videos, to mark his new album release. The Prophet is also an active presence on social media. On YouTube he hosts a show called “Jeru The Damaja Comes Clean,” named after a song on his first album, the iconic The Sun Rises In The East. Jeru also hosts the Hip Hop Roadshow in Europe, in which he features other hip hop artists from the United States. Jeru believes that Europeans have a deep appreciation of American hip hop, especially for the foundation artists of the 1990s, in what some refer to as hip hop’s “Golden Age.” Surprisingly, Jeru has also been the master of ceremonies at European EDM festivals over the past few years, an experience he found exciting and rewarding.

Watch for more music from Jeru over the course of the next several months, produced by a mystery man whose name Jeru would not reveal. Jeru told me that his collaborator comes down from a mountaintop lair specifically to work with The Prophet, and that man, or woman, will remain shielded in secrecy, for now. Check it!