As an interesting side note, the album cover shows the World Trade Center on fire only one year after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower. The album featured Jeru's signature conscious lyrics, however he was criticized by The Fugees for his explicit lyrics particularly, in the song "Da Bichez". Fugees member Pras lightly mentioned Jeru on the track "Zealots", from the group's landmark 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 lightly responded in the intro to the track "Me or The Papes".
Jeru followed up in 1996 with his sophomore album Wrath of the Math again produced solely by DJ Premier. The album was also widely acclaimed, though not on the same level as his debut. Like on his first album, Jeru was accusatory of commercial hip hop artists and record labels (Death Row, Bad Boy), who he criticized on the concept track "One Day". After the release of Wrath of the Math, Jeru had a falling out with DJ Premier and Guru, and was missing from the scene until 1999, when he released his third album, Heroz4hire, released together with Mizmarvel. Heroz was his first album without production from DJ Premier and also his first under his then newly created KnowSavage Records. It featured the single "99.9 Pa Cent", which was a verbal attack on his former affiliates Gang Starr. Heroz4hire was less critically acclaimed, due mostly to Premier's absence. His latest album, Divine Design, released in 2003, was the first album under his new record label, Ashenafi Records. The album received little attention and mixed reviews. A new Jeru album, tentatively titled Still Rising was released in 2007.
Whatever
Jeru the Damaja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
with a style similar to mine nowadays, you know what I mean?
(For reals) Be tryin' to like...they infiltrated the camp,
and now they, they want to take the style and claim it for they
owns, ya know? (That's how you feel?) But I'mma blow'em up,
'cause it's just like, whatever, you know what I'm sayin'? (Whatever)
It's too strategical and mathematical
I keep it chemical, but never subliminal
The force centrifugal and spiritual
You got static? Get grounded, 'cause I've mastered electrical
Mostly mental, but don't sleep on the physical
Ignorance got'em chatterin', one even said I was a son to him
Still my LP is fatter than
his or yours, took a two-year pause
Now that I'm back on the set my foes drop like hoe's drawers
in a brothel, only dealin' with what's logical
Applied science left MC's penetrable
The leader's stroke is apocalyptic
Hostile like Arabics in Israel with automatics
And if you want it, the Monks can make it hectic
Set it off, fire burn up Jack Frost and Santa Claus
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"And to all y'all crews...whatever"
Bound to blow up, but never disintegratin'
The ultimate MC equation
Ferromagnetic, ask my pops, it's genetic
That's why I'm a weedhead and not an alcoholic
Call it whatever you want to call it
Devils just know that it's some form of arithmetic
Hieroglyphic, 'cause you can picture this shit
The state of hip-hop today is like hookers in politics
Got MCin' locked down like a convict
Blowin' up opposition as I maneuver through it
And to make sure it's overstood, I stick around
Popular like crime in ghetto neighbourhoods
Rock my crown like Shaka did, hold it down
Fuck your mind up like Joe Jackson, kids, check it out
So whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"I gotta do my thing...I represent"
"And to all y'all crews, whatever"
Fire, flames, heat up the competition
Spontaneous combustion, like the Pope's religion
your style of emceein' is Paganism
Your rhymes make no sense, just like a Roman Christian
But your niggas soup you up like Lipton
The Gwong Jan Lin of underground emceein' strikes again
The snake bites again, but I'm immune to the poisonous
venom, ask the devil, he knows I'm dangerous
Freak on the mic, but not sexual
Call me unalike 'cause my rhymes are never homo
Make you sad, like when Cher left Sonny Bono
Fire burn Giuliani, Pataki and Cuomo
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"I gotta do my thing...I represent"
"And to all y'all crews, whatever"
In the song Whatever, Jeru the Damaja talks about how many rappers today try to copy his style, but he plans to blow them up because he doesn't care, it's just like whatever. The lyrics in the song talk about how he is strategic and mathematical when he rotates so fast that he appears invisible. Jeru the Damaja is mostly mental, but he does not sleep on the physical. The ignorance of others got them chatterin', however, he is still able to come back stronger than ever. His album is fatter than his foes and after his two-year pause, he came back to make his foes drop like hoe's drawers. His application of science leaves MC's penetrable and the leader's stroke is apocalyptic. Jeru the Damaja's rhymes have the ability to fire up the competition and cause spontaneous combustion, like the Pope's religion.
Line by Line Meaning
Ayo...(what's up?)...there's a lotta motherfuckers out here
Hey, what's up? There are many people out here with a style like mine nowadays.
with a style similar to mine nowadays, you know what I mean?
Their styles are similar to mine, do you understand?
(For reals) Be tryin' to like...they infiltrated the camp,
Seriously, they come trying to infiltrate my group,
and now they, they want to take the style and claim it for they owns, ya know?
Now they want to take my style and claim it as their own, you know?
(That's how you feel?) But I'mma blow'em up,
(Do you feel the same way?) But I'm going to expose them,
'cause it's just like, whatever, you know what I'm sayin'? (Whatever)
Because it doesn't matter, you know what I mean? (Whatever)
It's too strategical and mathematical
My style is strategic and mathematical
I rotate so fast that I appear invisible
I'm so fast that I look invisible
I keep it chemical, but never subliminal
I keep it real, but never hidden
The force centrifugal and spiritual
The power is both physical and spiritual
You got static? Get grounded, 'cause I've mastered electrical
If you have any problems, stay grounded, because I'm very experienced
Mostly mental, but don't sleep on the physical
It's mostly mental, but don't underestimate the physical aspect
Ignorance got'em chatterin', one even said I was a son to him
Ignorant people talk about me - one even said I was their son
Still my LP is fatter than
However, my album is still better than theirs
his or yours, took a two-year pause
I took a two-year break, unlike them
Now that I'm back on the set my foes drop like hoe's drawers
Now that I'm back, my enemies disappear quickly
in a brothel, only dealin' with what's logical
Like being in a brothel, I only deal with what's logical
Applied science left MC's penetrable
I use science to take down my opponents
The leader's stroke is apocalyptic
My leadership is devastating
Hostile like Arabics in Israel with automatics
I'm as hostile as Arabs in Israel with guns
And if you want it, the Monks can make it hectic
And if you want a challenge, I'll make things chaotic
Set it off, fire burn up Jack Frost and Santa Claus
Let's do this, let's destroy everything
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Do whatever you want, but do it smartly
Bound to blow up, but never disintegratin'
Bound to be successful, but never falling apart
The ultimate MC equation
The best MC equation
Ferromagnetic, ask my pops, it's genetic
It's genetic, ask my father
That's why I'm a weedhead and not an alcoholic
That's why I smoke weed and not drink alcohol
Call it whatever you want to call it
You can call it whatever you want
Devils just know that it's some form of arithmetic
My enemies know that it's a type of science
Hieroglyphic, 'cause you can picture this shit
It's like a hieroglyphic, because you can see it clearly
The state of hip-hop today is like hookers in politics
The state of hip-hop is like prostitutes in politics
Got MCin' locked down like a convict
I have MCing under control, like a prisoner
Blowin' up opposition as I maneuver through it
I destroy my opposition as I move through it
And to make sure it's overstood, I stick around
I stick around to make sure everyone understands
Popular like crime in ghetto neighbourhoods
I'm popular in ghetto neighborhoods, like crime
Rock my crown like Shaka did, hold it down
I wear my crown like Shaka, and hold it down
Fuck your mind up like Joe Jackson, kids, check it out
I'll mess with your head like Joe Jackson, check it out
Fire, flames, heat up the competition
I'll bring the heat to my competition
Spontaneous combustion, like the Pope's religion
I'll cause a sudden explosion, like the Pope's religion
your style of emceein' is Paganism
Your style of rapping is pagan
Your rhymes make no sense, just like a Roman Christian
Your rhymes make no sense, like a Roman Christian
But your niggas soup you up like Lipton
But your friends hype you up
The Gwong Jan Lin of underground emceein' strikes again
The underground emcee Gwong Jan Lin is back
The snake bites again, but I'm immune to the poisonous venom, ask the devil, he knows I'm dangerous
The snake strikes, but I'm immune to danger, ask the devil
Freak on the mic, but not sexual
I'm a freak on the mic, not in a sexual way
Call me unalike 'cause my rhymes are never homo
Don't call me gay, because my rhymes are never like that
Make you sad, like when Cher left Sonny Bono
I'll make you sad, like when Cher left Sonny Bono
Fire burn Giuliani, Pataki and Cuomo
I'll burn Giuliani, Pataki, and Cuomo
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Do whatever you want, but do it smartly
I gotta do my thing...I represent
I have to do my thing, I represent
And to all y'all crews, whatever
And to all of you crews, it doesn't matter
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Martin, Kendrick Davis, Mayfield Small
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mqz
Ayo...(what's up?)...there's a lotta motherfuckers out here
with a style similar to mine nowadays, you know what I mean?
(For reals) Be tryin' to like...they infiltrated the camp,
and now they, they want to take the style and claim it for they
owns, ya know? (That's how you feel?) But I'mma blow'em up,
'cause it's just like, whatever, you know what I'm sayin'? (Whatever)
It's too strategical and mathematical
I rotate so fast that I appear invisible
I keep it chemical, but never subliminal
The force centrifugal and spiritual
You got static? Get grounded, 'cause I've mastered electrical
Mostly mental, but don't sleep on the physical
Ignorance got'em chatterin', one even said I was a son to him
Still my LP is fatter than
his or yours, took a two-year pause
Now that I'm back on the set my foes drop like hoe's drawers
in a brothel, only dealin' with what's logical
Applied science left MC's penetrable
The leader's stroke is apocalyptic
Hostile like Arabics in Israel with automatics
And if you want it, the Monks can make it hectic
Set it off, fire burn up Jack Frost and Santa Claus
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"And to all y'all crews...whatever"
Bound to blow up, but never disintegratin'
The ultimate MC equation
Ferromagnetic, ask my pops, it's genetic
That's why I'm a weedhead and not an alcoholic
Call it whatever you want to call it
Devils just know that it's some form of arithmetic
Hieroglyphic, 'cause you can picture this shit
The state of hip-hop today is like hookers in politics
Got MCin' locked down like a convict
Blowin' up opposition as I maneuver through it
And to make sure it's overstood, I stick around
Popular like crime in ghetto neighbourhoods
Rock my crown like Shaka did, hold it down
Fuck your mind up like Joe Jackson, kids, check it out
So whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"I gotta do my thing...I represent"
"And to all y'all crews, whatever"
Fire, flames, heat up the competition
Spontaneous combustion, like the Pope's religion
your style of emceein' is Paganism
Your rhymes make no sense, just like a Roman Christian
But your niggas soup you up like Lipton
The Gwong Jan Lin of underground emceein' strikes again
The snake bites again, but I'm immune to the poisonous
venom, ask the devil, he knows I'm dangerous
Freak on the mic, but not sexual
Call me unalike 'cause my rhymes are never homo
Make you sad, like when Cher left Sonny Bono
Fire burn Giuliani, Pataki and Cuomo
Whatever you want to do, make it clever
Whatever, whatever, whatever
"I gotta do my thing...I represent"
"And to all y'all crews, whatever"
Time2AnteUp
This beat alone ... IS so f****n mellow. Real Hip Hop. The flow sealed it.
GeorgiaBoyInLosAngeles
I copped wrath of the math freshman year of HS 1996 and I was instantly stuck off this beat. Still gives me that feeling 27 yrs later, god bless Preemo
Bob Fole
"I rotate so fast , that I appear invisible"
Jeru was locked in from jump 🔥🔥🔥
Mark Lindsay
VERY UNDERRATED. This should be held as one of his top 10 hits of all time.
Jan Rudolf
it is for us, enlightened :D
sd daog
This beat is ill and the baseline is so funky preemo is that dude jeru be flowing bk stand up
jkrsevand
I disagree..if you're talking about real hiphop he is up there..
Ganubuken
somethin about that beat and his delivery just makes this a damn masterpiece on repeat
BarberSeanMichael
nobody bounces on the primo drums better than JERU..
Chaivez Rudd
jeru drops disses but he educates simultaneously, this man is one the most if not #1 underated mc's of all time and hundreds of mc's bit his style like they were originators. Jeru, You make Black people proud fuck the haters