Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Killah Priest became infatuated with hip-hop as a child, listening to old-school and new school acts like Eric B. & Rakim alike. He also was influenced by local rappers, like GZA and Onyx's Suave, who would often play local parties. Killah Priest began working on his rhyming and eventually earned a considerable reputation in Brooklyn , but instead of pursuing his musical career further, he took a sabbatical in order to educate himself, primarily about religion and history.
Killah Priest returned to rapping in 1995, appearing on several Wu projects. All of his cameos were noteworthy, but his role on Liquid Swords earned special attention. By the end of 1996, he formed his own side project, the Sunz of Man. In 1997, GZA suggested to Geffen that they sign Killah Priest, and the label took his advice.
Killah worked on the album with True Master and 4th Disciple, two producers associated with the Clan. The resulting album, Heavy Mental, was dense with religious imagery and filled with evocative sounds. It received excellent reviews upon its March 1998 release and was a respectable commercial success, debuting at number 24 on the pop charts.
Killah Priest issued his second album, View from Masada, in the spring of 2000, further bolstering his status as one of the most compelling solo artists in the Wu-Tang stable. After that he has released more projects such as Priesthood and Black August.
4 Tomorrow
Killah Priest Lyrics
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4 Tomorrow
4 Tomorrow
4 Tomorrow
4 Tomorrow
[Killah Priest]
The cargo ships rocked in ocean tides
The great Amistad wave goodbye
You'll never see her again, currents of strong wind
Took niggas on the long ride
Naked have I came, naked shall I leave?This hell I see
I've written it in my form
So if my time calls you can press play like it's yesterday
It's been a decade since the best say (Heavy Mental)
Y'all hear 'em again, my serum's the pen, if death follows
So lie for now, the apostle, grace be unto you
Till the coming of shallow, I wrote this...
(Hook) Priest
[Killah Priest]
What's sufficient for the ears? Redemption is near
The hope of Christian, religion is listen but fear
This desire put us back in bondage
To weak and begging elements living devilish in our conscious
We became monsters cos all we want is the chronic and some liquors
And tat on some scriptures
and I miss my sister pictures haunts my mind, it turns realer
Look inside my memories mirror
Heron had her in sedation, till she became an AIDS patient
Her last days she laid shaking
I stood by her grave waiting
For the preacher to finish his sentence I dropped the rose
in the hole then I left repented
It took part of my soul; turned my soft heart into stone
When I strike my chest it hurts my hand
Is our freedom even worth the plan? The dope merchant glance
Then look back at the fiend like "you heard the man"
Who wanna take a stand? Hopes are hollow the adolescent hand chokes a bottle
No role models, wherever the streets leads ye shall follow
(Hook) Priest
(Priest talking over the hook)
I see the future
This for the future man
Ha-ha, I want the future to hear me
I want everybody to realize
That when I sat and I wrote this
This was for...
[Killah Priest]
He quickened my heart after foolish women ripped it apart
Swimming in a dark sea that was living with sharks
The last enemy to destroy his death, what's next?
Given the power, all things wicked will end in an hour
The corruptible, must put on end corruption
All this and his destructions
God to men discussions, he looks at us in disgust and
Sky erupting when my pen is touching
Deliverance from this ignorance
Idiots are oblivious, it makes God furious
Surrender yourselves, ye members of Hell
Offenders are given to jails the Devils agenda's to get in oneself
All we wanted was help, the common mind is blind
The honourable is hard to find, there should be no sign
Liberty is defined, the spirit must be circumcised
It's deeper than just tribute time
(Hook) Priest
In the song "4 Tomorrow" by Killah Priest, the artist expresses a deep concern for the future and the struggles that come with living in the present. The lyrics contemplate the freedom of his chosen tribe, seen through the cargo ships that rock in ocean tides as they wave goodbye to the great Amistad. The artist posits that although we come into this world naked, we leave in the same way. Thus, it's important to create a legacy that reflects our values so that others can press play and listen to what we stood for.
The artist also critiques religious institutions and their impact on society. Killah Priest believes that religion has put humanity back into bondage, creating weak and begging elements that are more devilish in their nature. Much of society is focused on materialism, and we've become addicted to drugs and alcohol, with no role models to steer us in the right direction. The lyrics also describe personal pain and grief, with the artist mourning the death of his sister who became an AIDS patient. The song concludes with a hopeful message about deliverance from ignorance but acknowledges that this journey is far from over.
Line by Line Meaning
The cargo ships rocked in ocean tides
The ships rocked in the waves of the ocean.
Their freedom watched from the open skies, cried for his chosen tribe
The sky watched over the ships and the people on it, hoping for freedom for the chosen people.
The great Amistad wave goodbye
The Amistad ship was waving goodbye.
You'll never see her again, currents of strong wind
The ship has sailed away and will not return due to strong weather.
Took niggas on the long ride
The slaves were taken on a long journey.
Naked have I came, naked shall I leave?This hell I see
I came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing, this world is hell.
I've written it in my form
I have written my thoughts and feelings down.
So if my time calls you can press play like it's yesterday
If I die, you can still listen to my music like it was just made.
It's been a decade since the best say (Heavy Mental)
It has been ten years since the best album (Heavy Mental) was released.
Y'all hear 'em again, my serum's the pen, if death follows
Listen to my music again, my way of healing, even if I die.
So lie for now, the apostle, grace be unto you
Lie for now, the preacher, may grace be with you.
Till the coming of shallow, I wrote this...
Until the coming of death, I wrote this...
What's sufficient for the ears? Redemption is near
What is enough for us to hear? Redemption is close.
The hope of Christian, religion is listen but fear
Christians hope for salvation. Religion leads to listening but also instills fear.
This desire put us back in bondage
Our desires trap us in bondage.
To weak and begging elements living devilish in our conscious
Our weak and needy aspects are controlled by evil in our minds.
We became monsters cos all we want is the chronic and some liquors
We become monsters because we only want drugs and alcohol.
And tat on some scriptures
Tattooing Biblical verses.
and I miss my sister pictures haunts my mind, it turns realer
I miss my sister and her pictures haunt me, becoming more real.
Look inside my memories mirror
Look into my memories.
Heron had her in sedation, till she became an AIDS patient
My sister was given Heroin which led to her becoming an AIDS patient.
Her last days she laid shaking
My sister's last days were spent shaking.
I stood by her grave waiting
I stood by her grave waiting for the preacher to finish.
For the preacher to finish his sentence I dropped the rose
I dropped a rose once the preacher finished talking.
in the hole then I left repented
I left after confessing my sins.
It took part of my soul; turned my soft heart into stone
Her death took a part of my soul and made me cold.
When I strike my chest it hurts my hand
When I hit myself, it hurts.
Is our freedom even worth the plan? The dope merchant glance
Is our freedom worth the price? The drug dealers glance at us.
Then look back at the fiend like"you heard the man"
They look back at the drug addicts, saying they understand.
Who wanna take a stand? Hopes are hollow the adolescent hand chokes a bottle
Who will stand up? The youth's hopes are dashed as they drink alcohol.
No role models, wherever the streets leads ye shall follow
There are no role models and we follow where the streets lead.
He quickened my heart after foolish women ripped it apart
After my heart was broken by women, he healed it.
Swimming in a dark sea that was living with sharks
Dealing with dangerous people and things.
The last enemy to destroy his death, what's next?
The last thing to defeat is death, then what?
Given the power, all things wicked will end in an hour
With power, evil things can be ended quickly.
The corruptible, must put on end corruption
Corrupt people must be stopped from doing wrong.
All this and his destructions
All of this will lead to destruction.
God to men discussions, he looks at us in disgust and
God talks to us and looks at us in disgust.
Sky erupting when my pen is touching
Heavenly things happen when I write.
Deliverance from this ignorance
Freedom from ignorance.
Idiots are oblivious, it makes God furious
God is angered by those who are foolish and unaware.
Surrender yourselves, ye members of Hell
Give up your evil ways.
Offenders are given to jails the Devils agenda's to get in oneself
Offenders go to jail, but the devil wants to get inside them.
All we wanted was help, the common mind is blind
We wanted help but everyone is ignorant to our problems.
The honourable is hard to find, there should be no sign
It's difficult to find honorable people and they shouldn't be advertised.
Liberty is defined, the spirit must be circumcised
Freedom is important, but the soul must also be pure.
It's deeper than just tribute time
It's more important than just paying respects.
Contributed by Dylan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
anthony jones
[Killah Priest]
The cargo ships rocking ocean tides
Their freedom watch from the open skies
Cried for his chosen tribe
The great Amistad wave goodbye
You'll never see her again
Currents of strong wind
Took niggas on the long ride
Naked have I came, naked should I leave?
This hell I see, I've written it in my form
So if my time calls you can press play like its yesterday
It's been a decade since the best say (Heavy Mental)
Y'all hear 'em again, my serum's the pen
If death follows, so lie for now
The apostle, grace be unto you
Till the coming of shallow, I wrote this...
(Hook) Priest
4 Tomorrow x3
[Killah Priest]
What's sufficient for the ears?
Redemption is near
The hope of Christian, religion is listen but fear
This society put us back in bondage
Till we recall elements, living devilish in our conscious
We became monsters
Cause all we want is the chronic and some liquors
And tat on some scriptures and I miss my sister
Pictures haunts my mind, it turns realer
Look inside my memories mirror
Her-oin had an in-sedation, till she became an AIDS patient
Her last days she laid shaking
I stood by her grave waiting
For the preacher to finish his sentence
I dropped the rose in the hole then I left repented
It took part of my soul; turn my soft heart into stone
When I strike my chest it hurts my hand
Is our freedom even worth the plan?
The dope merchant glance
Then look back at the fiend like "you heard the man"
Who wanna take a stand? Hopes are hollow
The adolescent hand chokes a bottle
No role models, wherever the streets leads he shall follow
(Hook) Priest
4 Tomorrow x4
(Priest talking over the hook)
Let's see the future
This for the future man
Ha-ha, I want the future to hear me
I want everybody to realize
That when I sat and I wrote this
This was for...
[Killah Priest]
He quickened my heart after the foolish women rip it apart
Swimming in a dark sea that was living with sharks
The last enemy to destroy his death, what's next?
Given the power, all things wicked will end an hour
The corruptible, must put on end corruption
All this and his destructions
God to men discussions, he looks at sin disgusting
Sky erupting when my pen is touching
Deliverance from this ignorance
Idiots or oblivious, it makes God furious
Surrender yourselves, ye members of hell
Offenders are given the jail
The devils agenda's to get in one self
All we wanted was help, the conomine is blind
The honorable is hard to find, there should be no sign
Liberty is defined, the spirit must be circumcised
It's deeper than just tribute time
Yah Hakeem Selassie-Bey
The cargo ships rocked in ocean tides
Their freedom watched from the open skies
Cried for his chosen tribe
The great Amistad wave goodbye
You'll never see her again
Currents of strong wind
Took niggas on the long ride
Naked have I came, naked shall I leave?
This hell I see, I've written it in my form
So if my time calls you can press play like it's yesterday
It's been a decade since the best say (Heavy Mental)
TheGuyontheCouch
Killah priest brings me back to reality when I'm down or feel lost. keep moving forward for tomorrow.
Mr Miyagi
It's a song to collect yourself.
MJ
There is so much strength in it
aotp36
yes i feel the same
Mr Miyagi
The most underrated but one of the greatest.
James Kolawole
NO DOUBT
Dean Haynes
This is the reason why I listen to rap or should I say hip hop the realism in this dude has been the best since I first heard them back in 95 this brother really got it man substance witty unpredictable talent and natural game Wu-Tang
darnw73
this man is unreal! much respect
Shomari, Legghette
Redemption!!! Brother so deep and sincere his scriptures bring tears of joy from releasing pain giving us righteous over standing,pure guidance I love him..
Local Anthology
one love killah priest needs to be heard.