Killah Priest is a tangential associate of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Brooklyn n… Read Full Bio ↴Killah Priest is a tangential associate of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Brooklyn native made his first recorded appearances on records by such Wu side projects and solo albums as the Gravediggaz, Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers, and, most importantly, Genius/GZA's seminal Liquid Swords. His contributions became legendary and paved the way for the release of his acclaimed debut album, Heavy Mental, in the spring of 1998.

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.

Crime Stories
Killah Priest Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

{*thunder & lightning*}

[Intro: Killah Priest]
Crime, Crime Stories (Will someone help me?)
Crime Stories (Someone help me)
Crime Stories (I'm dyin)
Crime Stories

[Killah Priest]
The mobster, long coat and brim hat, staggered in the rain
Fallin, load the .38, breathin heavy, beneath a window pane
Sideways from cop cars {*cop sirens*}, echoes through his ears
And the rain blended with his tears, heart full of fear
He's exhausted from the loss of blood, his head is drowsy
He thought to his self, "Damn, all the fake niggas around me"
So he fought off a thug, breathin heavy
With the weapon in his hand that he held was deadly
His face was sweaty
Damn, what you do when you at the door of life and death?
Plus you staggered 22 blocks, with a bullet in your chest
Plus you soakin wet
You might catch pneumonia, suddenly you smelt smell death's foul aroma
It burnt his nose hairs like ammonia
He inhaled deep then fell asleep
Opened his eyes in Hell
Where he saw every nigga he made the sale
Every crack addict with a bad habit
Every drug users and every needle abuser
Never knew he worked for Lucifer
He shut his eyes and opened them again (Yo)
But still, he was there with the fire and brimstone

This is your home (Uh-oh), that's it, end of poem
(Help me! AGGGH! HELP! {*smacking sound*} HELP!)

Overall Meaning

The song "Crime Stories" by Killah Priest paints a vivid picture of a mobster who finds himself in dire straits. The song opens with the sound of thunder and lightning, setting the tone for the bleak and desperate story to come. The mobster is described as wearing a long coat and brim hat, staggered in the rain and carrying a load .38 with him. He is running from the police, with their sirens echoing in his ears. The weight of his actions seems to be catching up to him as he thinks about the "fake niggas" around him and the thug he had to fight off to survive. All of this is made worse by the fact that he has been shot and is bleeding heavily.

As the song progresses, the mobster's condition deteriorates. He is more and more exhausted, and he can feel death looming closer. He smells the "foul aroma" of death, but he soldiers on, staggering 22 blocks despite the bullet in his chest and the rain soaking him to the bone. When he finally collapses, he finds himself in Hell, confronted by every person he ever harmed or sold drugs to. He realizes that all along, he had been working for Lucifer, and his fate is sealed.

"Crime Stories" is a powerful and poignant song that touches on themes of regret, desperation, and consequences. It speaks to the harsh realities of the streets and the devastating impact of a life of crime.

Line by Line Meaning

Crime, Crime Stories (Will someone help me?)
The song is about crime stories and Killah Priest needs help in telling them.

Crime Stories (Someone help me)
Killah Priest is calling out for assistance in expressing the tales of crime.

Crime Stories (I'm dyin)
The stories of crime are killing Killah Priest emotionally.

Crime Stories
The song is about crime stories and Killah Priest will tell them.

The mobster, long coat and brim hat, staggered in the rain
A criminal dressed in a long coat and hat is stumbling in the rain.

Fallin, load the .38, breathin heavy, beneath a window pane
He falls, loads his gun, is breathing heavily, and is hiding under a window.

Sideways from cop cars {*cop sirens*}, echoes through his ears
The sound of police sirens is ringing in the criminal's ears as he tries to hide.

And the rain blended with his tears, heart full of fear
The criminal is scared and crying in the rain.

He's exhausted from the loss of blood, his head is drowsy
The criminal is tired due to blood loss and feels drowsy.

He thought to his self, "Damn, all the fake niggas around me"
The criminal realizes that he is surrounded by people who are not genuine.

So he fought off a thug, breathin heavy
The criminal defends himself from an attacker while breathing heavily.

With the weapon in his hand that he held was deadly
The weapon that the criminal holds in his hand is lethal.

His face was sweaty
The criminal is sweating due to anxiety and fear.

Damn, what you do when you at the door of life and death?
The criminal wonders what he should do when his life is on the line.

Plus you staggered 22 blocks, with a bullet in your chest
The criminal has walked 22 blocks with a bullet lodged in his chest.

Plus you soakin wet
The criminal is drenched from walking in the rain.

You might catch pneumonia, suddenly you smelt smell death's foul aroma
The criminal is at risk of getting sick and suddenly smells the scent of death.

It burnt his nose hairs like ammonia
The smell of death is so strong that it burns the criminal's nose hairs.

He inhaled deep then fell asleep
The criminal takes a deep breath and then passes out.

Opened his eyes in Hell
The criminal wakes up in hell.

Where he saw every nigga he made the sale
In hell, the criminal sees every person he has sold drugs to.

Every crack addict with a bad habit
The criminal sees every person addicted to crack.

Every drug users and every needle abuser
The criminal sees every person who has abused drugs and needles.

Never knew he worked for Lucifer
The criminal did not realize he was working for the devil.

He shut his eyes and opened them again (Yo)
The criminal closes his eyes and then opens them again.

But still, he was there with the fire and brimstone
The criminal is still in hell with fire and brimstone.

This is your home (Uh-oh), that's it, end of poem
The criminal is stuck in hell and there is no escape.

(Help me! AGGGH! HELP! {*smacking sound*} HELP!)
The criminal cries for help as he is tormented in hell.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind