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.

I Killed the Devil Last Night
Killah Priest Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Killah Priest:]
Take a glipse, at all the crack whores and the pimps
The hustlers and the gamblers
The gangsters, the killers, the number runners
The drug dealers and all the petty thieves
And the card shark scramblers
The city cops raidin' the spots
Niggas tryna get their guap

(What you doin' over here?)
Got their glock, gunshots, this is my block
In the tallest building
And the longest, coldest nights
I got something to tell y'all
You won't believe me
But I killed the devil last night
That's right, I shot 'em dead
One in his head, one in his heart
I tore his fuckin' horns apart
I killed the devil last night
And I knew it was him cause when he came in my room
He had a grin
And on his neck and face
Was white and black and yellow and brown and red skin
He had a bad white suit
He offered me a fruit
And his pockets were bulgin' with alotta loot
I told 'em I been lookin' for you
I swear to God y'all, all this is true
I killed the devil last night
I shot 'em cold blooded
He looked at me, his eyes fluttered
He's gon' y'all, dead, he no longer exists
I know my baby-moms is pissed
Now we can get along and everything should be cool
All the girlfriends are confused
They don't know what to do
Cause I killed the devil last night
I did it for Marcus
I did it for Malcolm, Martin and Marvin
I did it for all God's son
And his daughters, I'm the author
I killed the devil last night
I was neva scared of his punk ass anyways
I'm from Brooklyn
Brooklyn born and Brooklyn raised
I shot 'em cause he's a hater
This mornin' I woke up and knocked on the door of my neighbors
And I told 'em I killed the devil last night
Tell the press, the FBI and the cops
Oh yeah, the devil is right up stairs in my room on the floor shot
Tell those Christians and those sinners they can go to heaven
I used my weapon, he's gon' for good
I'm just tryna clean up my neighborhood
I killed the devil last night (Right on brother)
Drag Lucifer by his horns
My thoughts are nuclear; my mind is an atomic bomb
I am the Bible covered by the Qur'an
Kill Shaitan, yeah I did it, I'll admit it
It was nothin', he was frontin'
He has no power except what we give 'em
Ourselves and ourselves we devour
Again he has no powers
I did it and you could too
Just look for him, don't run from him
Just do like I do
Stare 'em in his face
Face-to-face, let's go
Toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow
You can't hurt me no more
The ghetto, you gots to go
Get out God house devil
I'm Almighty, the King, the Author of light
The warrior with wings, bearer of the cross and the light
The rock the faith, the judge of the livin' and dead
Man from heaven, over hell I tread
My angels sing
Last night I killed the devil
No lie, he don't exist no more
So you can do whateva you want
You can achieve any goal you want
You can get that brand new car
You can go into the ether zones

You can beam ya self up
The devil is gon', I killed 'em

Overall Meaning

In "I Killed the Devil Last Night," Killah Priest creates a vivid picture of the harsh realities of inner-city life. The song takes a closer look at the various people who make up the urban landscape, including hustlers, gangsters, and drug dealers. These hard-living individuals are forced to make difficult choices simply to survive in a world that seems determined to crush their spirits. Yet, despite the overwhelming odds, Killah Priest finds hope in the midst of this desolate landscape. He claims to have killed the devil, a personification of all that is evil in the world. This act of violence represents a kind of redemption, a way for Killah Priest to reclaim his own destiny and find a sense of control in a world that seems determined to destroy him.

Even though the song's message is ultimately hopeful, there are some dark and unsettling moments. For example, Killah Priest recalls a haunting dream during which he encounters the devil, who wears a bad white suit and offers him a fruit. This dream serves as a metaphor for the many temptations that people face every day. Killah Priest's decision to reject the devil's offer and kill him instead is a symbol of his own inner strength and determination. In "I Killed the Devil Last Night," Killah Priest is able to turn the bleakness of his environment into something positive and life-affirming.

Line by Line Meaning

Take a glipse, at all the crack whores and the pimps
Look around at all the prostitutes and their pimps

The hustlers and the gamblers
Also the people who gamble and hustle

The gangsters, the killers, the number runners
And the gang members, murderers, and people who manage the numbers game

The drug dealers and all the petty thieves
And those who sell drugs and commit petty theft

And the card shark scramblers
As well as the people who cheat at card games

The city cops raidin' the spots
Also the city police who raid these areas

Niggas tryna get their guap
People trying to make money

(What you doin' over here?)
Asked by the police of anyone in the area

Got their glock, gunshots, this is my block
The sound of gunshots can be heard, indicating that this is the artist's neighborhood

In the tallest building
The location where the artist is speaking from

And the longest, coldest nights
The time that the devil arrived

I got something to tell y'all
The artist has a story to share

You won't believe me
The singer worries that others may not believe his story

But I killed the devil last night
The singer killed the devil

That's right, I shot 'em dead
The singer killed the devil by shooting him

One in his head, one in his heart
The artist shot the devil once in the head and once in the heart

I tore his fuckin' horns apart
The artist removed the devil's horns

And I knew it was him cause when he came in my room
The singer recognized the devil when he entered the room

He had a grin
The devil entered the room with a smile

And on his neck and face
The artist describes the devil's appearance

Was white and black and yellow and brown and red skin
The devil had skin of different colors

He had a bad white suit
The devil was wearing a poorly made white suit

He offered me a fruit
The devil offered the singer some fruit

And his pockets were bulgin' with alotta loot
The devil had a large sum of money in his pockets

I told 'em I been lookin' for you
The singer told the devil that he had been searching for him

I swear to God y'all, all this is true
The singer insists that his story is true

I shot 'em cold blooded
The singer shot the devil without hesitation

He looked at me, his eyes fluttered
The devil looked at the artist before dying

He's gon' y'all, dead, he no longer exists
The devil is dead and no longer exists

I know my baby-moms is pissed
The singer's partner may be upset by what he has done

Now we can get along and everything should be cool
With the devil gone, the singer hopes for a better future

All the girlfriends are confused
The artist's partners may not understand what has happened

They don't know what to do
The artist's partners are unsure how to react

Cause I killed the devil last night
The artist repeats that he killed the devil

I did it for Marcus
The singer is honoring Marcus

I did it for Malcolm, Martin and Marvin
The artist is honoring Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Marvin Gaye

I did it for all God's son
The singer did it for all of God's children

And his daughters, I'm the author
The singer is the author of his own life and destiny, and of all God's daughters as well

I was neva scared of his punk ass anyways
The singer was never afraid of the devil

I'm from Brooklyn
The artist is from Brooklyn

Brooklyn born and Brooklyn raised
The artist is proud of his hometown

I shot 'em cause he's a hater
The singer killed the devil because he hates

This mornin' I woke up and knocked on the door of my neighbors
The singer is sharing his story with his neighbors

And I told 'em I killed the devil last night
The artist tells his neighbors about what he did

Tell the press, the FBI and the cops
The artist wants everyone to know what he has done

Oh yeah, the devil is right up stairs in my room on the floor shot
The devil's body is upstairs in the artist's room

Tell those Christians and those sinners they can go to heaven
The singer is confident that everyone can go to heaven now that the devil is gone

I used my weapon, he's gon' for good
The artist used his gun to kill the devil, and now he is gone for good

I'm just tryna clean up my neighborhood
The singer is trying to make his neighborhood better by getting rid of the devil

Drag Lucifer by his horns
The singer is using vivid language to describe his victory over the devil

My thoughts are nuclear; my mind is an atomic bomb
The singer is using a metaphor to describe his powerful thoughts

I am the Bible covered by the Qur'an
The artist is expressing his faith in both the Bible and the Qur'an

Kill Shaitan, yeah I did it, I'll admit it
The artist is proud to admit that he killed the devil

It was nothin', he was frontin'
The singer believes that the devil was not actually powerful

He has no power except what we give 'em
The singer is expressing his belief that the devil only has power over us if we allow it

Ourselves and ourselves we devour
The artist believes that we are often our own worst enemies

Again he has no powers
The artist repeats that the devil has no real power

I did it and you could too
The artist encourages others to be brave like him and to defeat the devil

Just look for him, don't run from him
The singer encourages others to face the devil instead of running away

Just do like I do
The artist is setting an example for others to follow

Stare 'em in his face
The singer believes in confronting the devil with bravery

Face-to-face, let's go
The singer is directly confronting the devil

Toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow
The singer is ready to fight the devil if necessary

You can't hurt me no more
The artist believes that the devil cannot harm him anymore

The ghetto, you gots to go
The artist wants to rid the ghetto of all negative influences, including the devil

Get out God house devil
The singer is commanding the devil to leave God's house

I'm Almighty, the King, the Author of light
The singer is confident and powerful, describing himself as almighty, the king and author of light

The warrior with wings, bearer of the cross and the light
The artist is describing himself as a warrior with wings, who carries both the cross and the light

The rock the faith, the judge of the livin' and dead
The artist describes himself as the foundation of faith and the judge of all people

Man from heaven, over hell I tread
The artist believes that he is a heavenly being who can overcome hell

My angels sing
The singer believes that he has heavenly angels singing for him

Last night I killed the devil
The artist is repeating his victorious story

No lie, he don't exist no more
The singer is insisting on the truth of his story: the devil is gone

So you can do whateva you want
The singer believes that anything is possible now that the devil is gone

You can achieve any goal you want
The singer is encouraging his listeners to pursue their goals

You can get that brand new car
The artist is giving an example of a goal that could be achieved

You can go into the ether zones
The artist believes that anything is possible

You can beam ya self up
The singer is using a science fiction reference to illustrate the limitless possibilities

The devil is gon', I killed 'em
The singer repeats that the devil is gone, because he killed him

Contributed by Austin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.