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.
Pride
Killah Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What makes you so sure you not gon' die when ya enemies ride?
For me it's pride, till the end I know the truth keeps me alive
I'm on the freeway speedin', the judges gave me a reason
Daddy Rose; they said they keep him
So I plan to get even, they got me and my team on defense
No justice, we ain't leavin', Impala engine Chevy L-T 1's
G hyphen C I P L E, hear that name, fear night niggas feel jail keys
Make hell freeze, blood trail leads
What could you tell G's?
Bell please, light up an L for me
Then get the M-16, yo 2nd grade
Led'll spray till they say "Let us pray"
Then split separate ways, get back to the hideout
What y'all waitin' for, niggas ride out
See I do it for my niggas and y'all do it for me
[Chorus: x2]
I'm like T.I., look at all the guns I brung
From out my beehive, which is in the slums I'm from
Since I was knee-high, if you had gun I swung
And I hit hard, so kids whip tar
Nowadays I spit bars till I zip to the stars
But don't get it twisted, tho I deal wit the physics
You can still get wit the biscuit
Tho I'm mystique but real
And scientific, kick truth you can feel
That's that G Ciple, just that G title will get you status
Your crew's cross paths, but now cross wit the baddest
Everybody who betrayed
Thought the devil was goin' get you play
You played ya self, we true warriors over here
You degrade ya self, upgrade ya self
Don't eva let real cats see you do that again
We got knowledge and street scholars
We really live this life, we don't just rap about it
[Chorus: x2]
The song "Pride" by Killah Priest reflects on a criminal lifestyle and the necessity of pride and keeping up your guard until the end. The singer is speeding on the freeway, seeking revenge against those who have wronged him and his team. He describes being on defense, with no justice in sight, and no other choice but to fight back. The chorus questions why anyone would feel so sure that they won't be killed, and the singer answers that it's all about pride and the truth keeping him alive until the bitter end.
The lyrics paint a picture of a world of violence and retribution, where the only hope of survival is to be as tough and unforgiving as possible. The singer brags about his weapons and the crimes he's committed, proudly proclaiming himself a "G Ciple" (gangsta disciple) who inspires fear in others. He warns against betrayal and urges listeners to stick together, never letting their guard down or exposing their weaknesses.
Overall, the song is a gritty, unapologetic ode to a life of crime and violence, emphasizing the importance of pride and strength in a world where weakness is deadly.
Line by Line Meaning
What makes you so sure you not gon' die when ya enemies ride?
What gives you the confidence that you won't die when your enemies attack?
For me it's pride, till the end I know the truth keeps me alive
For me, it's my pride that keeps me going until the end. I know that staying true to myself is what will keep me alive.
I'm on the freeway speedin', the judges gave me a reason
I'm driving quickly on the freeway, the judges gave me a reason to do so.
Daddy Rose; they said they keep him
They said that they have custody of Daddy Rose.
So I plan to get even, they got me and my team on defense
So, I plan to retaliate. They put me and my team on the defensive.
No justice, we ain't leavin', Impala engine Chevy L-T 1's
We won't leave until we get justice. We have Impala engines and Chevy L-T 1's.
Squeezin' the gun, yeah I'm a get even for son
I'm holding my gun tight, and I'm going to get even for my son.
G hyphen C I P L E, hear that name, fear night niggas feel jail keys
My name is G-C-I-P-L-E. When people hear my name, they fear going to jail.
Make hell freeze, blood trail leads
I'm going to do whatever it takes to make things right, and the blood trail will lead to the culprits.
What could you tell G's?
What can you say to a true gangster?
Bell please, light up an L for me
Please ring the bell and light a joint for me.
Then get the M-16, yo 2nd grade
Then, get the M-16, like it's second nature to us.
Led'll spray till they say "Let us pray"
We will shoot until they give up and start praying.
Then split separate ways, get back to the hideout
Then, we'll go our separate ways and return to our hideout.
What y'all waitin' for, niggas ride out
What are you waiting for? Let's all go out and seek revenge.
See I do it for my niggas and y'all do it for me
I do this for my friends, and they do it for me in return.
I'm like T.I., look at all the guns I brung
I'm like T.I., look at all the guns I brought with me.
From out my beehive, which is in the slums I'm from
I come from the slums, which is where I got all of these weapons.
Since I was knee-high, if you had gun I swung
Since I was young, I've been fighting with guns.
And I hit hard, so kids whip tar
I'm a strong fighter, and even kids know it.
Nowadays I spit bars till I zip to the stars
These days, I rap until I reach the top of the game.
But don't get it twisted, tho I deal wit the physics
Don't misunderstand me, even though I talk about science.
You can still get wit the biscuit
You can still get shot.
Tho I'm mystique but real
Even though I may be enigmatic, I'm still very much authentic.
And scientific, kick truth you can feel
I'm also scientific and I spit truth that you can feel.
That's that G Ciple, just that G title will get you status
That's me, G Ciple. Just having the title of gangster will get you some respect.
Your crew's cross paths, but now cross wit the baddest
Your crew is about to experience something bad when crossing paths with us.
Everybody who betrayed, thought the devil was goin' get you play
Everyone who betrayed us thought that they would be safe, but they were wrong.
You played ya self, we true warriors over here
You played yourself. We are true warriors here.
You degrade ya self, upgrade ya self
Don't degrade yourself. Instead, elevate yourself and your situation.
Don't eva let real cats see you do that again
Don't ever let real gangsters see you act in that way again.
We got knowledge and street scholars
We are knowledgeable and come from the streets.
We really live this life, we don't just rap about it
We don't just rap about this lifestyle - we actually live it.
[Chorus: x2]
The chorus repeats.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rx8andit
Killah Priest!! on another level.
SYNTAX ERROR
The God with the sword
Benny Smith
This song is farking killah!
Anthony Crager
The Ghost of Tupac!