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.
Royal Priesthood
Killah Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ugh, Emperor's music
Ugh, ugh, ugh, Priesthood, uh huh, Royal Emperor
In my time, ya know, my time, went through a lot of things
Yo, yo, yo
I write the realest, only my true niggas will feel it
Though I'm not with you now, let's connect in our spirit
Let's share our pain, my niggas bring me close to your heart
So the devil thought he broke us apart, nah, we lick through the stars
Through the ink that I write in each bar
Show the soul as we share our most inner thoughts
'cause I heard God listened once sin is taught
Beginners walk through my hood and I show you my struggle
Then we walk through your hood and you show me your hustle
Plus those marks on your wrists, it's where the cops had cuffed you
Hard luck too? Well me too, screaming peoples
Let's make a peace truce, unify all of the gangs
No quarrels between us, you and I is the same
As we build on a higher plain,
Like pyramids too mysterious for the human mind to explain
Come on!
[Chorus x2: Killah Priest]
All praise is due to man, woman and child
To the monuments that stand at the top of the Nile
Let everything that have breath in it, give praise
To all my homies in the struggle, get paid
[Killah Priest]
When will they profit? The game is where I loose my soul
How many options did I have before I choose this roll?
Let's see, what did spark it? Fuck school and hoes
Live in the projects, never rocked the newest clothes
It's psychologic, somehow it seems foolish though
From my pockets, only love for jewels and dough
Catastrophic, the walls came closing in
On all sides, the pressure expose the gem
A war cry was the breath I was holding in
A poor scribe dopest as the golden pen
Called wise, blessed among the chosen men
The lost tribe, my words were woven in
Each line like words I was sewing with
I sit divine, my palm hold the globe with a grip
Flows I spit, shows I rip, that's showmanship
Tell the maid from the robes I fit
A blackness covered the moon from a lunar eclipse
A passage leads to a tomb beneath the sands of Egypt
Candles are lit, and the keys to the pianos are hit
There's the phantom, the mummy stands at the cliff
Aztec Indians studying my sanscript
Puffing peace pipes, Priest gets deep when he writes
Bars are mystic, written like Horror-glyphics
I made it hard for critics to follow my lyrics
Come on!
Chorus x2
[Outro: Killah Priest]
Uh huh, Feel it, where's the troubles at?
Royal priesthood, Emperor's music
Anybody try to break us up, man, they get the curse of King Tut
Proverbs forever, ugh, yeah, uh huh, yeah, uh huh
Maccabees, Sunz of Man, yeah the whole thing yeah
The song "Royal Priesthood" by Killah Priest is a reflection of the struggles that he and his friends had faced in their lives. He talks about connecting with his true niggas in spirit despite not being with them physically. He wants to share his innermost thoughts and feel the pain that they also share. The song's lyrics convey a sense of solidarity among his friends in the struggle. He expresses his desire for peace and unity between gangs to build a higher plane and quotes Proverbs forever.
Killah Priest uses his musical talent to describe his emotions and experiences. He explains that he lost his soul to the game, which is a metaphor for the music industry. Instead of choosing education or an alternative path, he walked the path of music. Despite this, he is still grateful for what he has and acknowledges the benefits of being a musician, such as fame and money. Killah Priest highlights the power and influence of music by using different historical references such as the lost tribe, pyramids, and passages leading to a tomb beneath the sands of Egypt.
Line by Line Meaning
Ugh, Emperor's music
The song is fit for royalty.
Ugh, ugh, ugh, Priesthood, uh huh, Royal Emperor
Killah Priest is a member of the priesthood and is in the league of royalty.
In my time, ya know, my time, went through a lot of things
Killah Priest has been through a lot of experiences throughout his lifetime.
I write the realest, only my true niggas will feel it
Killah Priest writes music that only resonates with his true followers.
Though I'm not with you now, let's connect in our spirit
Although Killah Priest is not with his followers at the moment, their spirits are united.
Cut out the lights, talk to my ghost in the dark
Killah Priest wants to have a deep conversation with his followers, even if it's in complete darkness.
Let's share our pain, my niggas bring me close to your heart
Killah Priest wants his followers to trust him and be open about their pains.
So the devil thought he broke us apart, nah, we lick through the stars
The devil may have tried to break them apart, but they still managed to unite and reach greater heights.
Through the ink that I write in each bar
Killah Priest uses the ink in his pen to bring his followers together.
Show the soul as we share our most inner thoughts
Killah Priest believes that sharing inner thoughts helps connect the souls of his followers.
'cause I heard God listened once sin is taught
God is always listening, even if it's a discussion about sinful things.
Beginners walk through my hood and I show you my struggle
Killah Priest is willing to show newcomers to his hood the struggles he has been through.
Then we walk through your hood and you show me your hustle
In turn, Killah Priest is willing to visit the newcomer's hood and learn about their ways of getting by.
Plus those marks on your wrists, it's where the cops had cuffed you
Killah Priest wants to connect with those who've had trouble with the law, even pointing out the physical evidence of their struggles.
Hard luck too? Well me too, screaming peoples
Killah Priest relates to those with hard luck and screams alongside them.
Let's make a peace truce, unify all of the gangs
Killah Priest wants to start a truce and bring together all the different gangs and sects in the community.
No quarrels between us, you and I is the same
Killah Priest believes everyone is the same and there should be no quarrels between them.
As we build on a higher plain,
As they unite, they can build towards higher goals.
Like pyramids too mysterious for the human mind to explain
They will reach heights as mysterious and unexplainable as the pyramids.
All praise is due to man, woman and child
Killah Priest believes everyone deserves praise, regardless of their gender or age.
To the monuments that stand at the top of the Nile
He also acknowledges the great monuments of the Nile.
Let everything that have breath in it, give praise
He encourages all living things to praise.
To all my homies in the struggle, get paid
He wants all his friends who are struggling to get paid.
When will they profit? The game is where I loose my soul
Killah Priest questions when they will start making a profit, as the music industry has already started taking a toll on his soul.
How many options did I have before I choose this roll?
He wonders how many options he really had before he became a musician.
Let's see, what did spark it? Fuck school and hoes
He remembers what sparked his inspiration- not caring about school or women.
Live in the projects, never rocked the newest clothes
Killah Priest grew up in the projects and couldn't always afford the latest fashion.
It's psychologic, somehow it seems foolish though
The reasons behind his music career seem psychological, yet somewhat foolish.
From my pockets, only love for jewels and dough
All he desires is jewels and money in his pockets.
Catastrophic, the walls came closing in
He had a catastrophic experience when he felt like the walls were caving in.
On all sides, the pressure expose the gem
The immense pressure and stress caused Killah Priest to unveil his hidden talent completely.
A war cry was the breath I was holding in
Killah Priest made his presence known with a powerful war cry.
A poor scribe dopest as the golden pen
Although Killah Priest wasn't rich, he was still the dopest writer like he had the golden pen.
Called wise, blessed among the chosen men
He is considered wise and chosen among chosen men.
The lost tribe, my words were woven in
He was a part of the lost tribe and his words were woven into their story.
Each line like words I was sewing with
His every word seemed like a well-sewn stitch.
I sit divine, my palm hold the globe with a grip
He feels divine and empowered holding the world in his hands.
Flows I spit, shows I rip, that's showmanship
His performances are great, and he puts on an impressive show.
Tell the maid from the robes I fit
He feels he deserves recognition for how well his garments fit.
A blackness covered the moon from a lunar eclipse
The dark side of the moon was exposed during a lunar eclipse in his life.
A passage leads to a tomb beneath the sands of Egypt
There's a passageway leading to an Egyptian tomb underneath the sand.
Candles are lit, and the keys to the pianos are hit
The atmosphere is set as candles fill the room and the keys of the piano are played.
There's the phantom, the mummy stands at the cliff
A phantom is there and the mummy stands at the cliff.
Aztec Indians studying my sanscript
Aztec Indians are studying Killah Priest's sanscript.
Puffing peace pipes, Priest gets deep when he writes
Killah Priest smokes a peace pipe and writes introspectively.
Bars are mystic, written like Horror-glyphics
His rapping is mystical, much like ancient horror-glyphics.
I made it hard for critics to follow my lyrics
His lyrics are hard for critics to comprehend.
Anybody try to break us up, man, they get the curse of King Tut
Those who try to break them apart will face the curse of King Tut.
Proverbs forever, ugh, yeah, uh huh, yeah, uh huh
Killah Priest's proverbs will live forever in music history.
Maccabees, Sunz of Man, yeah the whole thing yeah
He shouts out Maccabees, Sunz of Man, and the whole community.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sameer Mustafah Raza
REAL HIP-HOP! 🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤
Charles Ingram
Prophet Priest..... Album 📈 moving out ......🔥
Daniel Cañas
Could you Get A HipHopLol N e better
Leonard Johnson
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