Killah Priest

Last updated
Killah Priest
Killah Priest.jpg
Killah Priest performing in 2007
Background information
Birth nameWalter Reed [1] [2]
Also known as
  • Priest
  • Iron Sheik from the Middle East
  • 8 Deer Ocelot Claw
  • Masada
Born (1970-08-16) August 16, 1970 (age 54)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
  • podcaster
Years active1993–present
Labels
Member of

Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), [1] better known by his stage name Killah Priest, is an American rapper, a member of Sunz of Man, and a Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. [1] [2] [3] He is known for his intensely spiritual lyrics, containing religious references and metaphors. He is connected to the Black Hebrew Israelites through his rhymes, and is known for his controversial and political subject matter. He is also a part of supergroup the HRSMN along with Canibus, Ras Kass, and Kurupt.

Contents

Biography

1990s

Killah Priest made his debut on two songs on the Gravediggaz album 6 Feet Deep (which are "Diary of a Madman" and "Graveyard Chamber") in 1994, and followed this with two appearances on each of two Wu-Tang Clan solo albums, Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version and GZA's Liquid Swords , both from 1995 (see 1995 in music). Liquid Swords in fact included a Killah Priest solo track titled "B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)". Also in 1995, Priest's group Sunz Of Man with rappers Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin, Prodigal Sunn, Shabazz the Disciple were signed to Wu-Tang Records and released three 12" singles through the label. Initially Sunz Of Man included Shabazz the Disciple, who had previously been in a duo with Priest called The Disciples Of Armageddon.

Killah Priest's first solo album was Heavy Mental , released on Geffen Records on February 24, 1998. It mostly expanded on the themes of "B.I.B.L.E.", featuring religious references and allegory woven into commentary on African American society and history. The album was mostly produced by the Wu-Elements producers, a group of in-house Wu-Tang producers mentored by Wu leader RZA. Sunz Of Man released their debut album The Last Shall Be First later in 1998, but by that time Priest's ties to the Wu were beginning to weaken, as he and long-time friend Shabazz clashed with RZA (their business ties with the Wu also began to weaken after the GZA Entertainment management agency, which they were both signed to, dissolved in 1996). After unsuccessful attempts by the pair to create new post-Wu Tang crews (Priest proposed a crew called the Maccabeez which would include himself, Shabazz and Timbo King among others, while Shabazz proposed a group including himself and Priest called the Sunz Of Thunder) they both effectively went their separate ways and cut their respective Wu-Tang ties.

2000s

After leaving the Wu stable, and consequently also effectively leaving Sunz Of Man, Priest helped form the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN with Ras Kass, Canibus and Kurupt. In October 2003, Killah Priest and Dreddy Kruger released a nine track album entitled The Horsemen Project. It was released independently through Think Differently Music /Proverbs Music Inc. and was only available to purchase off the internet. [4] Each track featured at least two members of the group as well as an appearance by Pak Man. It is currently unknown who handled the majority of the production on the album, although it is known that Mark Sparks was responsible for two songs. On Killah Priest's HipHopGame.com journal, he mentions the Horsemen a few times. The talks about a new album were mentioned on the May 1, 2006 entry. He said "The Horsemen project is definitely going to come. Right now we just have to get Kurupt. He's been doing the Dogg Pound thing, but it's definitely going to come. We have songs recorded and we have more in store." [5]

Ras Kass and Canibus were featured on Priest's second album, View From Masada , which featured no Wu-Tang input whatsoever (though the album's liner notes included the note "Peace to Wu-Tang Clan"). The album had a decidedly more commercially minded style than Heavy Mental, and introduced his new Maccabeez such as Daddy Rose, Salahudin Rose, Sant Rose and Najee Rose—part of a crew of then-unknown rappers who now go under the name Rose Cartell. The album was an important early stepping stone to stardom for producer Najee7thStar, Daddy Rose, and Just Blaze, who would later go on to produce countless mainstream hip hop hits for the likes of Cam'ron, Erick Sermon, Fabolous and Jay-Z. However, View From Masada received mixed reviews.

Priest had to leave the major labels behind after View From Masada sold poorly. His first independent release Priesthood (2001), released on Proverbs Music, his own record label, was critically acclaimed though it suffered from very limited distribution. Black August followed in 2003 on Recon Records, and was also well received. Priest also released an album on the Internet titled Black August Revisited a few months after the release of Black August which shared few similarities with the original, save its title. Black August Revisited also saw Priest rediscover his Wu-Tang ties, including collaborations with Hell Razah and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He also appeared in the music video for the single "Made You Look" by fellow New York rapper Nas. In 2009, Killah Priest launched the controversial music video "Redemption" directed by One_Over. The video promotes the beliefs of the Black Hebrew Israelites that believe in the 12 Tribes of Israel in the name of Jesus Christ (Yahawashi Ha Mashayach).

In 2004, Priest performed numerous times with other Wu-Tang Killa Beez and also appeared on Masta Killa's album No Said Date . November 2005 saw the re-release of Priesthood on Mic Club Music, a label owned by Louis Lombard III (aka Luminati), who produced Priesthood as well as recent albums by Canibus. March 2007 saw the release of Killah Priest's mixtape album "End of the World".

On August 21, 2007, Killah Priest released The Offering, which was sequenced by his former manager, Stacey Castro and featured appearances from Nas, Immortal Technique, his fellow HRSMN, & 4th Disciple as well as Hell Razah, who appears on the advance single title track that was released in October 2005.

Killah Priest next album titled Behind the Stained Glass , was released on May 20, 2008 on the label Good Hands Records. It is reported that he's also in the midst of recording Behind the Stained Glass Part Two. [6] Killah Priest also released an album titled Elizabeth on October 20, 2009 on Proverbs Records, which Priest owns and he put out a movie/DVD A Day In the Life of Killah Priest feat Najee7thStar and Hot Flames. Killah Priest is also recording another double album called The Psychic World of Walter Reed, produced by Dutch producers Godz Wrath, 4th Disciple, RZA, and more. Killah Priest also mentioned in a YouTube interview for Pyramid West that he is also working on a sequel to Heavy Mental called Heavier Mental.

2010s and beyond

In an August 2010 radio interview with Mista Montana, Killah Priest discussed the creation of his next album The Psychic World of Walter Reed, stating that the RZA and many other key Wu-Tang Clan members will feature on there, including the Four Horsemen. [7]

After several delays, The Psychic World of Walter Reed was released on February 25, 2013. [8] [9] On March 11, 2013 Priest was hosting the Digital Dynasty 24, [10] after already hosting Digital Dynasty 15.5.

Killah Priest has mentioned a number of projects he's been working on, including The Untold Story of Walter Reed Pt. 2, Castle Hop (both produced by DJ Woool), Natural Born Killers with Ghostface Killah and Planet of the Gods (produced by Dutch producer team Godz Wrath, who worked with Priest several times already). In April 2014, he said he had postponed The Untold Story of Walter Reed Pt. 2, [11] and was finishing up Planet of the Gods, which was released on June 4, 2015. [12] He also appeared on four tracks on the critically acclaimed album, For The Future Of Hip-Hop featuring Killah Priest, Pugs Atomz and Awdazcate, produced by Bryan Ford and released May 2016. [13] On February 27, 2017, exactly 8 years after the first part, he released The Untold Story of Walter Reed Pt. 2. [14]


Podcasting

In 2021 Priest launched his podcast on his official YouTube Channel discussing such topics in depth as Islam, Judaism, Ifá, Quimbanda, Astrotheology, Transhumanism, Cymatics, the Kabbalah, Sacred Geometry, Herbal Medicine and more . As well as interviewing a variety of guest . Some which have included Chris Taylor, 9th Prince, Shyheim, Dr. Har Hari Khalsa, Jordan Maxwell,Sophia Stewart, John Newsom, David Icke, Santos Bonacci, Scarub, Zab Judah, Flea (musician), Ras Kass, Lord Jamar and many more.

Discography

Solo albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
YearAlbumPeak chart positions
US US R&B
1998 Heavy Mental 244
2000 View from Masada 7318
2001 Priesthood
2003 Black August
2007 The Offering
2008 Behind the Stained Glass
2009The Exorcist
2009Elizabeth
2010 The 3 Day Theory
2013 The Psychic World of Walter Reed
2015 Planet of the Gods [12]
2020 Rocket to Nebula
2021Lord Sun Heavy Mental 1.1
2021Summer End Cafe
2022The Three Fantastic Supermen EPics
2022Horrah Scope
2023Forest of the Happy Ever After
2023Vedic Vape Room
2024Abraxas Rebis Simha Pleroma

Singles

YearSingleB-SideAlbum
1995B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)Liquid Swords
1998"Tai Chi" (feat. Hell Razah & 60 Second Assassin) Heavy Mental
"Cross My Heart" (feat. Inspectah Deck & GZA)
"One Step" (feat. Hell Razah)"Fake MC's"
"If You Don't Know" (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard)"Blessed Are Those"
2000"Whut Part of the Game?" (feat. Ras Kass) View from Masada
"I'm Wit That""Gotta Eat"
2001"My Hood""C U When I Get There" Priesthood
2003"When I'm Writing""Excalibur" Black August
"Do The Damn Thing""Robbery (Remix)" (feat. Elephant Man)
2007"Gun for Gun (Rivers of Blood)" (feat. Nas)"Happy" (feat. Stori James) The Offering
"Truth B Told""The Offering" (feat. Hell Razah)
2009"The 7 Crowns of God"Elizabeth
2012"Brilliantaire"

Mixtapes

YearMixtape
2009The Untold Story of Walter Reed
2009 I Killed The Devil Last Night
2016Wu-Goo (with Ghostface Killah)
2017The Untold Story of Walter Reed Pt. 2
2020Journey to the Planet of the Gods
2024The Untold Story of Walter Reed Pt. 3

Collaborative albums

Album information
The Last Shall Be First with Sunz of Man
  • Released: July 21, 1998
  • Label: Red Ant Entertainment
  • Singles: "Natural High", "Shining Star"/"Cold", "The Plan"/"Collaboration '98"
The First Testament with Sunz of Man
  • Released: January 31, 1999
  • Label: Red Hook Records
  • Singles: "Deep in the Water"/"In the Beginning..."/"The Sins of Man",
    "Who are the Sunz of Man?"/"The Valley of Death"/"Bring Back the Mike"/"Valley of Kings"
The Horsemen Project with The HRSMN
  • Released: 2003
Black Market Militia with Black Market Militia
  • Released: March 22, 2005
  • Singles: "Audobon Ballroom"/"Thug Nation"/"Hood Lullabye", "Gem Stars (Remix)"/"Mayday!"
The Spooks Who Kicked Down Tha Doorz with Maccabeez
  • Released: 2005
Original S.I.N. with Almighty
  • Released: July 22, 2008
  • Singles: "Obey (The Statesmen)"
Beautiful Minds with Chief Kamachi [15]
  • Released: September 23, 2008
Historic EP with The HRSMN
  • Released: 2014
The Goddess And The Priest EP with Bliss
  • Released: 2015
The Infinite Universe with Vendetta Kingz
  • Released: January, 2016
Death in the Arena with Moon Crickets (Killah Priest, Lord Fury and DJ Mercilless) [16]
  • Released: November 15, 2017
  • Label: Supreme Genes Records/Moon Crickets Inc.
Don't Sit on the Speakers, Vol. 1 with 4th Disciple
  • Released: November, 2017
The Rebirth with Sunz of Man
  • Released: August 2, 2019
  • Label: X-Ray Records
The Third Eye in Technicolor with Jordan River Banks
  • Released: December 8, 2020
Divine Intervention with True Master
  • Released: April 8, 2021
The Last Ride with HRSMN
  • Released: June 18, 2021
Ragnarok with Shaka Amazulu The 7th
  • Released: September 27, 2021
The Mantra with Shroom
  • Released: November 12, 2021
Savage Sanctuary with Holocaust/Warcloud
  • Released: March 18, 2022
Mr Universe with Jordan River Bank
  • Released: November 1, 2022

Unreleased and unfinished albums

Album information
Nothing New Under the Sun with Sunz of Man [17]
  • Info: Unreleased, planned for 1996
  • Label: Wu-Tang/Priority Records
  • Singles: Soldiers of Darkness/Five Arch Angels, No Love Without Hate, Bloody Choices
Holy of Holies with Remedy
  • Info: Unreleased, announced in 2007 [18]
Untitled with Rasul Allah (of Lost Children of Babylon) as G-Ciples
  • Info: Unreleased, announced in 2009
Untitled with GZA [19]
  • Info: Unreleased
Untitled with Black Market Militia
  • Info: Rumoured, second Black Market Militia album
Untitled with Maccabeez (Killah Priest, Timbo King and Hell Razah) [20]
  • Info: Unreleased
All Praise is Due with Almighty [21]
Behind the Stained Glass Pt. 2 [22]
  • Info: Unreleased, some material appeared on later albums
  • Label: Good Hands Records/Proverb Records
The End is Near with The HRSMN [23]
  • Info: Unreleased, second The HRSMN album
  • Singles: Impossible (feat. RBX) [24]
Keys Of Solomon EP with Aslan [25]
  • Released: TBA
The Creation of Care with RawzChyld [26]
  • Released: TBA
  • Singles: Run On/Amen Ra/Illuminati
The Lamb's Supper with Hell Razah as Thug Vaticans [27]
  • Released: TBA
  • Singles: New Millennium Child
Natural Born Killers with Ghostface Killah [28]
  • Released: TBA

Guest appearances

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorRole
2000 Boricua's Bond Val Likas himself
2009 All Tomorrow's Parties Jonathan Caouette as himself
2015Holy Shit Jozef K. Richards "Killah Priest"
2017Batman & Jesus Jozef K. Richards as himself

Related Research Articles

Killarmy is an American hip hop group that is affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan. It is one of the earliest and most successful of the many Wu-Tang affiliates along with Sunz of Man.

The Hrsmn is an American hip hop supergroup consisting of the artists Canibus, Ras Kass, Killah Priest, and Kurupt. They have released two albums. The name of the group is in reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who appear in the Book of Revelation from the Bible. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are traditionally named Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. Throughout the HRSMN songs, there are many references to each of the members representing a specific entity. They are Pestilence, War (Canibus), Famine (Kurupt), and Death. They have each frequently appeared on each of the members solo albums, such as Canibus's 2000 B.C. and Killah Priest's Priesthood. Pharoahe Monch was also closely affiliated, acting as the hype man on the leaked "I'm a Horseman (Promo)" and rapping on "Horsemen" from Canibus's 2000 B.C. . In August 2000, Canibus listed Monch as the fifth member of the group, though further releases in subsequent years would not include or reference him.

Derrick Harris, better known by his stage name True Master, is an American hip-hop record producer and rapper, known for his affiliation with the Wu-Tang Clan.

<i>Beneath the Surface</i> (GZA album) 1999 studio album by GZA

Beneath the Surface is the third solo studio album by American hip hop musician and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA. The album was released on June 29, 1999, by MCA Records. It was executive produced by GZA and RZA, and co-executive produced by Arabian Knight.

Chron Smith, better known by his stage name Hell Razah, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of Sunz of Man, an early affiliate group of the Wu-Tang Clan.

<i>The Last Shall Be First</i> (Sunz of Man album) 1998 studio album by Sunz of Man

The Last Shall Be First is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Sunz of Man. It was released on July 21, 1998, through Red Ant Entertainment/Wu-Tang Records. Production was handled by 4th Disciple, True Master, RZA, Supreme and Wyclef Jean, with Cathy Jones and Sunz of Man serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Method Man, Traybag, Beretta 9, Earth, Wind & Fire, Masta Killa, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and U-God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathematics (producer)</span> Rap music producer

Ronald Maurice Bean, better known professionally as Mathematics, is a hip hop producer and DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan and its solo and affiliate projects. He designed the Wu-Tang Clan logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prodigal Sunn</span> Rapper, Actor, Film Producer

Lamar Ruff, known professionally as Prodigal Sunn, is an American rapper, actor & film producer. He is a member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan original affiliate.

Royal Fam is an American hardcore hip hop group affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan. Timbo King is the leader and founding member of the group and Y-Kim The Ill Figure was initially their main producer. Other group members are Mighty Jarrett, Dark Denim, Dreddy Kruger and Sharecka (Stoneface).

Sunz of Man is a New York–based Wu-Tang Clan affiliated group that currently consists of Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin. The group's first incarnation also included Shabazz the Disciple, 7th Ambassador and producer Su-Preme.

Bronze Nazareth is an American record producer and rapper associated with the Wu-Tang Clan. He has a solo career as an emcee and is also a part of the hip-hop group Wisemen along with his brother Kevlaar 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurupt</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1972)

Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.

The Wu-Elements are a production team closely affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan. A loosely knit group, it consists of five producers who typically support main producer RZA in handling production duties for Wu-Tang group, solo and affiliate releases.

The soundtrack of the 1999 Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai features an original score by RZA and also features hip-hop songs by such artists as Wu-Tang Clan, Killah Priest, and Public Enemy. Two soundtrack albums were released, one internationally and another in Japan, each with different song mixes, some of which do not appear in the film. There are many songs, however, that can be heard in the film that appear on neither soundtrack album. It is the first of RZA's fully scored film works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ras Kass</span> American rapper (born 1973)

John R. Austin II, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the group Golden State Warriors with Xzibit and Saafir. About.com ranked him No. 30 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Pitchfork Media called him "one of the best rappers of all time".

Shabazz the Disciple, also known as Scientific Shabazz, born David Collins, is a rapper from the Red Hook Houses of Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is an original member of the Sunz of Man and Da Last Future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RZA production discography</span>

The following list is a discography of production by American hip hop record producer and recording artist the RZA. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.

<i>No Said Date</i> 2004 studio album by Masta Killa

No Said Date is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Masta Killa. The album was released on June 1, 2004, by Nature Sounds. The album features guest appearances from Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Street Life, Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Allah Real, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and GZA.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 591. ISBN   9780857125958.
  2. 1 2 "Killah Priest Biography". Wu Tang Corp. Archived from the original on 18 February 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  3. Nick Veronin (September 22, 2014). "Priest of Wu-Tang Brings New Book, 'The Psychic World of Walter Reed,' to Back Bar SoFA". metroactive. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. "thaformula.com". Thaformula.com. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  5. "Exclusive Hip Hop News, Audio, Lyrics, Videos, Honeys, Wear, Sneakers, Download Mixtapes". Hiphopgame.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  6. Jasarevic, Mina (2008-06-21). "Underground Report: Killah Priest | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop". HipHopdx.com. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  7. "PodOmatic | Podcast - Conspiracy Worldwide Hip Hop Radio - [Part 2] Live Guests - Slaughterhouse - Crooked I - Four Horsemen - Killah Priest - Cormega - Dame Grease - 2 Hungry Bros - Willo Wispa - Pakistan Disaster Appeal - world exclusives and more! Conspiracy Worldwide Radio UNCUT!". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. 2010-08-20. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  8. "Physical copies of..." Facebook . Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  9. "Psychic World of..." Facebook . Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  10. "Download: Digital Dynasty 24 (Hosted By Killah Priest) (Mixtape)". BallerStatus.com. 2013-03-11.
  11. "Killah Priest Postpones "The Untold Story Of Walter Reed 2"". BallerStatus.com. 2014-04-07.
  12. 1 2 "Planet of the Gods by Killah Priest". Music.apple.com. 4 June 2015.
  13. "For the Future of Hip-Hop by Bryan Ford". Music.apple.com. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  14. "Killah Priest Drops Long-Awaited "The Untold Story Of Walter Reed 2"". Ballerstatus.com. February 27, 2017.
  15. "Welcome to nginx". Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  16. "Death in the Arena, by Moon Crickets". Moon Crickets.
  17. "Wu-Tang Clan - [ Wu-Tang International ] - wu-international.com". Archived from the original on 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  18. "Remedy - [Words To Live By Interview] - Wu-international.com". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  19. "Superfriends: GZA & Killah Priest To Collabo?". G4tv.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  20. "Killah Priest Interview - 04/21/09 - Wu-Tang Corp. - Official Site of the Wu-Tang Clan". Wutang-corp.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  21. "M-Eighty & Rap Legend Spice 1 Working on Almighty 2 in the Studio". YouTube. 30 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  22. "Underground Report: Killah Priest". HipHopDX.com. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  23. "HRSMN (Four Horsemen) - "THE END IS NEAR" (Official Trailer 2011) HD". YouTube. 15 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  24. "HRSMN ft RBX - Impossible". YouTube. 22 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  25. "Asioan Press Kit" (PDF). Twelvejewelz.com. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  26. "RawzChyld". April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012.
  27. Justin (2011-12-12). "Thug Vaticans (Hell Razah & Killah Priest): New Millennium Child [Exclusive]| KevinNottingham.com | The Underground Hip Hop Authority | Hip Hop Music, Videos & Reviews". KevinNottingham.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  28. "Killah Priest Interview | HipHopGame – Exclusive News, Audio, Videos, Mixtapes Download". Hiphopgame.ihiphop.com. Retrieved 2014-04-24.