Jeru the Damaja "The Sun Rises in the East"

Jeru the Damaja's first album, "The Sun Rises in the East", was released on May 24, 1994, through Payday Records. DJ Premier produced the album, which features Afu-Ra, another member of the Gang Starr Foundation.

The album cover shows the World Trade Center on fire, a year after the North Tower bombing. The album received positive reviews from critics and is significant in the hip hop scene because it helped revive the East Coast hip hop genre. Other albums that contributed to the revival include Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", Nas's "Illmatic", Big L's "Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous", Notorious BIG's "Ready to Die", Onyx's "Bacdafucup", Smif-N-Wessun's "Dah Shinin", and Black Moon's "Enta da Stage".

Critics consider "The Sun Rises in the East" to be Jeru the Damaja's best work. Melody Maker called it "bloody essential" and "hypnotic and chilling as a blues party on Pluto", while NME praised Jeru for being more original than most rappers, and The Source said that the music complemented his disjointed flow and deep poetic lyricism.