Referred to by both the media and his fans as a prophet, innovator, and poet, among other accolades, Killah Priest is widely recognized as one of the most vivid lyricists in Hip Hop. Having first entranced listeners on the classic track B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) on GZAs seminal debut LP Liquid Swords, Killah Priest has continued to enthrall devotees of true Hip Hop with his lush imagery, graphic storytelling and razor-sharp rhymes over the past decade.
Born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Killah Priest (born Walter Reed) began immersing himself in spiritual discovery and learning long before he touched a microphone, studying religion and history in his spare time. He fondly recalls initiating impromptu Bible study sessions and Ancient History lessons on the streets of Brooklyn while he was still in high school. That early exposure and continuing education still resonates in his lyrics today, interwoven with his personal experiences in his Bed-Stuy projects.
His childhood friendships with Wu-Tangs GZA and Onyxs Suave exposed him to pursuing music as a career, and his mesmerizing wordplay on B.I.B.L.E. prompted Geffen Records to offer him a recording contract soon thereafter. That resulting album, Heavy Mental, debuted at 24 on the pop charts, and remains a classic LP, landing a spot on influential music critic Robert The Dean of American Rock Critics Christgaus Pazz & Jop 1998 Deans List as one of the best albums of the year in any genre, along with the debut LP from Priests group Sunz of Man, The Last Shall Be First (Red Ant). An amazing feat for any album, this critical acclaim is even more unique for both the solo and group debuts of a single artist in the same year.
Combined with memorable cameos on albums by The Wu-Tang Clan, Gravediggaz, Ol Dirty Bastard and the Red Hot Organizations 6th AIDS charity album America Is Dying Slowly (with the titles acronym created by Priest) further established Killah Priest as one of the most respected voices and visionaries in Hip Hop. His stature is evident in the company he keeps, having recorded and/or performed with music legends both within and outside of Hip Hop, such as George Clinton, Big Daddy Kane, Earth Wind and Fire, KRS-One, Wyclef Jean, Elephant Man, and DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, and even appearing on the 2003 Led Zeppelin tribute album Stairway To Rock alongside the likes of Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morisette, Metallica and Slash.
His subsequent follow-ups to Heavy Mental, View From Masada (2000,MCA, which heavily featured production by a then-unknown producer named Just Blaze), Priesthood (2001, released on his own label, Proverbs Records) and Black August (2003, Recon Records), all garnered excellent reviews as well, leading many of his fans to bemoan the fact that such a gifted rapper continues to hover under the radar in spite of (or because of) adhering to his own high standards in rhyme. The full-length version of his Four Horsemen EP the supergroup collaboration with Canibus, Rass Kass and Kurupt remains one of the most highly-anticipated, never-realized projects in Hip Hop.
While recording his next solo album, The Offering in 2004, Priest met up with Queens rapper Tragedy Khadafi (f/k/a The Intelligent Hoodlum). The chance meeting led Priest to put his album on hold and the two rappers, teaming up with Priests fellow Wu-Tang affiliates, former Sunz Of Man groupmate Hellrazah and Royal Fams Timbo King, formed the Black Market Militia and released the groups self-titled debut in early 2005.
Presently, Priest dropping the Killah and naming himself Priesthood is refocused on The Offering and is putting the final touches on album, including recording a duet with Nas. One of the tracks, Truth Be Told is presently burning up the Internet generating buzz once again on one of the most slept-on rappers in Hip Hop.
