Killah Priest

Walter Reed, alias Killah Priest, né le 16 Aout 1970 à Brooklyn, New York, est un rappeur Americain affiliié au Wu-Tang Clan. Elevé à Bedford-Stuyvesant et Brownsville, Killah Priest tombe dans le hip hop dès sa jeunesse. Il se fait une réputation à Brooklyn mais décide de prendre des années sabbatiques pour étudier entre autre la religion et l'histoire. Il revient en 1995 sur plusieurs projets du groupe de rap Wu Tang Clan. L'année suivante, il forme The Sunz of Man. Il signe en 1998 son premier album " Heavy mental " grâce à GZA qui conseille au label Geffen Records de le prendre sous son aile. L'album est produit par True Master et 4th Disciple, deux producteurs associés avec le Wu Tang Clan. Son deuxième album " View from Masada " sort en l'an 2000.

He is known for intensely spiritual lyrics loaded with metaphors and religious references. He is unofficially connected to the Black Hebrew Israelites (specifically the ICUPK) and the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths through his rhymes, and is known for controversial, highly Afrocentric subject matter. He recently released his new album, entitled The Offering on August 21, 2007.

Born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville areas of Brooklyn, New York, Killah Priest became infatuated with hip hop music as a child. He was influenced by local rappers such as GZA (then known as the Genius) and Onyx's Sonsee, who would often play local parties. He soon began working on his own rhyming and eventually earned a considerable reputation around Brooklyn.

Priest first made himself known to the hip hop world rapping on two songs on the Gravediggaz album 6 Feet Deep in 1994 (1994 in music), and followed this with appearances on 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 formed the group Sunz Of Man with rappers Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin, Prodigal Sunn. Initially Sunz Of Man included Shabazz the Disciple, who had previously been in a duo with Priest called The Disciples, but Shabazz left the group amicably a year aft