Killah Priest

Walter Reed is a man of many pseudonyms (Lord Messiah, Iron Sheik from the Middle East, Chief Chancellor) but it’s the Killah Priest moniker that has earned him the most attention. The Brooklyn-bred MC made his first appearance on Return to the 36 Chambers, the debut solo album from official Wu-Tang Clan crackpot Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In the ensuing years, Killah Priest has become the Kato Kaelin of rap, putting in guest appearances with everyone from the Gravediggaz to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The prodigious Priest also helped found Sunz of Man, a politically charged Wu offshoot whose blistering debut almost went unreleased. Five years ago, KP finally issued his solo debut, Heavymental, which lived up to its brainy title by adding spiritual and philosophical twists to the Wu’s gravel-pitted street fare. KP’s second record fell prey to a sophomore slump that carried over into last year’s Priesthood, but the MC’s forthcoming effort, Black August, is said to be the one that will restore Reed’s pen name to its former glory. Until then, local hip-hop heads will have the opportunity to preview new material from one of the genre’s premiere lyricists in an intimate setting.