JEDI MIND TRICKS

'Jedi Mind Tricks' (JMT) is a hip-hop duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group is composed of high school friends Rapper Vinnie Paz (born Vincenzo Luvineri, formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram) and Producer/DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (born Kevin Baldwin). They have a long list of collaborations with both regional MCs and rap veterans, including Kool G Rap, 7L & Esoteric, Sean Price, Ras Kass, Canibus, Percee P, Killah Priest, Louis Logic, GZA, R.A. the Rugged Man, Tragedy Khadafi, and Ill Bill.

Contents

Career

Amber Probe EP and Psycho-Social LP

Five Perfect Exertions EP and Violent By Design

Visions of Gandhi

Legacy of Blood and Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell

Discography

Albums

EPs/Singles

Jus Allah discography

Army of the Pharaohs discography

External links

Career

Amber Probe EP and Psycho-Social LP

JMT officially debuted with the ''Amber Probe EP'' in 1996. The B-side of that album was also included in their first LP, ''The Psycho-Social LP'', which was released a year later. On this album Vinnie Paz called himself Ikon the Verbal Hologram.
The album contained themes of conspiracy theories and ancient Middle-Eastern mythology. It also featured the recording debut of fellow Philly rap-group Lost Children of Babylon and Connecticut's Apathy of the Demigodz on multiple songs. However the Lost Children of Babylon soon parted ways with JMT, and in a 2001 interview member Cosmic Crusader cited that while Vinnie Paz had assured them that his cause was all for spiritual hip-hop, he soon saw "that Vinnie Paz was not really spiritual at all, but only interested in tapping that fan base."

Five Perfect Exertions EP and Violent By Design

After the release of their first LP, Vinnie Paz conceived the idea of forming a rotating, collaborative super-group of underground east coast artists called the Army of the Pharaohs (abbreviated to AotP). 1998 saw the first result of these efforts in The Five Perfect Exertions EP. The release featured Virtuoso, 7L & Esoteric, and Bahamadia as well as Vinnie Paz himself. The EP was later remixed for JMT's next LP, ''Violent by Design'' (2000).
The LP, originally titled ''Polymatrix: Reincarnation of the Hologramic Christ'', became seen as the group's best work. Vinnie Paz became noticeably more aggressive. The LP also introduced Jus Allah, a friend and fledgling rapper who had left for college but dropped out a short while after. A self-proclaimed five-percenter, Jus was present on every non-AotP track on ''Violent by Design'' as JMT's unofficial third member.
The list of guest artists on this album was also their longest, including Mr. Lif, Planetary of Outerspace, Louis Logic, Diamondback, L-Fudge, B.A. Barakus, J-Treds, Killa Sha, C-Baz and Tragedy Khadafi, plus a couple of odd phone-call interludes by Mr. Len.
During the course of ''Violent by Design's'' 1999-2000 recording period, Paz changed his alias to Vinnie Paz, inspired by the boxer of the same name. The reason for this has been reported to be the result of a short-lived rivalry instigated by fellow Philly underground rapper "Icon the Mic King." Vinnie Paz decided to settle on his new moniker in order to prevent any further confusion. Also it was around this time he formally declared himself to be a follower of Islam, and references this numerous times on record.

Visions of Gandhi

In late 2001, JMT was made an offer by Babygrande Records founder Chuck Wilson to sign a deal. Jus Allah's uncertainty caused him to leave the group on good terms. Stoupe and Vinnie Paz closed their homegrown Superegular label and migrated to Babygrande. Before his ''White Nightmare'' EP on Virtuoso's "Omnipotent Records" label, Jus was somewhat isolated from the entire Philly underground scene; the two sides wouldn't talk to each other for over three years. Virtuoso was also estranged from JMT and AoTP for his support of Jus, among other reasons.
Mid-2003 saw the release of JMT's third LP, ''Visions of Gandhi''. In an interview, Vinnie Paz said the title was inspired by Foxy Brown's verse in Nas's song "Affirmative Action," and expresses the need for a prominent figure of non-violent social change such as Gandhi in a post-9/11 world.
Stoupe, now supplied with a professional studio in New York, also expanded his variety of production, incorporating grand orchestral samples and a stronger Latino feel. In response, some longtime fans felt let down by Vinnie Paz's lyricism and delivery, as well as the abundance of slick, upbeat loops adopted by Stoupe. Nevertheless, the album helped expand the group's audience as its popularity and commercial success continued to grow.

Legacy of Blood and Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell

Little over a year later, JMT continued their creative streak with ''Legacy of Blood'', this time intentionally keeping guest artists to a minimum. Carrying with them their lessons from Gandhi, Stoupe and Vinnie tried to strike a balance between the past two albums. Vinnie Paz also added a more personal aspect to his lyrics, most notably in the last song "Before the Great Collapse."
In February, 2005, Babygrande officially announced that Jus Allah had signed on to the label after reconciling with his former partners. Babygrande released his long-awaited debut LP, ''All Fates Have Changed'', in May of that year. However, after a dispute with label CEO Chuck Wilson soon after the album's release, Jus left Babygrande and denied any new association with JMT.
In March, 2006, a reunited Army of the Pharaohs released ''The Torture Papers'' LP. The crew now consisted of Vinnie Paz, Chief Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric, Apathy, Celph Titled, Planetary & Crypt the Warchild of Outerspace, King Syze, Faez One, Reef the Lost Cauze, and new Jedi Mind Tricks hype-man Des Devious. Virtuoso and Bahamadia were not featured and are no longer associated with the Army.
The fifth Jedi Mind Tricks album, titled ''Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell'', was released on September 19th, 2006. The release coincided with the beginning of the album's supportive tour, which kicked off in New York City's Time Square. The album was widely acclaimed, unlike the group's two previous albums, which both received mixed reviews. A large part of the acclaim was due to the album's lyrical and musical diversity, both missing from their previous efforts. The album featured the single "Heavy Metal Kings" with Ill Bill, the Shara Worden-assisted "Razorblade Salvation", and the storytelling track "" with R.A. The Rugged Man. A day after the release of the album, Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks did an interview with The Breakdown, a show on ItsHipHop.tv where he discussed the album and his thoughts on Jus Allah.
In early 2006, rumors spread that the group had reunited with estranged member Jus Allah, and that he would be featured on ''Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell'', but no collaboration appeared. However, on September 20, 2006, a newly recorded Jedi Mind Tricks/Jus Allah collaboration, titled "The Rebuilding", appeared online. Jus is also planning to release his second album, ''The Colossus'', in the summer of 2007. In a January 2007 interview, Paz stated that Jus will be featured on the group's upcoming sixth album, tentatively titled ''A History of Violence'' [1].

Discography

Albums

Album cover	Album information
	'''The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness''' ★ Released: 1997 (Re-released May 6, 2003 on Babygrande Records) ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ Singles:
	'''Violent by Design''' ★ Released: October 3, 2000 (Re-released May 25, 2004 on Babygrande Records) ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ Singles: "Heavenly Divine"/"Trinity", "Genghis Khan", "Retaliation"/"Blood Runs Cold"
	'''Visions of Gandhi''' ★ Released: August 26, 2003 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Singles: "Animal Rap", "Kublai Khan", "Rise of the Machines"
	'''Legacy of Blood''' ★ Released: August 24, 2004 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Singles: "Before the Great Collapse"/"On the Eve of War", "The Age of Sacred Terror"/"Saviorself"
	'''Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell''' ★ Released: September 19, 2006 ★ U.S. Sales: 6.700 [1] ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Singles: "Heavy Metal Kings"

EPs/Singles

Album cover	Album information
	'''Amber Probe EP''' ★ Released: 1996 ★ Label: Superegular Records
	'''"Heavenly Divine"''' ★ Released: 1999 ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ B-Side: "Trinity" (featuring Louis Logic & L-Fudge), "Heavenly Divine (Remix)"
	'''"Raw is War"''' (Vinnie Paz) ★ Released: 2000 ★ Label: Direct Records ★ B-Side: "Language is Fatal" (featuring Doap Nixon, Jus Allah & Planetary)
	'''"Genghis Khan"''' (featuring Tragedy Khadafi) ★ Released: 2000 ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ B-Side:
	'''"Retaliation"''' ★ Released: 2001 ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ B-Side: "Blood Runs Cold" (featuring Sean Price)
	'''"Animal Rap" (Arturo Gatti Mix)''' (featuring Kool G Rap) ★ Released: 2003 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side: "Animal Rap" (Micky Ward Mix)
	'''"Kublai Khan"''' (featuring Goretex & Tragedy Khadafi) ★ Released: 2003 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side:
	'''"Rise of the Machines"''' (featuring Ras Kass) ★ Released: 2004 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side:
	'''"Before the Great Collapse"''' ★ Released: 2004 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side: "On the Eve of War" (Julio César Chávez Mix) (featuring GZA), "On the Eve of War" (Meldrick Taylor Mix) (featuring GZA)
	'''"The Age of Sacred Terror"''' ★ Released: 2005 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side: "Saviorself" (featuring Killah Priest)
	'''"Heavy Metal Kings"''' (featuring Ill Bill) ★ Released: August 1, 2006 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side:

Jus Allah discography

Album cover	Album information
	'''"White Nightmare"''' (EP/Single) ★ Released: 2002 ★ Label: Omnipotent Records ★ B-Side: "Reign of the Lord"
	'''All Fates Have Changed''' (Full-length album) ★ Released: May 10, 2005 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Singles: "Pool of Blood"/"Hell Razors", "G-O-D"/"Supreme"
	'''"Pool of Blood"''' (featuring GZA) (Single) ★ Released: 2005 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side: "Hell Razors" (featuring Evil Dead)
	'''"G-O-D"''' (Single) ★ Released: 2005 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ B-Side: "Supreme"

Army of the Pharaohs discography

Album cover	Album information
	'''"The Five Perfect Exertions"''' (EP/Single) ★ Released: 1998 ★ Label: Superegular Records ★ B-Side: "War Ensemble"
	'''Rare Shit, Collabos & Freestyles''' (Compilation mix CD) ★ Released: 2003 ★ Label: N/A
	'''The Torture Papers''' (Full-length album) ★ Released: March 21, 2006 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Singles: "Tear it Down"/"Battle Cry"
	'''"Ritual Of Battle"''' (Full-length album) ★ Released: September 25, 2007 ★ Label: Babygrande Records ★ Single: "Bloody Tears/ Grown Men"

External links

★ Official Jedi Mind Tricks website

★ Official Babygrande website

★ Official CrackSpace page

★ Jedi Mind Tricks Forum

★ ItsHipHop.tv Video Interview
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