Jedi Mind Tricks 'Visions of Gandhi' album

It's rare for rappers to stay together these days. The intense pressures of the industry, the need to produce an endless stream of successful albums and the near impossible task of sustaining artistic chemistry have made the proverbial rap group a dying breed. Enter JEDI MIND TRICKS, the Philly duo composed of rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe The Enemy Of Mankind who, unlike many acts have stayed true to their eclectic brand of raw hip-hop since these cats first crossed paths in the mid-eighties.

Now, after two full length albums, a couple of EPs, interminable hours in the studio and the undying respect of a loyal following fans from South Philly to South Central, JEDI MIND TRICKS are poised to drop their third album, Visions of Gandhi featuring a stunning array of lyrical stalwarts like Canibus, Ras Kass, Kool G Rap and Tragedy Khadafi.

"These songs are a progression of all that we've done," comments MC Vinnie Paz on the group's latest work, "but at the same time, it's still the same shit. The same raw beats and raw rhymes." No doubt, it's those same raw beats and rhymes Vinnie speaks of that have been snapping the necks of hip-hop purists for what seems like forever.

For JMT "forever" started back in the day when the two first met as high school students, an aspiring MC and a producer both raised on a steady diet of Golden Age hip-hop. With Stoupe's dark, brooding beats and Vinnie (then going by Aesop Ikonclast) trademark off-cadence, image-laden verbiage, the group began creating a buzz in Philadelphia by way of their jazz-influenced, independently released Common Thread EP.

In 1996, fresh off a five year hiatus which found the group, in particular Vinnie Paz, switching styles to a more allegorical, metaphysical sound and verbal content, JMT released the critically acclaimed Amber Probe EP on their newly formed Superegular imprint. All the while, the two friends and musical partners held down regular 9 to 5's to make a living; among other occupations, Stoupe worked as a janitor while Vinnie paid dues as a car salesman.

By now a bonafied underground sensation, JMT followed up with their debut full length, The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological and Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness, which officially proved that JMT's esoteric and original sound was no fluke (Songs like the Asian-inflected "Winds of War" and the ethereal, anti-religiosity prophecy "Immaculate Conception," made sure of that).

Soon after came 1998's Army of the Pharaohs, a Superegular compilation which solidified JMT's reputation as on of the premier sub-surface rap groups on the scene-the group was featured alongside the fly Philly female MC Bahamadia along with fellow spit kickers Virtuoso and Chief Kamachi.

JEDI MIND TRICKS' big break would come in the 21st century, however, the result of a budding friendship with former Priority A&R Chuck Wilson who was starting his own label Babygrande Records. Vinnie Paz had already earned his stripes on the mic with his scratch-voiced and articulate poetics which made him an enigma within hip-hop's increasingly same-sounding cosmos. Meanwhile, Stoupe was making a name throughout the industry and his soundboard skills were being sought after by such household names as Guru, Tragedy Khadafi and freshly signed Babygrande artist Canibus.

Two years later, fresh on the heels of a re-release of The Psycho-Social... (featuring six new tracks) comes the latest JMT creation, Visions of Gandhi. Though the results are vintage JMT, the group did some things differently this time around, like recording a large portion of the tracks from the confines of the legendary Chun King studio in New York, a decision that had particular merit for Vinnie Paz. "Some of my favorite hip-hop artists recorded in that studio like Dana Dane, the Beastie Boys, Third Bass, Public Enemy," Vinnie reminisces. "Just classic shit. We felt like we were someplace special."

Once more the group enlisted the help of Grammy Award-winning engineer Chris Conway (who has calculated sounds for the likes of Big Pun and Eminem's Check This). "Just having him there made a huge difference," says Vinnie. "He has an ear for your sound. We really clicked. It's nothing I could put into words. It was just a huge intangible that was added to our new joint."

Intangibles, of course, make all the difference. Like the album's first single, "Animal Rap," a full-fledged, bass-heavy banger, featuring one of Vinnie and Stoupe's favorite all time MC's, Queens legend Kool G Rap hurling his rapid rhymes over frenetic string progression. "You know the Don's armed with this 16 and I go on for the big cream," spits G Rap on the track. "I'm from a time when ever song was righteous/before rap was just a swarm of white kids," counters Vinnie.

Says Vinnie of G Rap, "He's just a cool humble guy. You know he has no ego whatsoever. He's just happy to be making rap music. He brought his family up in the studio on some family shit. It was dope." There are other noteworthy cameos as well like on "Kublai Kahn," with another Queens legend, Tragedy Khadafi, whom they met out at a McDonalds in Queens before heading back to Chun King to lay down the track. "We had done a song called Genghis Kahn with him before and so this was an extension of it," says Vinnie. "It's some real tear down the wall type shit."

There's also the eerie "Rise of the Machines" with Los Angeles lyricist Ras Kass, whom JMT snagged for a few verses just before Ras was nabbed by the police in Las Vegas for an outstanding DWI warrant. Label-mate, Canibus--whom Stoupe had done extensive production work for including his most current offering, Rip The Jacker--stopped in to drop some lyrical heat on "TK."

Speaking of Stoupe, Vinnie notes his production on this album is decidedly different than on past work. "Stoupe is Puerto Rican so we've always had semblance's of Latin flavor but it's heavier on this album," he says, "not Latin in a jiggy way but there's more strings, more hooks-some of the strings sound Spanish and some of the hooks are in Spanish. In general, I feel this album is more culturally aware of who are we are."

"On this album, I try to be political without being pushy. There's some anti-war sentiment and some anti-George Bush sentiments," states Stoup about the lyrical content which reflects the changing world we live in. "I felt like I had to stand up for Islam after September 11. People were thinking that all Muslims blow up buildings. But I come from Philly where you got Muslim cats like Mumia. I felt like I had to speak about injustices."

One song that stands out in Vinnie's mind as evidence of his more direct lyrical themes is "The Rage of Angels" featuring Crypt. The powerful track talks about the perils of prison and is a dedication to Vinnie's man locked up for a long bid and Crypt's father whose in a similar predicament. It's tracks like these and a powerful new independent label that inspire even more confidence in a group that has proved that good, pure hip-hop artists can survive in an increasing uncertain music industry, a lesson not lost on JEDI MIND TRICKS.

"The payoff of all of our music is that we can actually live off this now. It's an honor not to have to go to our day jobs any more. We're doing what we love and that's truly an honor. As for this album, we finally have been able to work with the people we respect in the business. We hope that people check out our music on the strength of what we've already done and come to really appreciate the hip-hop that was big back in the late eighties and nineties. Because that's what we feel we're about."
'Nough said.

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Jedi Mind Tricks - Visions of Gandhi