7L & Esoteric (7LES) are an American underground hip hop duo from Boston, Massachusetts, known for battle rhymes and boom bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/producer and Esoteric is the MC. 7L & Esoteric are both prominent members of underground hip-hop collectives Army of the Pharaohs and Demigodz, as well as being 2/3 of Czarface along with Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck.
William Braunstein, known by his stage name Ill Bill, is an American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York City. Having gained fame in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his diverse lyrics and as the producer, founder and CEO of Uncle Howie Records. His brother Ron is rapper and producer Necro.
Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) are an American underground hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1996 by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. In 1999, rapper Jus Allah joined the group to record their second studio album, Violent by Design. Jus left the group shortly after, but returned in late 2006 and began working on the sixth studio album, A History of Violence. In 2011 Stoupe left the group because "his heart wasn't in making JMT records anymore". In 2013, Jus split from the group indefinitely, and Stoupe returned in 2015.
Army of the Pharaohs is an American underground hip hop collective originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks founder Vinnie Paz in 1998. The collective has strong links to other underground east coast groups such as OuterSpace, Snowgoons, La Coka Nostra, Demigodz, 7L & Esoteric, and JuJu Mob. AOTP's affiliations and member roster has changed several times since its formation.
Visions of Gandhi is the third studio album from underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, and their first album on the Babygrande record label. Jus Allah split from the group after the release of their album Violent by Design (2000), returning the group back to its original lineup of Vinnie Paz, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and DJ Drew Dollars. Producer Stoupe expands his dark sounds, including beats with grand orchestral samples and Latin-tinged production. Vinnie Paz lessens his lyrical topics to focus on his thug persona. Album guests include Canibus, Kool G Rap, Percee P, Ras Kass, and Tragedy Khadafi, as well as underground peers Crypt the Warchild, Planetary of OuterSpace, and Non Phixion members Ill Bill, Sabac Red, and Goretex.
The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness is the debut album of underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, consisting of rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The original version of the album was released in 1997, limited to 1,000 copies on vinyl by Superegular Records, and was re-released on CD in 2003 on Babygrande Records with six bonus tracks, featuring songs recorded by the group before their debut release. It has been a common misconception that the vinyl version was re-issued in 2001, possibly because the back of the vinyl release says "2001 Superegular." The album’s often esoteric lyrics focus on conspiracy theories, astronomy, religion, and violence, themes that JMT would expand on in later albums. The album was inspired by a lot of "crazy books" mentioned by Vinnie Paz in an interview, and is named after one of those books, a 1,900-page tome entitled "Matrix III - The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electromagnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness,” by Valdamar Valerian.
James Bostick, better known by his stage name Jus Allah, is an American rapper from Camden, New Jersey. He is best known for being a former member of Philadelphia-based hip hop groups Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) and Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP).
Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell is the fifth studio album by hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. It was released September 19, 2006 through Babygrande Records. The first single, "Heavy Metal Kings", featuring Ill Bill of La Coka Nostra, was released in early August through iTunes and a limited edition vinyl pressing. Additional guest appearances on the album are provided by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Sean Price, R.A. the Rugged Man, Block McCloud and Army of the Pharaohs members Chief Kamachi and Reef the Lost Cauze.
Vincenzo Luviner, better known as Vinnie Paz, is an Italian-born American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
Marcus Albaladejo, better known by his stage name Crypt the Warchild, is an underground rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Albaladejo is one half of the rap duo OuterSpace and is a member of Army of the Pharaohs. Crypt the Warchild is the older brother of rapper King Syze, who is also a member of Army of the Pharaohs.
David Albaladejo is an underground rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Puerto Rican descent. He is a member of the underground hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP), having featured on all their studio albums. He is known for his frequent collaboration with AOTP members; OuterSpace. Outside of rap, Albaladejo works as a member of a trade union which has inspired the names of many of his studio albums.
"Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story" is a song by hip-hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, consisting of rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, and features a guest verse from R.A. the Rugged Man. It is the fourth song on the group's 2006 album Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. While not released as a single, the song was recognized as one of the album's standout tracks.
"Heavenly Divine" is a single by American hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, released in mid-1999 through the group's self-run label Superegular Recordings.
"Genghis Khan" is a single by hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. The original press, distributed through JMT's Superegular Recordings, was released as a promo in early 2000. The group's second and former label, Babygrande Records, re-released the single in 2003 with wider distribution. The track is named after 13th century Mongol leader Genghis Khan. The song contains a sample from "Downloading", a symphonic composition by Harald Kloser, taken from the film The Thirteenth Floor.
"Retaliation" is a single by Hip Hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, the third released from their second album Violent by Design, following "Heavenly Divine" and "Genghis Khan". Released in 2001, the single was the group's last release on self-run Superegular Recordings. The following year, the group migrated to Babygrande Records. "Retaliation" contains a musical sample from "El Rio Y Las Rosas" by Rosita Peru, a vocal sample from "Cross My Heart" by Killah Priest, and a vocal sample from "Money in the bank" by Kool G. Rap. The single also contains the edited "Retaliation (Remix)", and the B-Side track "Blood Runs Cold", featuring Heltah Skeltah's Sean Price, both originally only available on this single. Babygrande Records re-released Violent by Design in 2004, including both "Retaliation (Remix)" and "Blood Runs Cold" as bonus tracks.
"Kublai Khan" is a single by hip hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, released in 2003 through Babygrande Records. The song was the second single released from the duo's third album Visions of Gandhi, following "Animal Rap", and followed by "Rise of the Machines". "Kublai Khan" is a sequel to the group's 2000 single "Genghis Khan", this time, named after Genghis' grandson Kublai Khan. The song, like "Genghis Khan", features an intense symphonic sample, courtesy of group producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. New York City rapper Tragedy Khadafi, who appeared on "Genghis", also appears on the track. Former JMT member Jus Allah, who split from the group in 2001, is replaced by Goretex, of the group Non Phixion.
"Before the Great Collapse" is a single by hip hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, released in 2004 through Babygrande Records. The single was the lead-off for the group's fourth album, Legacy of Blood. The song's intro contains a sample from "Freeman's Farm" by David Elon Preston, and the song's music contains a sample from "No Me Des Tu Adios" by Perla. "Before the Great Collapse" was the first JMT single to be solely performed by group vocalist Vinnie Paz, who uses the track as a suicide letter, written to his mother. The track is followed up on JMT's Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell with the track Razorblade Salvation, in which Vinnie Paz retracts his suicide note, citing his obligations and goals as reasons to "stick around for a while."
George Michael Ward Jr., often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held the WBU light welterweight title in 2000. Ward is widely known for his trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti, two of which received Fight of the Year awards by The Ring magazine, as well as his relentless pressure fighting style. Ward was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the 2010 film The Fighter, which was based on his early career.
Heavy Metal Kings is an underground hip hop duo which consists of veteran rappers Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz. In 2006, Ill Bill was featured on the single "Heavy Metal Kings" by hip hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, released through Babygrande Records. The single was released in a limited edition blue vinyl pressing, with every copy signed by group vocalist Vinnie Paz.
"Heavy Metal Kings" is a single by hip hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, released in 2006 through Babygrande Records. The single was released in a limited edition blue vinyl pressing, with every copy signed by group vocalist Vinnie Paz. "Heavy Metal Kings" is the lead single from the group's fifth album, Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. The song features a sample from "Boiling Rage " by German composer Carl Orff, taken from his famous cantata Carmina Burana, and a vocal sample from "Front Lines " by Mobb Deep for the chorus. "Heavy Metal Kings" features a guest verse from former Non Phixion member Ill Bill. The song's music video was released shortly before the album's release, and featured guest appearances from the group's DJ, DJ Kwestion, and R.A. the Rugged Man.
