2008 Woodie Awards
All Jedi go to Heaven
With Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell, Jedi Mind Tricks packs intense rhymes and creepy compositions into 16 tracks
Ryan Burns '08
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Jedi Mind Tricks
Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell
Babygrande
As one of the most popular college hip-hop bands, Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) has held down its spot in hip-hop for the last eight years. Armed with Horrorcore lyricist Vinnie Paz and groundbreaking producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, JMT has redefined the Philadelphia sound, while connecting with some of underground hip-hop's most respected acts.
After releasing their supergroup album Army Of The Pharaohs, which featured 7L and Esoteric, Apathy, Non Phixion, and others, JMT are back once again with their fifth studio album entitled Servants in Heaven, Kings In Hell. Boasting one of the coolest hip-hop album covers I have seen in quite some time, Servants is a 16-track walk through the artistic mind of JMT. The album is entirely produced by Stoupe, who lends his unique blend of salsa flavored Spanish guitars, sped up vocal samples, and ethereal strings. Stoupe is one of these producers who has a distinct sound that is instantly recognizable whenever you hear it.
Stoupe's often-creepy compositions are perfectly complimented by the aggressive lyrics of Vinnie Paz. On the albums first track, "Put Em In The Grave," Paz sounds as hungry as ever over an excellent beat that is reminiscent of the early JMT sound. While Stoupe chops up a Hitchcock-like string sample, Paz spits, "I'm strong but I'm wild, they say I drink too much/the only problem that I have is that I think too much."
That could be Paz's biggest problem indeed. Paz has been known to mix pop culture references with historical and biblical ones to create a more complete song. The only problem with this is that the average listener might not be able to understand these allusions and could quite possibly get lost in Paz' flow. On "Serenity in Murder," Paz's rhymes: "I'm like Napoleon Bonaparte, I throw a dart and blow your bones apart/the lonely part is when you falling like you Owen Hart." Now if listeners have no idea who Owen Hart is, they wont get the rhyme. For the record, Hart was a professional wrestler who died after falling from the rafters of an arena and landing on his head.
Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell
Babygrande
As one of the most popular college hip-hop bands, Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) has held down its spot in hip-hop for the last eight years. Armed with Horrorcore lyricist Vinnie Paz and groundbreaking producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, JMT has redefined the Philadelphia sound, while connecting with some of underground hip-hop's most respected acts.
After releasing their supergroup album Army Of The Pharaohs, which featured 7L and Esoteric, Apathy, Non Phixion, and others, JMT are back once again with their fifth studio album entitled Servants in Heaven, Kings In Hell. Boasting one of the coolest hip-hop album covers I have seen in quite some time, Servants is a 16-track walk through the artistic mind of JMT. The album is entirely produced by Stoupe, who lends his unique blend of salsa flavored Spanish guitars, sped up vocal samples, and ethereal strings. Stoupe is one of these producers who has a distinct sound that is instantly recognizable whenever you hear it.
Stoupe's often-creepy compositions are perfectly complimented by the aggressive lyrics of Vinnie Paz. On the albums first track, "Put Em In The Grave," Paz sounds as hungry as ever over an excellent beat that is reminiscent of the early JMT sound. While Stoupe chops up a Hitchcock-like string sample, Paz spits, "I'm strong but I'm wild, they say I drink too much/the only problem that I have is that I think too much."
That could be Paz's biggest problem indeed. Paz has been known to mix pop culture references with historical and biblical ones to create a more complete song. The only problem with this is that the average listener might not be able to understand these allusions and could quite possibly get lost in Paz' flow. On "Serenity in Murder," Paz's rhymes: "I'm like Napoleon Bonaparte, I throw a dart and blow your bones apart/the lonely part is when you falling like you Owen Hart." Now if listeners have no idea who Owen Hart is, they wont get the rhyme. For the record, Hart was a professional wrestler who died after falling from the rafters of an arena and landing on his head.