Disco de Jedi Mind Tricks: “Violent by Design”

Ikon the Verbal Hologram is Vinnie Paz, to dissolve that confusion. The other MC is former member, Jus Allah. I'll dissect why this album is great with elaborate detail and supporting arguments.

Foremost, the production...who likes listening to tracks with good lyrics and crappy production? Nobody soulful, to admit the least. No matter how great the lyrics are, after you give them a good listen if the music is garbage, it will not catch repetitive play on whatever music deck you have for your media. This cd, this album, this outfit of the Jedi Mind Tricks produces some of the most creatively diverse instrumentals I've ever heard and assembles them together. Their head nodder instros will put you in a neck brace, however they're not club oriented, they seem intended to resonate the speakers in your vehicle or headset instead. Definitely elite stuff. Without abandon Dj Stoupe created some sinister, aggressive, and flavorful beats that could inspire anybody to pause their current train of thought and listen.

On to Ikon and Jus Allah. I happen to enjoy both styles, where as Ikon will project the more ruggedized and intelligent rhymes, Jus Allah can drop the same science, just not to the degree Ikon can but Jus Allah rhymes about some really enjoyable dun-hop type shiz.

Ikon's style ranges from generating fantastic wordplay, involving punchlines and metaphors, to wonderfully phrased bars depicting imagery with scientific descriptions. Jus Allah also rhymes about the same subject content and both deliver to the extent where anybody with similar dispositions can empathize and they're influenced to vicariously imagine themselves as these artists. That is the result of the effort invested by this team.

Stoupe - this guy beats out Alchemist, Prince Paul, Dan The Automator, Dre (and his team), Primo, anybody I can think of when it concerns consistent production.

Ikon - this kid can only be rivaled by Canibus in my opinion, they drop similar science

Jus Allah - seems to have his influences in Mobb Deep, only this kid is sicker

Anybody that likes battle rhymes, punchlines, metaphors, science, and innovative rhyme content...cop this material immediately. It will not disappoint.

Being a hardcore listener of various types of hip-hop ranging from Em to Pac to Biggie to Wu-Tang to Jin and having listened to quite a few sound samples of many other above- and under-ground emcees, Jedi Mind Tricks has presented the most unique type of music I have ever heard. And, quite frankly, Violent by Design is absolutely the optimal combination of dope instrumentals (courtesy of Stoupe a.k.a. The Enemy of Mankind) and ferocious lyrics (courtesy of Eyekon tha Verbal Hologram a.k.a. Vinnie Paz and Jus Allah a.k.a. Megatraum). I have never heard such a variety of excellent sound samples for loops... ever. I have listened to many samples by DJ Premier, RZA and other acclaimed producers, and Stoupe has absolutely tapped on the most original loops I have ever heard. He is unquestionably the most creative producer out there.

Jus Allah and Ikon are on a relatively equal lyrical level, which is excellent because I don't prefer hearing one over the other as both are outstanding lyricists. Though they are not quite on the plateau of Rakim, Nas, Eminem, GZA, Pac, Biggie, et. al. in terms of creativity, they exceed every emcee out there in terms of how raw the lyrics are. I have never heard such provocative rhymes in my life, as my eyes widened after some of their verses. Their fierce, truculent lyrics can provoke any reaction from laughter to astonishment to anger.

The collaborations are also pure excellence. The Philly underground is teeming with budding emcees that nobody has taken notice of. The Army of the Pharaohs, the group featured on the Five Perfect Exertions, is the best group of emcees this side of Wu-Tang. Virtuoso and Esoteric make the mic sizzle, and Bahamadia is the illest femcee out there because she's that much more intelligent with her verses. Every single emcee on this album impressed me, and there were around ten featured in the many collabos.

All in all, this is the best CD I have ever heard. Everything is dope from the verses to the sound samples to the features with other cats. Seriously, the Philly underground needs to get noticed a lot more. I'm not even joking when I say that this Grammy quality music. Jedi Mind is that ill. It is very hard to achieve the equilibrium that they have reached as a group, and even though Jus Allah has left, the legacy that the trio has left on this album is enough to solidify their place in hip-hop history. I give this album a six out of five because it is so amazing. In short, if you gain anything from this review, it should be this: BUY THIS ALBUM. NOW.

In 2 words: Pure genius. Also one of the darkest albums I've ever heard. If you like hip hop then you're not likely to be easily offended (think: violence, drugs, prostitutes, etc from any random rap CD). This is a good trait when listening to this album, as religion and gays are mercilessly attacked, but in a decidedly more intelligent manner than most other albums. The beats are unlike any I've heard, certainly nothing you'll ever hear on the radio. They like to include operatic voices and samples from an orchestra. The lyrics and flow vary widely from track to track, leading to a bit of inconsistancy, but the good tracks are ridiculously good, and the bad tracks are only sub-par. The recording isn't very good, almost sounds like an analog to digital recording, but I imagine this wasn't a large release. I'm hoping the acclaim they get from this album will result in better recording equipment next time around. This is so futuristic if you're not a music fan you couldn't possibly appreciate it, but it's one of my top 2 albums of the year. The other is Self Science by Self Scientific, which isn't as futuristic as this release, but has polish that this one lacks. Absolutely 5 star.

This album is perfect! That's all I can say! No Bling Bling Bull..., no 20 Bentley's, no 80 women wiating at their house etc... This is just straight raw production and lyrics, every song being a masterpiece of Hip Hop excellence! How many rappers come up with lines like: "that's ... up, like sex on an airplane!" If you like true Hip Hop you HAVE to buy this CD! If you don't like it, you don't like real Hip Hop, it's that simple! BUY IT NOW, if you're disappointed, I'll double your money back (just joking)! Just demonstrating how awesome this CD is!

Overall i would say this album is an excellent sophomore effort for the crew. In AOTP fashion, Jedi Minds was able to co-opt a few notables (and soon to be notables) for guest spots. Lyrically, they were able to keep the intelligence and depth that I enjoyed on Psycho social and yet they were also able to fuse more emotion into this record. When I first got Psycho Social..., I sat and listened to the whole thing and the last song, I Who Have Nothing, was probably one of the best cuts. Ikon brought to wax some raw emotion with that track. This style continued with the Army Of the Pharoahs project and is also manifest throughout Violent By Design. And finally the production, can't say much else about Stoupe. Probably one of the most underrated producers today. The versatility he has to swing from "NY Thug" beats to lledelph chill and yet have a signature sound as notable as Primo's bell, continues to amaze me.