Disco de Jedi Mind Tricks: “Legacy of Blood [PA]”

So JMT makes two really great albums (the Psycho-Social and Violent By Design) and underground heads everywhere get really excited. Then, they make a mediocre album (Visions of Gandhi) and those same heads start to think "oh no, now they're gonna start to really stink" because that's what happens in the music world, right?

Apparently not because Legacy of Blood is definitely not a mediocre album. It's a freakin awesome album. Stoupe and Vinnie Paz are making a strong statement here, keeping that hardcore, truly dangerous feel, but not slipping into that kinda cartoonish stuff that they did last time around.

Vinnie P. continues to be the most beautifully unhinged MC around. His flow has continued to develop and I'm missing Jus'Allah less on this than I was on Visions. (Not to say I wouldn't be pleased to hear him again - just sayin.) The lyrics are the usual blend of violence, menace, hate, and islamic allusion - going places where others don't, won't, and can't. It's good stuff and it will make you think a little when you really listen to the man.

Stoupe... what can you say about Stoupe other than that he's the best out there, period? The best beats and the strongest samples every time. You listen to the differences between this album and (say) Violent By Design and you hear a progression - not just the same dirt over and over again from the over-rated 'genius' producers in the mainstream.

So yeah; get on this, get on it today, you won't be sorry. Find out what explicit lyrics are all about - hardcore rhymes that you'll NEVER, EVER hear on the radio. (And that's all right by me, man...)

Ja Rule? U can't be f*****g serious. Vinnie Paz rhymes are nothing like Ja's. Yes, their are rhymes about killing etc. But if you deaf mfers actually listen to this album, Vinnie Paz is right. Vinnie Paz actually uses words and phrases that are not "It's Murda!!", "Holla", "Word To Mother". Vinnie learned religion and politics. Just listen to saviorself. If you hate JMT, you probably don't want to be educated about Islam. You people who compare VP with Ja obvuisly didn't listen to the lyrics. You are also the same people who critizied Ja rule for singing love songs. Find one song for me where VP sings. One f****n song. And don't even get me started on how good Stoupes production is.

this is in my opinion the better sequel to Violent by Design, the shoes that ghandi didn't quite fill. The total rawness is ressurected and put back into full motion. JMT decided to have less collabs than previous albums to show a more unique JMT feel, i think it was a good idea, but i also like the Psycho-Social idea with only 1-2 solo songs. Jus Allah (not Jus-uh-la..) started dissing Paz and Paz retaliated so they split up obviously, but the gap wasn't very big, and it is their second album without him so its not totally different, i see it more as Jus being a heavily featured artist on VBD. The few collabs JMT come with are very effective (GZA!!!), and entertaining. Song after song is just rawness, and Stoupe's producing work is more art than work, never, ever, ever a weak beat, and Paz has very little weak lines compared to that of VoG (Nada Cambia). In all, a very good album, and a more fitting sequel to Violent by Design, only with the departure of Jus Allah. Rawness.

Pick it up definately

What makes a group amazing is the ability to create a sound that is different but at the same time creates a sound that our ears embrace. JMT had carved its niche into the hip hop scene by doing just this. The main theme i have learned from listening to JMT is that rap is war music. Legacy of Blood keeps with that theme. Thought many people continue to say Paz sucks and Stoupe is great in reality, if they where to separate where would Stoupe go? Only the lyrics and voice of Vinne Paz go hand in hand with amazing beats in songs like "Saviorself", "Me Ne Sballo", "Before the Great Collapse", and "The Philosophy of Horror". The amazing, third world sound in the song " Me Ne Sballo" could only be accompanied by 3rd would lyrics, war and violence. JMT brings something to the hip hop scene that no one else has ever brought before, and thus it needs an outstanding character like Paz to create lyrics that most rappers would never venture into. Legacy of Blood incites hate but at the same time inspires. Like someone before me said, even the interludes are masterpieces and are not crappy time fillers thrown onto a cd. Where Stoupe gets the ideas for his beats, i have no clue. JMT is for people who want music that gives them new ideas, not the same static song after song heard on the mainstream scene.

This is aggressive, violent hip hop. The group doesn't apologize for it. You won't find Paz imitating Slug by feeling the need to follow up each violent bar with something sensitive.

That should be clear to potential listeners, because this record is not for people who are easily offended. JMT targets Christians, gays, pacifists, the government and a range of other people and groups.

There are some tracks that seem more inspired than others, and a lot of the same themes and material from past albums are recycled here, so there is some truth to the complaint that Vinnie Paz can get repetitive.

But Stoupe's beats are brilliant, to the point where it's hard to believe some cuts were almost wasted by being used as interludes, and more than a few times the beats and the rhymes come together perfectly.

My personal favorite track is "Savoirself." The beat is ridiculously catchy and the imagery is classic JMT -- heiroglyphs, Greek gods, ancient war and mysticism. "The Age of Sacred Terror" is perversely violent, "Me Ne Shalto" is bouncy and sharp, and the GZA and Killah Priest guest spots are both throwbacks to the days when Wu was at the top of their game.

Overall this isn't Violent By Design, but it's a far better effort than Visions of Ghandi and probably the group's second best album.