Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent by Design (2000)
Someone must've gotten a special frequency past the defense of Ikon the Verbal Hologram's tinfoil hat, because Jedi Mind Tricks are a shitload different here than on their debut album. For one, Ikon the Verbal Hologram started going by the name of Vinnie Paz, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind REALLY stepped his production up phenomenally so, and they recruited a new member that actually featured on a song on the first album: Jus Allah! And lemme tell you a little somethin' somethin' right upfront because I trust you.. THESE WERE ALL GREAT CHANGES.
Gone away is the paranoid vibe of their first album, and now, just like the title of the album would suggest, this group is violent as shit without going straight-up Necro. From Jus Allah's opening verse on the first proper track "Retaliation", which very well might just be one of my absolute favorite verses of all time, in which he states at the end of his verse "Doubt my faith, you can taste the slug case, leavin' niggas lookin' like dogs with the pug face, even your girl can catch the capsule, I love pussy, but never the BITCH that it's attached to" perfectly sets up the atmosphere for this album: Violent, powerful, and even a bit extremist on the religious side, this case being Muslim.
I feel like there could be a lot of good things said for every member on this album. Vinnie Paz's style is way more entertaining, gritty, and obviously much more violent than before, which makes him a fun guy to listen to on the microphone, despite Jus Allah constantly being the main highlight of the entire album rapping-wise, and Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind has thrown away the act of making garbage ambient-influenced beats and comes through with some shit that could be described as if RZA and a cyborg had a baby. Just listen to "Sacrifice" and tell me that isn't some BRILLIANT sampling and general beat-making. That shit is phenomenal!!
These guys just know how to bring the heat damn near constantly. "Death March (Feat. Virtuoso & Esoteric)" is HEAT where all of the rappers on the track sound like they're in some sort of elimination chamber trying to outdo each other to prevent from getting killed, all the while trying to body each other in an all-out lyrical warfare, even though Vinnie Paz is obviously the weakest link out of the lot. Speaking of heat, let's talk about "Heavenly Divine" for a second: That song is AWESOME! It starts with a Vinnie Paz verse ("You heard the verdict, I'm with Allah 'cause he chose me, broke into the Vatican, strangled the Pope with his rosary"), then a Jus Allah verse ("Flows got the breeze on my clothes got the scent of trees, I lay back and blow sacks (sax) like Kenny G") and then for the third verse, they rap it together, switching off every few words almost like a Beastie Boys homage. The remix of it featured on the deluxe version of the album is FIRE AS SHIT too!! Even if it is censored for some reason..
Sure, they may be ridiculously out of line with some of their views, or at least what they pretend to believe (no idea on whether it's genuine or just standard "you're a faggot" schoolyard tough guy talk) such as the rampant homophobia throughout the album, but if you can tune that out, these are some damn great songs that were clearly influenced by "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" but end up being a great offshoot of it, making their own sound and style along the way. An undisputed underground classic worthy of studying, for its rhyme schemes, intense delivery, and unique and talented production.
8/10
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