Vinnie Paz, the illustrious veteran of Philadelphia's underground hip-hop scene, throws another bombshell into the game with his ninth solo LP. This salty veteran once broke big as MC of Jedi Mind Tricks and leader of Army of the Pharaohs. He debuted with his solo projects "Season of the Assassin" and "God of the Serengeti" in 2010 and 2012. After that, he kept coming back consistently with layered tracks and hits like 'The Cornerstone of the Corner Store' in 2016. His album 'The Pain Collector' remains a stunner, but since 'as above so below' he has been tapping from a new musical keg every year.
The love child of this epoch becomes 'Tortured in the Name of God's Unconditional Love,' which came out as a trilogy and walks its own path along with 'All Are Guests in the House of God.' The closing 'God Sent Vengeance' completes the story. Salt guaranteed!
The LP opens with the intro "Abudadein," after which the soulful boom bap track "Shepherd's Rod," produced by Hobgoblin, sets the tone. Paz immediately shows that he wants to ram with lines about rappers rolling backwards. Evidence then adds his production skills on '2 Knights Forced,' where Vinnie asks full force why he keeps having to explain that others are just jerks.
With 'Bulldozer,' featuring Young Buck and played by Stu Bangas, Vinnie makes it dark: not wanting to be a saint here. 'Head of David' in turn provides those raw street vibes. The throttle is really turned up with Ill Bill and Lord Goat chanting his past full of pain on 'Acid Teeth'.
In 'Timetravel_0,' with beats by August Fanon, Paz tells us that when situations get out of hand, he can quickly straighten things out. 'Megaton Swords' featuring Cappadonna continues to punish slack MCs and 'Rafiki Books' encourages us to really stand for what matters.
'Perfect Enemy' features a Reunion with C-Lance, where Paz warns rivals to keep everything quiet while enjoying their loud anthems. Then the aggressiveness of "Battle Scars (Pharaoh Overlords)" comes around the corner like a raucous posse cut from AotP.
With 'Chico's Bail Bonds,' dark and ominous, the suggestion is made that tonight is going to be a difficult night, while 'All Guns Full Ammo' featuring Onyx makes everything ferocious. Sick Jacken on 'Sacrificio (De Muerte)' provides those relentless shots toward anyone in its path, a vibe that continues with 'Heavy Chains'. Napoleon da Legend adds another layer with "Wings of Azrael.
As we move toward the album's final tracks, the energy remains high. 'Mao's War on Sparrows' deals with the themes of present day, and 'Noise Drug' lets Boob Bronx and Recognize Ali make the album finale powerful.
Although the 'Jacinto's Praying Mantis' EP had less fist-power than previous works, it serves as a strong prelude to the end of the saga. Solid production from both proven musical masters and emerging beatsmiths provides a solid dose of hardcore hip-hop. With less focus on trap elements than previous releases, this is a genius salt solution in a sea of hip-hop.
Score: rock solid an 8/10! More salt is included for free.
And thus Vinnie Paz proves once again why he remains a salty OG in our beloved scene. What do you think? As always, we will continue to keep you updated with the latest hip-hop news and releases through our newsletter. Keep it salty, keep it real.
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