Army of the Pharaohs

Army of the Pharaohs

Army of the Pharaohs is a Hip Hop supergroup originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks emcee Vinnie Paz in 1998. From the beginning, Paz had envisioned the group as a loose collaboration between the biggest names in East Coast Underground hip hop, very similar to the original Wu-Tang Clan.

Recording history

The original incarnation of the group included five MCs: Vinnie Paz, Chief Kamachi, Esoteric, Virtuoso and Bahamadia, along with JMT producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The group released their debut EP/single "The Five Perfect Exertions" b/w "War Ensemble" in 1998. Both tracks were later included on JMT's 2000 album Violent by Design; with "The Five Perfect Exertions" being remixed into "Exertions Remix", and both "Exertions" and "War Ensemble" shedding Chief Kamachi's appearance. The Army of the Pharaohs project was put on the back-burner while JMT's career took off.

The group wouldn't return until 2005, resurrected with its second incarnation, excluding Virtuoso and Bahamadia, and now featuring Paz, Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric, Outerspace, Apathy, Celph Titled, Reef the Lost Cauze, Des Devious, Faez One and King Syze. After years of anticipation, the newly reformed group recorded their debut album, The Torture Papers, finally released in March 2006 on Babygrande Records. The album was produced by AOTP affiliates such as 7L, DC the MIDI Alien, Undefined, Beyonder, Loptimist, Apathy and German producer Shuko. The album featured the single "Tear It Down" b/w "Battle Cry", the former featuring a music video, and the latter being a posse cut featuring nine of the group's ten emcees. The album debuted in the top 50 on Billboard's Top Independent Album chart, and hit #42 on the magazine's Heatseekers chart. There is also a bootleg continuation of The Torture Papers circulating around the internet called The Bonus Papers, which is composed entirely of tracks not released on the album. It is thought some songs didn't fit the artistic design of the album while others were known to have been extremely political and were possibly held back to reduce controversy. More controversy has been produced by the often anti-gay or homophobic lyrics of the group, often referring to "fags," "faggy shit," or "gay."

The group recently completed their second album, titled Ritual of Battle, scheduled for release on September 25, 2007. The group added four new members for the album, former Jedi Mind Tricks member Jus Allah, Doap Nixon, Demoz and King Magnetic.

Discography

Group releases

Album information
"The Five Perfect Exertions" Released: 1998 Label: Superegular Recordings B-Side: "War Ensemble"
Rare Shit, Collabos and Freestyles (Compilation mixtape) Released: 2003 Label: N/A
The Torture Papers Released: March 21, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Tear It Down"/"Battle Cry"
Ritual of Battle Released: September 25, 2007 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: TBA

Jedi Mind Tricks albums

Album information
The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness Released: 1997 (Re-released May 6, 2003 on Babygrande Records) Label: Superegular Records Singles:
Violent by Design Released: October 3, 2000 (Re-released May 25, 2004 on Babygrande Records) Label: Superegular Records Singles: "Heavenly Divine"/"Trinity", "Genghis Khan", "Retaliation"/"Blood Runs Cold"
Visions of Gandhi Released: August 26, 2003 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Animal Rap", "Kublai Khan", "Rise of the Machines"
Legacy of Blood Released: August 24, 2004 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Before the Great Collapse"/"On the Eve of War", "The Age of Sacred Terror"/"Saviorself"
Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell Released: September 19, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Heavy Metal Kings"

7L & Esoteric albums

Album information
The Soul Purpose Released: July 10, 2001 Label: Landspeed Records Singles: "Speaking Real Words", "Mic Mastery"/"Operating Correctly"
Dangerous Connection Released: October 8, 2002 Label: Landspeed Records Singles: "Herb"/"Rules of Engagement", "Watch Me"/"Word Association"
DC2: Bars of Death Released: July 13, 2004 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "This Is War"/"Rise of the Rebel"
A New Dope Released: June 27, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Play Dumb"/"Daisycutta"

Apathy albums

Album information
Eastern Philosophy Released: March 21, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "The Winter"/"Can't Leave Rap Alone"

Celph Titled albums

Album information
The Gatalog: A Collection Of Chaos Released: October 24, 2006 Label: Endless Recordings Singles:

Chief Kamachi albums

Album information
Cult Status Released: July 27, 2004 Label: Eastern Conference Records Singles: "The Best"/"The Queen"/"#13"
Black Candles (with the Juju Mob) Released: May 17, 2005 Label: Eastern Conference Records Singles: "No Chorus"/"My Squad"/"This"
Concrete Gospel Released: July 25, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles:

King Syze albums

Album information
Syzemology Released: June 13, 2006 Label: Brick Records Singles: "Spittin' Heavy"/"Band of Brothers"

Outerspace albums

Album information
Jedi Mind Tricks presents: Outerspace Released: May 25, 2004 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "We Lyve", "151"/"Divine Evil"
Blood & Ashes Released: July 27, 2004 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Top Shelf"/"Fire and Ice"
Blood Brothers Released: August 22, 2006 Label: Babygrande Records Singles: "Street Massacre"/"U Don't Like Me"

Reef the Lost Cauze albums

Album information
The High Life Released: 2002 Label: Black Maverick Entertainment Group, Inc. Singles:
Invisible Empire Released: January 1, 2003 Label: Gladiator Films Singles:
Feast or Famine Released: September 20, 2005 Label: Eastern Conference Records Singles: "Fair One"/"Give It Up"/Commander in Chief"

External links

• Jedi Mind Tricks Website or JMT Hiphop Website
• Babygrande Website
• Army of the Pharaohs MySpace page

AOTP Interview Series

• Vinnie Paz
• Jus Allah
• Planetary
• Crypt the Warchild
• Reef the Lost Cauze
• King Magnetic
• Doap Nixon
• Des Devious
• Demoz