Vinnie Paz

Vinnie Paz

Vincent Luvineri, better known as Vinnie Paz (formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram), is an American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs.

Originally taking the pseudonym of Ikon the Verbal Hologram, he later changed his name to Vinnie Paz (due to a disagreement with Philadelphia battle emcee iCON the Mic King), after the Rhode Island boxer Vinny Paz. Paz originally started rapping with fellow Jedi Mind Tricks member Stoupe in his basement. Paz is known for his raw and gritty lyrical delivery. This is partly due to the metal plates inserted inside his mouth, visible in several videos, such as Heavy Metal Kings feat. Ill Bill. His lyrics often focus on religion, the government and war. His more recent albums such as Servants in Heaven Kings in Hell shows a more obvious approach to politics and world issues. This gritty style of Paz became apparent with the release of Violent by Design, and has become progressively more defined since its release. Vinnie Paz has a number of aliases, including Louie Doggs, Vinnie Vicious, The Pazmanian Devil, Frank Vinatra (as told in On the Eve of War with GZA), and Vin Laden.

Raised Catholic, Vinnie Paz now practices the Islamic faith.

Paz was instrumental in forming the Army of the Pharaohs, an underground, East Coast hip hop group featuring himself, Apathy, Celph Titled, Chief Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric, Planetary & Crypt the Warchild (Outerspace), King Syze, Faez One, Jus Allah, Doap Nixon, Reef the Lost Cauze and Des Devious, although not every artist is on every track.

Vinnie appeared on Percee P's 2007 release, Perseverance. Paz along with Guilty Simpson are featured on the track "Watch Your Step" which was also released as the albums first single, having an instrumental and a cappella version along with it. He has also made several appearances on other artists' tracks, including Canibus, Sabac Red, Pumpkinhead, and Block McCloud. As a classically trained violist, Paz co-wrote and performed viola on tracks such as 'Age Of The Sacred Terror' and 'And So It Burns'. He is also classically trained on the xylophone and performed on the songs 'The Worst' and 'Verses of the Bleeding'.

Discography

Solo

• The Sound And The Fury (2006)
• The Assassin's Creed (TBA)

Jedi Mind Tricks

• Amber Probe EP (1996)
• The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness (1997)
• Violent by Design (2000)
• Visions of Gandhi (2003)
• Legacy of Blood (2004)
• Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell (2006)
• A History of Violence (2008)

Army Of The Pharaohs

• The Five Perfect Exertions EP (1998)
• Rare Shit, Collabos and Freestyles (Compilation Mixtape) (2003)
• The Torture Papers (2006)
• The Bonus Papers (Mixtape) (2006)
• After Torture There's Pain (Mixtape) (2007)
• Ritual of Battle (2007)
• The Unholy Terror (2010)

External links

• Interview with Vinnie Paz in the Vermont Cynic
• Jedi Mind Tricks' official website