Your Veridict 2.0: Week 12

[trashcanman]

Wait, is this my final week already? Well, I suppose I should make the most of it by combining two genres at once. Now, if there is a word combination that strikes terror into the hearts of high class listeners it's "rap metal". But hear me out. Seeing that the roots of this style lies with the likes of legendary acts like Public Enemy and Anthrax, you'd think that awesomeness would ensue. The aggressiveness of hardcore hip-hop and the similar energy of metal were just an obvious mix. But somewhere along the line, white MC's came into the mix, and even the talented ones like Eminem and MC Lars came across as cartoonish. Enter Limp Bizkit and their like; and just like that the combination of rap and metal became a joke about jocks with backward baseball caps and moronic lyrics. Well, Jedi Mind Tricks had enough of that shit.

JMT aren't a band, mind you, but a straightforward rap group more known for mixing creative sampling and grooves with frontman Vinnie Paz's horrorcore lyrics. However, even if the use of metal in their music is sparse, Paz constantly peppers his rhymes with metal references and maintains the philosophy that the energy of hardcore rap and metal are the same. And here's the thing: I had no clue these guys were even white when I heard them. Paz just has an awesome voice and some of the groups affiliates like Ill Bill and R.A. the Rugged Man (both featured in this video, though R.A. sadly does not have a verse in the song) are legit MCs of terrifying ability. Mark your calendars. This crew is the exact moment when white hip hop became the real deal.

The song I chose is a remix of the single "Heavy Metal Kings" from the "Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell" album. The original track was cool, but it's just a plain fact that the metal guitar of the remix puts this tune into the stratosphere of badassery. Enjoy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxuX_aN5VSI

[The Curmudgeon]

And this is what modern hip hop lacks - a song that kicks your ass by a band who could kick your ass. Cool track, but the over saturation of the genre back in the day means it's nothing that I haven't really heard before. I think the best part is the end rap with the talk about how "the government could cure you of AIDS." You didn't hear that shit on a Limp Bizkit song.

Gotta say, though, Trash - "this crew is the exact moment when white hip hop became the real deal"..



Surely?

[Quillford]

What a Your Verdict it was too. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! This week I don't think i'd pick it up in a shop. It's not bad at all, just not my taste I believe but given the right situation I think just maybe I could rock it. I shall listen to it more Still, a thumbs up (Y)

[trashcanman]

Thanks, guys. Here's a disturbing thing for you: this is a direct link to the US Patent and Trademark Office website.

patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5676977.PN.&OS=PN/5676977&RS=PN/5676977

Not all conspiracy theories are theories. Some of them have bonafide government documents explicitly detailing the "conspiracy" and all they have to do render it a "theory" for crazies, is not report it in the mainstream media or just plain deny it. They know most of us are too complacent to do the research or listen to anyone who has.

Back to the music, though, JMT is one of the most successful independent groups out there with record sales almost at the half million mark. That's not fucking bad for writing, recording, producing, and distributing your own records. Even if the metal thing doesn't do it for you, keep in mind that that's the only track of theirs I've heard that would qualify as rap-metal. If you want some hard-nosed rap with some really different musical tracks, than Jedi Mind Tricks is a good place to start.