Army of the Pharaohs
Encyclopedia
Army of the Pharaohs is a hip hop
supergroup
originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks
MC, Vinnie Paz
in 1998.
and producer/DJ 7L (of 7L and Esoteric fame). 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 without Virtuoso and Bahamadia. The group was now composed of Paz, Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric
, Outerspace
, Apathy
, Celph Titled
, Reef the Lost Cauze
, Des Devious, Faez One and King Syze. After years of anticipation, the group recorded their debut album, The Torture Papers. It was released in March 2006 on Babygrande Records
. The album was produced by AOTP affiliates such as DC the MIDI Alien, Undefined, Beyonder, Loptimist, 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 was a posse cut
featuring nine of the group's then ten members. The album debuted in the top 50 on Billboard
's Top Independent Album chart, and hit #42 on the magazine's Heatseekers chart. An unofficial continuation of The Torture Papers soon began circulating around the internet called The Bonus Papers. It was composed of tracks not released on the album.
The group's second album, titled Ritual of Battle
, was released on September 25, 2007. Ritual of Battle's single, Bloody Tears, featured a sample borrowed from the soundtrack of the video game series Castlevania
. The group added four new members for the album: Jedi Mind Tricks
member Jus Allah
, Doap Nixon, Demoz and King Magnetic. Apathy was not featured on Ritual of Battle as he was working on another project with Styles Of Beyond
.
On May 17, 2009, Apathy mentioned on his Myspace
blog a new AOTP album was completely finished. The album was titled The Unholy Terror
and was released on March 30, 2010. This album marked the return of Apathy and the addition of new AOTP members: Block McCloud and Journalist. Two songs, "Godzilla
" and "Contra Mantra", were released before the album. This album also marked the departure of Chief Kamachi who left the group because of business issues
.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks is a hip hop duo with Vinnie Paz from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Jus Allah from Camden, New Jersey. The group was founded by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and former producer/DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind...
MC, Vinnie Paz
Vinnie Paz (rapper)
Vincenzo Luvineri, better known as Vinnie Paz , is a Italian-American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks...
in 1998.
Recording history
The original incarnation of the group included five MCs: Vinnie Paz, Chief Kamachi, Esoteric, Virtuoso and Bahamadia, along with Jedi Mind Tricks producer Stoupe the Enemy of MankindStoupe the Enemy of Mankind
Kevin Baldwin, better known by his stage name as Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and member of the underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. His production is often the most acclaimed aspect of the group's work...
and producer/DJ 7L (of 7L and Esoteric fame). The group released their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
/single "The Five Perfect Exertions" b/w "War Ensemble" in 1998. Both tracks were later included on JMT's 2000 album Violent by Design
Violent By Design
Violent by Design is the second album by underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. Despite never reaching any Billboard album chart, the album sold 50,000 copies in its first week on shelves. . The album was originally released on JMT's self-run Superegular Records on October 3, 2000. JMT's...
; 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 without Virtuoso and Bahamadia. The group was now composed of Paz, Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric
7L & Esoteric
7L & Esoteric are a Boston-based hip-hop duo, notorious for battle rhymes and boom-bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/Producer and Esoteric the emcee.-History:...
, Outerspace
OuterSpace
OuterSpace is an underground hip hop duo from North Philadelphia. Originally a trio consisting of three Puerto Rican friends that then took the artist names Planetary, Jedeye and Crypt the Warchild...
, Apathy
Apathy (rapper)
Chad Bromley , better known as Apathy is an underground rapper and producer from Willimantic, Connecticut. He attended high school at various schools in Connecticut. He is a re-founding member and unofficial leader of the Demigodz crew...
, Celph Titled
Celph Titled
Celph Titled is an American hip hop solo artist, record producer and member of the hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, as well as the Demigodz Crew.-Biography:...
, Reef the Lost Cauze
Reef the Lost Cauze
Sharif Talib Lacey, better known as Reef The Lost Cauze, is a prominent underground hip hop artist based in Philadelphia. Aside from being a solo artist, Reef is a member of the hip hop group The JuJu Mob as well as the hip-hop collective, Army of the Pharaohs.-Career:Reef started battling other...
, Des Devious, Faez One and King Syze. After years of anticipation, the group recorded their debut album, The Torture Papers. It was released in March 2006 on Babygrande Records
Babygrande Records
Babygrande Records is an independent record label based in New York City founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by the The Orchard, and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood.-Discography:...
. The album was produced by AOTP affiliates such as DC the MIDI Alien, Undefined, Beyonder, Loptimist, and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
producer Shuko. The album featured the single "Tear It Down" b/w "Battle Cry", the former featuring a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, and the latter was a posse cut
Posse cut
A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Tracks described as posse cuts by Rolling Stone include A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario", "Tha Shit" by The D.O.C., "Doin' Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, and "Set It Off" by Snoop Dogg...
featuring nine of the group's then ten members. The album debuted in the top 50 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top Independent Album chart, and hit #42 on the magazine's Heatseekers chart. An unofficial continuation of The Torture Papers soon began circulating around the internet called The Bonus Papers. It was composed of tracks not released on the album.
The group's second album, titled Ritual of Battle
Ritual of Battle
Ritual of Battle is the second album by underground hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, released September 21, 2007 on Babygrande Records. The album features group members Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, Outerspace, Chief Kamachi, Reef the Lost Cauze, Esoteric, Celph Titled, King Syze, Des Devious,...
, was released on September 25, 2007. Ritual of Battle's single, Bloody Tears, featured a sample borrowed from the soundtrack of the video game series Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
. The group added four new members for the album: Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks is a hip hop duo with Vinnie Paz from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Jus Allah from Camden, New Jersey. The group was founded by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and former producer/DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind...
member Jus Allah
Jus Allah
Jus Allah is a New Jersey rapper who made his official debut on Jedi Mind Tricks second album Violent by Design in 2000. He is known for his aggressive lyrics that are commonly Afro-centric...
, Doap Nixon, Demoz and King Magnetic. Apathy was not featured on Ritual of Battle as he was working on another project with Styles Of Beyond
Styles of Beyond
Styles of Beyond is an underground rap group from the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The group consists of MCs Ryan Patrick Maginn and Takbir Bashir , Colton Raisin Fisher , and producer Jason Rabinowitz . They have released two LPs, one mixtape and were heavily featured on Mike...
.
On May 17, 2009, Apathy mentioned on his Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog a new AOTP album was completely finished. The album was titled The Unholy Terror
The Unholy Terror
The Unholy Terror is the third studio album by underground rap super group Army of the Pharaohs. The official street release date was March 30, 2010, but the album was released early on March 19, 2010 on UGHH.com. The album debuted in the Billboard 200 at number 179 selling 3,200 units in its first...
and was released on March 30, 2010. This album marked the return of Apathy and the addition of new AOTP members: Block McCloud and Journalist. Two songs, "Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
" and "Contra Mantra", were released before the album. This album also marked the departure of Chief Kamachi who left the group because of business issues
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
.
Album Appearances
| Rapper | The Torture Papers (2006) | Ritual of Battle Ritual of Battle Ritual of Battle is the second album by underground hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, released September 21, 2007 on Babygrande Records. The album features group members Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, Outerspace, Chief Kamachi, Reef the Lost Cauze, Esoteric, Celph Titled, King Syze, Des Devious,... (2007) |
The Unholy Terror The Unholy Terror The Unholy Terror is the third studio album by underground rap super group Army of the Pharaohs. The official street release date was March 30, 2010, but the album was released early on March 19, 2010 on UGHH.com. The album debuted in the Billboard 200 at number 179 selling 3,200 units in its first... (2010) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinnie Paz | |||
| Apathy Apathy (rapper) Chad Bromley , better known as Apathy is an underground rapper and producer from Willimantic, Connecticut. He attended high school at various schools in Connecticut. He is a re-founding member and unofficial leader of the Demigodz crew... |
|||
| Block McCloud | |||
| Celph Titled Celph Titled Celph Titled is an American hip hop solo artist, record producer and member of the hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, as well as the Demigodz Crew.-Biography:... |
|||
| Crypt the Warchild | |||
| Demoz | |||
| Doap Nixon | |||
| Esoteric 7L & Esoteric 7L & Esoteric are a Boston-based hip-hop duo, notorious for battle rhymes and boom-bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/Producer and Esoteric the emcee.-History:... |
|||
| King Magnetic | |||
| Jus Allah Jus Allah Jus Allah is a New Jersey rapper who made his official debut on Jedi Mind Tricks second album Violent by Design in 2000. He is known for his aggressive lyrics that are commonly Afro-centric... |
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| King Syze | |||
| Journalist Journalist (rapper) Journalist is an underground hip hop rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He gives much of the credit for his success to his mother who worked hard to raise 5 other family members. After graduating he went out to get a recording contract... |
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| Planetary Planetary Planetary means relating to a planet or planets. It can also refer to:* Planetary , a comic book series by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday* Planetary habitability, the measure of an astronomical body's potential to develop and sustain life... |
|||
| Reef the Lost Cauze Reef the Lost Cauze Sharif Talib Lacey, better known as Reef The Lost Cauze, is a prominent underground hip hop artist based in Philadelphia. Aside from being a solo artist, Reef is a member of the hip hop group The JuJu Mob as well as the hip-hop collective, Army of the Pharaohs.-Career:Reef started battling other... |
|||
| 7L 7L & Esoteric 7L & Esoteric are a Boston-based hip-hop duo, notorious for battle rhymes and boom-bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/Producer and Esoteric the emcee.-History:... |
|||
| Chief Kamachi | |||
| Faez One | |||
| Des Devious | |||
Albums
- 2006: The Torture Papers
- 2007: Ritual of BattleRitual of BattleRitual of Battle is the second album by underground hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, released September 21, 2007 on Babygrande Records. The album features group members Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, Outerspace, Chief Kamachi, Reef the Lost Cauze, Esoteric, Celph Titled, King Syze, Des Devious,...
- 2010: The Unholy TerrorThe Unholy TerrorThe Unholy Terror is the third studio album by underground rap super group Army of the Pharaohs. The official street release date was March 30, 2010, but the album was released early on March 19, 2010 on UGHH.com. The album debuted in the Billboard 200 at number 179 selling 3,200 units in its first...
- 2006: the bonus papers
Mixtapes/Compilations
- 2003: Rare Shit, Collabos and Freestyles (Compilation)
- 2006: The Bonus Papers (Mixtape)
- 2007: After Torture There's Pain (Mixtape)