Army of the Pharaohs
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| Army Of The Pharaohs | |
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 Army of the Pharaohs logo |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | Hip hop, Underground Rap |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Babygrande Enemy Soil |
| Associated acts | Jedi Mind Tricks, 7L & Esoteric, OuterSpace, Snowgoons, Ill Bill (La Coka Nostra), Get Busy Committee (GBC), Q-Demented (QD), Demigodz, Doe$Rakers |
| Website | http://www.jmthiphop.com/ |
| Members | Apathy Blacastan Block McCloud Celph Titled Crypt the Warchild (OuterSpace) Demoz Des Devious Doap Nixon Esoteric Journalist Jus Allah (Jedi Mind Tricks) King Magnetic King Syze Planetary (OuterSpace) Vinnie Paz (Jedi Mind Tricks) V-Zilla |
| Past members | 7L Virtuoso Bahamadia Chief Kamachi Faez One Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind Reef the Lost Cauze |
Army of the Pharaohs (most commonly abbreviated as AOTP) is a hip hop supergroup originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks MC Vinnie Paz in 1998. The group has strong links to other underground groups such as; OuterSpace, Snowgoons, La Coka Nostra and Jedi Mind Tricks. It has changed several times ever since its formation.[1]
Paz formed the outfit in the late '90s with the original roster of Bahamadia, Chief Kamachi, Virtuoso, 7L & Esoteric, plus Jedi Mind Tricks' other members Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and Jus Allah. The group first released the "Five Perfect Exertions" and "War Ensemble" 12" on Paz's short-lived Recordings in 1998, but then the underground supergroup remained silent for several years.[2] After a couple of successful Jedi Mind Tricks albums and a new deal with Babygrande by 2003, Paz resurrected the crew, adding OuterSpace, Celph Titled, Reef the Lost Cauze, King Syze, Des Devious, Faez One, and Apathy; however, Bahamadia, Virtuoso, and Jus Allah had defected from the group. Babygrande issued their "Tear It Down" 12" and full-length debut, The Torture Papers, in 2006. The 2007 follow-up album, Ritual of Battle, saw JMT protégés Doap Nixon and Demoz joining the Pharaohs, as well as a return by Jus Allah.[3]
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Recording history [edit]
The original incarnation of the group (1998 - 2003) [edit]
The original incarnation of the group included five MCs: Vinnie Paz, Chief Kamachi, Esoteric, Virtuoso and Bahamadia, along with Jedi Mind Tricks producer DJ 7L (of 7L & Esoteric fame). The group released their debut EP/single "The Five Perfect Exertions b/w War Ensemble" in 1998.[4] Both tracks were later included on Jedi Minds Tricks' 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.[5] In 2003, AOTP released their debut compilation album Rare Shit, Collabos and Freestyles.[6] It contained various tracks from members of the group.[7]
More additions to the supergroup, Torture Papers & Ritual of Battle (2004 - 2007) [edit]
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.[8] 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.[9]
The Unholy Terror (2008 - 2010) [edit]
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.[10] This album marked the return of Apathy and the addition of new AOTP members, Block McCloud & 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.
In Death Reborn (2011 - Present) [edit]
On December 27, 2011, Vinnie Paz announced from his Facebook page, "Army of the Pharaohs - In Death Reborn - 2012".[11] Early in 2012, Houston underground MC V-Zilla and Connecticut's own Blacastan (Demigodz) were added to the group, both artists have respectively made a name for themselves with their features and album releases in 2012. It has been said that the album will now be released in 2013 or later. Reef the Lost Cauze will not appear on the fourth album of the group.[12] The Army Of The Pharoahes will reunite for their fourth LP called In Death Reborn.[13] As of April 2013, through the official Facebook Page of Army of the Pharaohs, it was posted "New album is not finished. Don't know when it will be finished. Will let you know when there's a release date. No need for further questions."[14]
Album appearances [edit]
| Rapper | The Torture Papers (2006) | Ritual of Battle (2007) | The Unholy Terror (2010) | In Death Reborn (TBA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinnie Paz | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apathy | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Blacastan | No | No | No | Yes |
| Block McCloud | No | No | Yes | |
| Celph Titled | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Crypt the Warchild | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Demoz | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Doap Nixon | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Esoteric | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| King Magnetic | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Jus Allah | No | Yes | Yes | |
| King Syze | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Planetary | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Reef the Lost Cauze | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 7L | Yes | No | No | |
| Chief Kamachi | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Faez One | Yes | No | No | |
| Des Devious | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Journalist | No | No | Yes | |
| V-Zilla | No | No | No | Yes |
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- 2006: The Torture Papers
- 2007: Ritual of Battle
- 2010: The Unholy Terror[15]
- TBA: In Death Reborn[16]
EP's [edit]
Compilations [edit]
Mixtapes [edit]
- 2006: The Bonus Papers[19]
- 2007: After Torture There's Pain
References [edit]
- ^ Music Thread | Celph Titled and Buckwild
- ^ in.com
- ^ Army of the Pharoahs on Answers Written by Cyril Cordor, Rovi
- ^ That Realness, Army of the Pharaohs EP
- ^ Army of the Pharaohs on Last.FM
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Army-Of-The-Pharaohs-Rare-Shit-Collabos-and-Freestyles/release/810368
- ^ XHELLZ
- ^ Underground Hip Hop Store
- ^ JMTHIPHOP
- ^ Conspiracy Worldwide Radio October 2010 Uncensored Interview with Celph Titled
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/shariflacey/posts/4226755398087?comment_id=4066555&offset=0&total_comments=122
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/shariflacey/posts/4226755398087?comment_id=4066555&offset=0&total_comments=122
- ^ Planetary and Paz are recording
- ^ AOTP
- ^ "Army Of The Pharaohs - The Unholy Terror - Audio CD - Underground Hip Hop - Store". Underground Hip Hop. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
- ^ "Army Of The Pharaohs - In Death Reborn originally due 2012 - Still not released -". Hip Hop Site. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
- ^ That Realness, Army of the Pharaohs EP
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Army-Of-The-Pharaohs-Rare-Shit-Collabos-and-Freestyles/release/810368
- ^ Army Pharaohs - Bonus Papers
External links [edit]
- Official AOTP site
- Enemy Soil AOTP Page
- Army of the Pharaohs on Myspace
- Babygrande Website
- Vinnie Paz and Julian Voss 2006
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