The Thief and the Fallen.

When you think about hardcore hip-hop it’s hard not to think of Jedi Mind Tricks. They brought the genre from the sleepy depths where groups like Gravediggaz and Non-Phixion ruled supreme in the early-mid 90s, and put a creative spin on it that at once made it more widely accessible but no less true to the sound. They showed the underground that you can use violin, brass and Spanish guitar sounds and still spit the rawest lyrics your depraved mind can think of. With The Thief and the Fallen they come back in a big way to remind us all that not only are they still here, they might be as strong as they ever have been.

JMT started in Philly in the mid-90s but didn’t release their first album, The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness, until ’97. Although the album is rough around the edges and almost unknown but to the most devout fans, it laid the groundwork for the bizarre yet brilliant style that would emerge from their later works. The main trio, emcees Vinnie Paz and Jus Allah with producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, would hit their stride in the early 2000’s with the albums Violent by Design, Visions of Gandhi and Legacy of Blood. With Vinnie’s ghoulish flow, Jus’s deep cutting lyrics and Stoupe’s groundbreaking beats, Jedi Mind became a staple for any underground head regardless of how hard they liked their rap. Recent years brought a dip in their music, especially with the temporary departure of Stoupe, but his return has harkened what appears to be a new era for the group with one of their strongest albums in a decade.

The Thief and the Fallen starts off so powerfully it feels as if all the need to collaborate that Paz and Stoupe must have felt over their years apart is finally being released into the world like a tsunami. Quoting Inspectah Deck’s verse from Assassination Day, the aptly titled Poison in the Birth Water sets the tone for the album, with their vitriolic flow contaminating your brain from track one. The fast paced hits continue with Rival the Eminent, resurrecting Stoupe’s propensity to use classical instrument samples to overlay his punch bag tempo. The album alternates between slow and fast, like quicksand and waterfalls, antithetical but equally dangerous. Fraudulent Cloth reminds us that the dark emo-rap still lingers with the group (and again Eamon pops up on the hardcore scene), while The Kingdom That Worshipped the Dead shows us they still try new styles of collaborations, with Dilated Peoples taking a lead role. My flagship song for this album has to be And God Said to Cain because of the featuring of up-and-comer A-F-R-O, a 16 year old lyrical wunderkind discovered by his hero R.A. the Rugged Man (also featured on the track) just recently. It’s not the undeniable best track on the album but that JMT got together to try and launch this kid’s career shows that under the anger and hate lies a goodness that I think all Jedi fans recognise.

This album has not just renewed my faith in the group, but keeps me optimistic for the future of hip-hop. When the old-school passes on its knowledge to the new kids on the block, and that chain of musical skill and learning remains unbroken, greatness continues. So here’s to the legends, here’s to the new wave, and here’s a great album that will remind you when Jedi Mind Tricks is playing, these are the songs you’re looking for.