3 Under the Radar Albums

That's the beauty of underground hip-hop, there's some stuff you don't really see publicized and might not discover unless you really dig deep. You can find some of the best stuff just poking around iTunes. I was checking out their music store the other night and noticed a few albums I hadn't heard of or known much about. It might have been due to little publicity or maybe I was just sleeping on these but they definitely sound top notch based on the few preview tracks I heard. Army of the Pharaohs: Ritual of Battle This is an album presented by Jedi Mind Tricks, a sort of "meet our other rappers coming up" album. I discovered the Jedi group just last year on the "Servants in Heaven" album which I reviewed. The lyrics and beats they come up with are pure genius, using chilling symphonies and even children's music type vocals. This new album appears to feature their group member Vinnie Paz on most of the tracks and spotlights newer underground heads rapping. From the preview sounds, the beats are no let down, and most reviews indicated this album is worth the listen or buy. I also noticed an iTunes review titled, "Kanye's Graduation $9.99, this album - priceless". Jedi Mind Tricks Presents Army Of The Pharaohs MP3 album at Amazon.com. For Whom the Beat Tolls by Canibus A guy who should never slip under the radar, he's always been underrated, believe it or not. I've enjoyed his stuff since the early albums and the Mike Tyson cameo video he had during his beef with LL. He seemed to suffer from the lack of top production on his albums to accompany his wordplay. This album sounds more like it might be a mixtape of sorts, but again, great beats heard in the previews and Canibus is one of the most underrated lyricists in the game. It's 15 tracks deep with songs under 3 minutes and then some over 11 minutes long, including guest spots from Vinnie Paz (Jedi), Killa Priest and K-Solo. Overall, this may be the best of the 3 from what I heard. Getback by Little Brother This one probably just says I've been sleeping, because I should have known it was out. In fact I recall a friend telling me this would be their first outing without the skills of highly talented producer, 9th Wonder. This album's fairly new, and Little Brother is a group who raps in the tradition of some of my favorites including Jungle Brothers, De La Soul and Tribe. From the reviews I saw on Itunes, customers are liking this one, and alot. Some calling it another classic. I noticed a few head nodding tracks and this might be the type of album to grow on me. Getback [Explicit] MP3 album at Amazon.com. There you have 3 hip hop albums to check out while you're waiting for Jay-Z's much anticipated "American Gangster" to drop.

Review: "Servants in Heaven, Kingdoms in Hell" - Jedi Mind Tricks

"Servants in Heaven, Kingdoms in Hell" Jedi Mind Tricks (4.5 out of 5) Jedi Mind Tricks is an underground "horrorcore" group which offers clever lyrics and very well-constructed backdrops for each song's tale. The only mind trick this group has played has been not being more noticed and critically acclaimed in hip hop circles. Horrorcore is a part of rap that began many years ago and was labeled a gimmick and failing fad by many. It involves a more dark nature of tracks, discussing death, war, and other grim topics. Groups like Gravediggaz pulled it off well with their debut "Six Feet Under". Jedi Mind Tricks are not a group a lot know unless they listen to underground style rap. This certainly isn't your "MTV/TRL" type of group. On this album, the topics are very dark, hence the horrorcore. Most of the titles will say enough about this; "A Blood Red Path", "Serenity in Murder" and "Razorblade Salvation" should say enough. But don't let this fool you into thinking this is a "kill kill kill" murder rap group. Their lyrics are smart, on point and contain well thought metaphors.."falling like Owen Hart" or "grab the gun and point guard like Brevin Knight". The scenic backdrops for their various tracks are beats which include symphony style orchestras, choral singing and strings and pianos, and may remind you of Castlevania taken to a higher level. These are some of the better beats I've heard on a rap album this year, since Lupe Fiasco's "Food & Liquor". A standout cut for me has been "Outlive the War" which features Boot Camp Clik's Sean Price. The beat for this song is insane, as they rap over what sounds like an old school children's movie chorus but still manage to make a dark track through the lyrical content. "Black Winter Day" and "Razorblade Salvation" also have similar sped up choruses over amazingly hypnotic beats. If you haven't heard of this group, they are definitely worth checking out. Some may not agree with their style of horrorcore, but its hard to argue that these beats and lyrics are not amongst the most solid of the year.