The main purpose of heading into the city was to see Jedi Mind Tricks, Mr. Lif, Outerspace, and a personal acquaintance and local DC rapper, K-Beta, perform at 9:30 club. I discovered JMT in the 8th grade, and while I do not consider them my favorite Hip-Hop artists by any means, they were extremely influential on me. They are one of the most successful independent Hip-Hop groups and have an enormous cult following in Philadelphia, The underground hip-hop scene, and Skateboard scene. Their 2000 Album Violent By Design is considered by most to be the prototype of all underground hip-hop albums to date and its one of my top 5 favorite albums ever. They have a tendency to pair up Hardcore lyrics and anarchist undertones with mythical and fantasy imagery. and their in house producer, Stoupe, has the most unique sound of any producer since RZA. He has a tendency for sampling Orchestra and Classical music and putting it over top of drums and bass. He also uses a lot of Latin American samples. While it's difficult to call him the greatest producer ever, because his relatively small commercial success and tendency to be a recluse wont ever get him much critical acclaim from mainstream critics, I definitely feel safe saying he has the most complex style of any hip-hop producer. Every fan of underground hip-hop needs to hear the album Violent By Design at some point.
This would be the second time I saw them live, the first time was in Baltimore back in September. I enjoyed this concert the most, because I stayed for the whole thing, and was literally right on the stage for the entire concert. The entire venue was pretty much packed for the entire show.
I'm also excited to say JMT frontman Vinnie Paz has a solo album on the way and the lead single is a collaboration with Virginia Beach Duo Clipse, another one of my favorite Hip-hop acts. It's so amazing to hear two of your favorite acts collaborate together, especially when their musical styles are different. Here is the single, Street Wars:
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