Heavy Metal Kings

Ok, so follow me here. "Heavy Metal Kings" is a group consisting of Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks. Before they were an official group, this was a single put out in 2006 for Jedi Mind Tricks LP "Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell" which featured Ill Bill. At the time the single was pressed on plain blue vinyl and has been extinct forever. I never even remember hearing about it and they are pretty impossible to find. Turns out, that 100 copies turned out on a turquoise vinyl as a pressing plant mistake and were held back by Babygrande. They just reissued these this year and they sold out right away, but luckily I was able to snag one before they were gone. This is a true piece of rap history and I'm glad I scored a copy!

Looking AMAZING on turquoise marble out of /100. This is a classic track to a classic album. Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill, does it get any better than that? For you hardcore kids out there, both of these rappers have been down with the hardcore scene for years and give shout outs in a bunch of their lyrics. If you don't know Jedi Mind Tricks, Vinnie Paz, or Ill Bill then I suggest you go check that shit out ASAP. Below is the original music video for when this came out.

RSD 2013 Pt. 1: I Shot Reagan

Record Store Day 2013. I am going to keep this particular post with no whining and my real feelings on RSD. I will wait for that for the next post. Ultimately, I got a few releases that I was really excited for, but some of the ones I wanted most I missed out on. I'll give the whole story for that later...

Now let's get down to business. Here is a 7" release by New York's late 90's/early 00's underground hip hop group Non Phixion. Non Phixion consisted of Ill Bill, Goretex and Sabac Red. Their single "I Shot Reagan" is a classic and was originally released in 1998 and is very hard to find. Needless to say, when I saw this was being released I was super excited about it. This release is probably still available at my record store since most of those main stream bozos have no clue what this shit is. People were trying to ask me about it in line and I was very cranky, so I ended up telling some jack ass "Heard of google?".

Here I am whining on my non whiney post. Stay focused. This is an AWESOME single. Two of Non Phixion's hardest songs, and I am super happy they re-released this. This was one of the only bright spots of my RSD 2013.

Non Phixion obviously got the name from the Suicidal Tendencies song. Ill Bill is a big fan of hardcore and constantly referencing to hardcore songs/bands in his lyrics. For all you hardcore kids out there, you'll probably find this still weeks from now in your RSD leftovers bin at your local store and it is worth it to pick up for your first hip hop 7". Out of all the rap shit I have, this is my FIRST 7", because it's typically always on 12". My only gripe with this release is that they didn't release it on red or yellow vinyl, which I think would have gone so great with the cover. 

Heavenly Divine... Steadily Shine in '99

Here is one I had to go diggin' in the crates for. When I bought this almost 10 years ago and I had the choice of getting it on CD or LP, I am glad I opted for the LP. As a 15 year old kid, I am glad I had the insight of downloading the shit for free off the internet and owning a copy of it on vinyl. In my room I had a little shitty CD boom box, but for my record player I had my dads old stereo set up with two big ass Technic speakers and an old Technic record player. So basically I was faced with either A) listening to CD's on a shitty boom box or in my car, or B) listening to vinyl on some big ass speakers and rocking the fuck out. Needless to say, this very record got the neighbors coming pounding on my door telling me to keep that shit down on more than one occasion. 

Some say that Jedi Mind Tricks "Violent by Design" is their classic album. I believe it's Legacy of Blood, then Violent by Design, but to each its own. This is not the original 1999 pressing on Superegular Recordings, but the 2003 repress on Babygrande. Either way, you can't really find this release for under $50 dollars anymore. For a while these were going on ebay for upwards of $100 dollars!

 Here is my copy of the "Heavenly Divine" single on Superegular Recordings. Heavenly Divine is definitely the most well known song on the album, and probably still Jedi Mind Tricks most famous song. When this LP was recorded JMT consisted of Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah and Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind on production. After this release Jus Allah had a falling out from the group, and rejoined years later in 2008 on "A History of Violence". But its like when he came back his voice sounded all weird and way too gruff, so to me this release and his one solo album are the only releases where he actually sounds good. Check out Heavenly Divine below:

And check out one of Vinnie Paz's most recent solo tracks. For those of you that don't know Vinnie Paz is all about that hardcore shit, check him out repping that Trapped Under Ice and Terror merch:

Society is Brainwashed

So I haven't posted a hip hop post in forever. I really haven't bought any new hip hop vinyl in forever for one big reason; they never make any limited vinyl and it is always way over priced. Why do hip hop labels feel the need to charge $20-25 plus for a new release that is just a million copies on black vinyl. If hip hop labels got with it and started doing limited releases on color and variations of covers, I think the hip hop community would get back into vinyl. I can only dream. Here is a copy that my boy Robbie got me for my birthday in 2008. It's a double LP on black vinyl, with a bonus live DVD at CBGB's. One thing that I love about Ill Bill is his appreciation for hardcore and metal. For you Slayer freaks out there, he has a song on here that is the full autobiography of Slayer in a rap song. This album isn't nearly as good as his classic "What's Wrong With Bill?" and some of the songs on this aren't very good, but it still has enough quality work on it to make the purchase worth it.

Here is an old single I've had forever too, got to love the name and artwork! Check out Ill Bill kick some SERIOUS knowledge with DJ Premier on the production for the best track from Hour of Reprisal below:

"If Jesus Christ was a person then who was Mithra, who was Krishna? Who was the first to be baptised, crucified and resurrected? Betrayed and made into a martyr for someone else's redemption. Old men start wars for young dudes to die in, Madison Avenue telling you what you should be buyin'. Religion and science always profess peace but in the end who invented the deadly war machine? SOCIETY IS BRAINWASHED."

We be causin' a mosh pit like Cro-Mags at L'amours...

Here is my sealed copy of Heavy Metal Kings which is Vinny Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks and Ill Bill of Non-Phixion. Pretty solid album, I wouldn't say its a soon to be classic or anything like that, but one of the better hip hop releases of 2011. I'm surprised more hard core kids don't fuck with these dudes. They use a ton of hardcore references in their songs, which is fucking awesome. "I'm hardcore like Paul Bearer in Sheer Terror" - Vinnie Paz, or "Where to go, we gotta know, like Harley Flannagan" - Ill Bill.   Vinnie Paz is even rocking the Keepers of the Faith shirt on the back cover! My favorite song on this album is "Age Of Quarrel", with the "We be causin a mosh pit like Cro-Mags at L'amours" chorus, here it is below:

If you don't have anything by these guys I would recommend Jedi Mind Tricks "Legacy of Blood", "Visions of Ghandi" or "Violent by Design" or Ill Bill's "What's wrong with Bill?" first. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid release but some of the tracks seem rushed and in my opinion they should have just kept them on mix tapes. I bought this when I went to see them at Slim's in SF last year. They had Danny Diablo (Lord Ezec) from Skarhead/Crown of Thornz open for them on his hip hop shit, and wow that was really sad. He really needs to stay with the hardcore shit, he has no business at all in hip hop. I felt bad cause half the crowd was just clowning on him the entire time. Heres some footage from Heavy Metal Kings' set that night on my youtube channel: