Visions of Gandhi is the third studio album from underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, and their first album on the Babygrande record label. Jus Allah split from the group after the release of their album Violent by Design (2000), returning the group back to its original lineup of Vinnie Paz, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and DJ Drew Dollars. Producer Stoupe expands his dark sounds, including beats with grand orchestral samples and Latin-tinged production. Vinnie Paz lessens his lyrical topics to focus on his thug persona. Album guests include Canibus, Kool G Rap, Percee P, Ras Kass, and Tragedy Khadafi, as well as underground peers Crypt the Warchild, Planetary of OuterSpace, and Non Phixion members Ill Bill, Sabac Red, and Goretex.
| Visions of Gandhi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 26, 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 63:25 | |||
| Label | Babygrande | |||
| Producer | Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind | |||
| Jedi Mind Tricks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Visions of Gandhi | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllHipHop |   [1] |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable)[3] |
| Pitchfork Media | 4.9/10[4] |
| RapReviews | 9/10[5] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| The Situation | 3/5[7] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[8] |
Title significance
editThe album title was inspired by Foxy Brown's verse on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' 1996 album It Was Written, in which she raps "They praise Allah with visions of Gandhi". Vinnie Paz explained that it was "always something that stuck in my head but I never applied it to anything. Then I thought with everything going on in Palestine, the war with Iraq, Mumia's in jail. I just felt this is a time right now that the world and society need someone like Gandhi. So Visions of Gandhi just kind of reflects that."[9]
Track listing
edit| # | Title | Featured performer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | 1:06 | |
| 2 | "Tibetan Black Magicians" | Canibus | 4:50 |
| 3 | "Blood in Blood Out"[nb 1] | 4:06 | |
| 4 | "The Rage of Angels" | Crypt the Warchild | 3:22 |
| 5 | "Demonwomb (Interlude)" | 0:37 | |
| 6 | "Animal Rap" | Kool G Rap | 3:39 |
| 7 | "Nada Cambia" | 4:58 | |
| 8 | "A Storm of Swords" | Planetary | 4:00 |
| 9 | "Boondock Saints (Interlude)" | 0:37 | |
| 10 | "The Wolf"[nb 2] | Ill Bill, Sabac Red | 3:45 |
| 11 | "Walk With Me" | Percee P | 3:26 |
| 12 | "Rise of the Machines" | Ras Kass | 2:50 |
| 13 | "Pity of War (Interlude)" | 1:14 | |
| 14 | "Kublai Khan" | Tragedy Khadafi, Goretex | 3:37 |
| 15 | "What's Really Good" | Rocky Raez | 3:22 |
| 16 | "The Heart of Darkness (Interlude)" | 0:52 | |
| 17 | "Raw Is War 2003"[nb 3] | 17:04 | |
| 17a | "I Against I (Revisited)" | OuterSpace | |
| 17b | "Animal Rap (Micky Ward Mix)" | Kool G Rap | |
| 17c | "The Army" | Esoteric, King Syze |
Charts
edit| Chart (2003)[10] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Heatseekers | 19 |
| US Independent Albums | 11 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 61 |
Notes
edit- ^ Samples from Tolis Voskopoulos – "Ke si tha figis" (intro) and Edita Piekha – "Our Neighbor" (main)
- ^ Sound effects and dialogue from the video game Max Payne
- ^ Samples from Javier Solís – "Tú Voz"
- "Blood in Blood out" samples "Ki Esy Tha Fygeis" ("Και Συ Θα Φύγεις") by Tolis Voskopoulos, "Ego Trippin'" by Ultramagnetic MC's, "Lyrics of Fury" by Eric B. & Rakim, "I Don't Care" by Audio Two, "Flava in Ya Ear" by Craig Mack, and "Piosenka o sasiedzie" by Irena Santor
- "Animal Rap" samples "Coma" by Dave Grusin
- "The Rage of Angels" samples "Nothing Else" by Archive
- "Boondock Saints" samples "The Escape" by Burgess Meredith
- "A Storm of Swords" samples "La Cumparsita" by 101 Strings
- "The Wolf" samples sound effects, score and dialogue from the 2001 video game, Max Payne
- "Heart of Darkness" samples Mike's speech from Twin Peaks
- "Kublai Khan" samples "Winter Warz" by Ghostface Killah
- "Raw is War 2003" samples "Tu Voz" by Javier Solis
References
edit- ^ AllHipHop review
- ^ Visions of Gandhi at AllMusic
- ^ The A.V. Club review
- ^ Pitchfork review
- ^ RapReviews review
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Jedi Mind Tricks". Robert Christgau.
- ^ The Situation review
- ^ Sputnikmusic review
- ^ Joel & Andy."Art of Rhyme". Archived from the original on January 28, 2006. Retrieved January 28, 2006.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) . Art of Rhyme. Accessed April 13, 2008. - ^ allmusic ((( Visions of Gandhi > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums ))). Allmusic. Accessed April 13, 2008.