Army of the Pharaohs

Army of the Pharaohs

The original incarnation of the group (+ Ill Bill) in 2006.
Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres Hip hop, Underground Rap
Years active 1998–present
Labels Babygrande
Enemy Soil
Associated acts Jedi Mind Tricks, Demigodz, 7L & Esoteric, Outerspace, Snowgoons, Ill Bill (La Coka Nostra), Get Busy Committee (GBC), Doe Rakers, QD
Members
Apathy
Block McCloud
Celph Titled
Crypt the Warchild (Outerspace)
Demoz
Des Devious
Doap Nixon
Esoteric
Journalist
Jus Allah (Jedi Mind Tricks)
King Magnetic
King Syze
Planetary (Outerspace)
Reef the Lost Cauze
Vinnie Paz (Jedi Mind Tricks)
Past members
7L
Virtuoso
Bahamadia
Chief Kamachi
Faez One
Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (Jedi Mind Tricks)

Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP or A.O.T.P.) is a hip hop supergroup originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks MC, Vinnie Paz in 1998.

Contents

Recording history

The original incarnation of the group included five MCs: Vinnie Paz, Chief Kamachi, Esoteric, Virtuoso and Bahamadia, along with Jedi Mind Tricks producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and producer/DJ 7L (of 7L and Esoteric fame). The group released their debut EP/single "The Five Perfect Exertions" b/w "War Ensemble" in 1998. Both tracks were later included on JMT's 2000 album Violent by Design; with "The Five Perfect Exertions" being remixed into "Exertions Remix", and both "Exertions" and "War Ensemble" shedding Chief Kamachi's appearance. The Army of the Pharaohs project was put on the back-burner while JMT's career took off.

The group wouldn't return until 2005 without Virtuoso and Bahamadia. The group was now composed of Paz, Kamachi, 7L & Esoteric, Outerspace, Apathy, Celph Titled, Reef the Lost Cauze, Des Devious, Faez One and King Syze. After years of anticipation, the group recorded their debut album, The Torture Papers. It was released in March 2006 on Babygrande Records. The album was produced by AOTP affiliates such as DC the MIDI Alien, Undefined, Beyonder, Loptimist, and German producer Shuko. The album featured the single "Tear It Down" b/w "Battle Cry", the former featuring a music video, and the latter was a posse cut featuring nine of the group's then ten members. The album debuted in the top 50 on Billboard's Top Independent Album chart, and hit #42 on the magazine's Heatseekers chart. An unofficial continuation of The Torture Papers soon began circulating around the internet called The Bonus Papers. It was composed of tracks not released on the album.

The group's second album, titled Ritual of Battle, was released on September 25, 2007. Ritual of Battle's single, Bloody Tears, featured a sample borrowed from the soundtrack of the video game series Castlevania. The group added four new members for the album: Jedi Mind Tricks member Jus Allah, Doap Nixon, Demoz and King Magnetic. Apathy was not featured on Ritual of Battle as he was working on another project with Styles Of Beyond.

On May 17, 2009, Apathy mentioned on his Myspace blog a new AOTP album was completely finished. The album was titled The Unholy Terror and was released on March 30, 2010. This album marked the return of Apathy and the addition of new AOTP members: Block McCloud and Journalist. Two songs, "Godzilla" and "Contra Mantra", were released before the album. This album also marked the departure of Chief Kamachi who left the group because of business issues.

On December 27, 2011, Vinnie Paz announced from his Facebook page, "Army of the Pharaohs - In Death Reborn - 2012".

Album Appearances

Rapper The Torture Papers (2006) Ritual of Battle (2007) The Unholy Terror (2010)
Vinnie Paz Yes Yes Yes
Apathy Yes No Yes
Block McCloud No No Yes
Celph Titled Yes Yes Yes
Crypt the Warchild Yes Yes Yes
Demoz No Yes Yes
Doap Nixon No Yes Yes
Esoteric Yes Yes Yes
King Magnetic No Yes Yes
Jus Allah No Yes Yes
King Syze Yes Yes Yes
Journalist No No Yes
Planetary Yes Yes Yes
Reef the Lost Cauze Yes Yes Yes
7L Yes No No
Chief Kamachi Yes Yes No
Faez One Yes No No
Des Devious Yes Yes Yes

Discography

Albums

EP's

Mixtapes/Compilations

References

1. http://www.musicthread.net/2010/12/21/celph-titled-and-buckwild-%E2%80%93-nineteen-ninety-now-album-review/

External links