The Torture Papers

by John Bush Since their debut, Jedi Mind Tricks have invited a legion of guest rappers to their full-lengths, and Army of the Pharaohs could well be the dénouement; under the billing "Army of the Pharaohs," nearly a dozen different rappers make a total of 50 appearances (all those on just 13 tracks). Also, the record apparently has a concept behind it (from the subtitle "The Torture Papers," at least), but neither Vinnie Paz nor Stupe nor any of the guests ever enlighten listeners about what the concept is, or what it means. (The best bet is yet more conspiracy theories, perhaps wrapped up with some Egyptology, and endless Middle Eastern war.) The only things left to glean from this record are the performances and the productions. As for the productions, it's mostly the usual horrorcore rap, already heard on all of JMT's many full-lengths (itself cribbed from old Gravediggaz or Wu-Tang records). The performances aren't much better, although four of the guests -- the great Esoteric, Apathy, and Celph Titled, plus producer 7L -- do make things interesting on their best appearances: "The Torture Papers," "Listen Up," and "King Among Kings."