Philadelphia hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks have been chopping together rage and righteousness for just about twelve years now—since their 1997 debut The Psycho-social, Chemical, Biological and Electromagnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness, demonstrating even then an early concern with mind tricks. 2008’s A History Of Violence struggled toward life through label disputes and the reintroduction of departed Jedi Jus Allah, but finds gravelly rapper Vinnie Paz as grim and pugilistic as ever. After fighting through the foxhole theology on closer “Death Messiah,” he decides that “at thirty years old I don’t have peace yet / and I ain’t get out of the belly of the beast yet.”
Fri., Aug. 21, 7 p.m., 2009
