Jedi Mind Tricks / Various

This album is hardcore cinematic aggression in the tradition of East coast posse cuts from the mid-’90s. Army of Pharoahs is made up of 12 different rappers, but it’s not a mix-tape. It’s an all-star showcase of some of the East coast’s most aggressive underground MCs. The Torture Papers features Apathy, Chief Kamanchi, Crypt the Warchild, Planetary, King Size, Reef the lost Cause, Faez One, Des Devious, Esoteric, 7L, Celph Titled, and Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks. All of the MCs keep it tight, because this project was a long time in the making, and these rappers all have real issues that beautifully manifest into gritty rap. Most of the tracks feature at least four MCs and range from straight up raw shit like "Tear it Down” to "Into the Arms Angels,” which is about past hardships and past broken families. The beats are tailored for the type of rap that is full of rugged personalities who all believe they’re the meanest and the nicest. Production is handled by an array of produces like 7L, Cleph Titled and others who contribute dark layered tracks that bump and adapt to the different MCs. This is probably the only album with so many MCs that actually works because all of its elements are focused on the sole objective of banging you in the head.