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An Interview with Vinnie from Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks' front man Vinnie Paz took some time to speak with us about the early days of his career, the group, and the latest album. As well as some of his memories of the early hip-hop scene in Philly.
La Famiglia- What did you want to be when you grew up.
Vinnie Paz- I guess from as early as I can remember I only saw to options in my life, and those were music and boxing. I knew those were the only two things that would make me happy. I knew earlier than most kids that 9 to 5 shit was not for me.
La Famiglia- Was boxing a big part of your life growing up in Philly?
Vinnie Paz-Absolutely, the boxing wars and the gym wars in Philly are legendary. It’s one of the greatest fight towns ever man. Ever since I was old enough to talk I remember watching the fights with my pop.
La Famiglia- How did your family feel about your plans for the future?
Vinnie Paz-Being in an Italian family from Philadelphia, I don’t think either road would have been something that could easily understand. Coming from people that would just work from generation after generation going back to Italy, ya know what I mean. So anything that wasn’t traditional or 9 to 5 oriented I think they had a hard time wrapping their heads around. My Pop was on some O.G. shit man. They were always cool with it but I don’t know if they were ever cool with the idea of me doing it for a living or whatever. My father passed away in ’88. After that I started wylin, I think my mom started seeing music as the only thing that could keep me level headed.
La Famiglia- What were your early influences of hip-hop in Philly and how have they influenced you?
Vinnie Paz-Lady B had a radio show every Sunday and she played real raw shit. That molded me as a child and it still stays with to this day. I remember hearing “This Cut’s Got Flavor”, by Latee, it was produced by DJ Mark the 45 King. And I consciously remember being like, yo..I wanna do this, I think I can do this. Philadelphia being only ninety miles from New York. Philly was very instrumental in those early days anyways. It was just what was around me. Then having brothers that were eleven to twelve years older than me, I was sort of exposed to more music than the average kid my age.
La Famiglia- Some people would say that your voice and overall sound is possibly somewhat offensive or aggressive. Would you say that you use this as a tool?
Vinnie Paz-Absolutely man, I feel that if we are surrounded by the anger and aggression, I think that people are a product of their environment. Not just locally, but globally. The state of global affairs over the last ten to fifteen years, we’ve always tried to hold the mirror up to the culture. It’s aggressive and angry because that’s how we feel about things. There’s ways that you can deal with that anger and aggression. Some people deal with it in certain ways and end up dead. Certain people deal with it certain ways and end up in jail. But if you can harness it and be creative with it then it turns itself in to a positive even though it stemmed from a negative.
La Famiglia- What would you like to say to the people about your music?
Vinnie Paz-I think a lot of artists try to sell themselves as artists that have something for everybody. But I’m not a bullshit artist, so I can’t say that. I don’t feel like we have something for everybody. If you like hardcore aggression, east-coast rugged boom bap shit, than you’ll like our shit. If you like soft shit and you want motha fuckers rhyming about flowers and granola bars you’re not going to like our shit! If you want to hear aggression or anger towards politics, the war, justice, and stuff like that then you might be interested in what we do. But like I said, I’m not in the business of bullshitting people and trying to get them to buy my shit knowing that they might not like it if they’re not in to punch you in the face type of shit.
La Famiglia- Jedi Mind Tricks just released a new album. What was your mind frame going in to writing and recording this album?
The recording of this record was being done during one of the most important times and climates of the past hundred years. With the war, the election, and the possibility of the first black man going into The Whitehouse. I guess my mind state was, I was angry because I felt that there was no way they were going to let Obama win. And I was wrong, and I’m very happy I was wrong. Police brutality is at an all time high, at least where I’m from. I’m pissed about that. I’m pissed of that there is thousands of young kids dying in a war that really is a phantom war. Those are the things that were going through my mind as I was going into this record. Not just creatively, but on a personal level.
La Famiglia- Who has been involved with this new record?
Vinnie Paz- It’s kind of been the same people the past sixteen or seventeen years. It’s me and Stoup, our engineer, Scott Stallone, and Jus Allah’s back on this record. But it’s pretty much the same pieces of the puzzle every time around, that’s why we really haven’t strayed from what we do.
La Famiglia- How did Jedi Mind Tricks come about
Vinnie Paz-I was rhyming with this kid, this other Italian kid. And he was like, “Yo, this Puerto Rican kid just moved from North Philly, he’s crazy with the beats.” At that time we knew a couple kids that were making beats, this was like ’92, but no one that was really moving us. If we were going to be successful or even make a serious run at the music shit we needed a real producer behind us. He knew Stoup for a little while, and Stoupe had moved from North Philly. We went to his crib and he basically had two turntables and a mixer with the eight-second sampler. He was just playing beats of a cassette and they were just incredible. In knew from there that was just going to be it. Eventually the kid that introduced us sort of lost his interest because he was going away to college to be an English professor. So that just left me and Stoupe and then soon after that I met Jus Allah at a house party in Philly just rhyming. It was really just me and him just cutting every one’s heads off. After that it was me, Jus, and Stoupe and we just started making demos and the rest is history.
La Famiglia- Were there any issues in the early days in regards to the color of your skin?
Vinnie Paz-The thing now, every white kid is a raps, every white kid produces, every white kid is DJ or a promoter. I don’t know how those kids have to deal with things now because it’s become so globalized that everyone thinks they can do everything. But back then that shit was unheard of! The only people that would ever really come out on any level were the Beasties and Third Base. I didn’t really deal with issues because we were battling and we were carving people’s fucking heads off. The way Philly was and where we lived everyone knew each other. The Roots back then, they were called The Square Roots. I knew Malik B and Tariq, everyone was still rhyming on the streets because Philly hadn’t really jumped off yet. A lot of the people that are successful to this day were around then. Beanie, Freeway and dudes like that, Peedi Crack, these were dudes you would just see all the time. Ya know what I mean? I never really dealt with it simply based on the fact that I was the only motherfucker out there rhyming with these dudes.
La Famiglia- There seems to be a common opinion that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding in hip-hop culture. What are your thoughts about this matter?
Vinnie Paz-Yeah, when we do shows and it’s Reaf the Lost Cause then fifteen minute break, then OuterSpace then a fifteen minute break, during these breaks we’re spinning records and the crowds of kids don’t even know what the records are. We’re playing EPMD, or Craig G, or Juice Crew, Rakim, Shabaz and shit like that and these kids don’t know anything about that. That frustrates the shit out of me! That they think a lot of this shit is being made today like this alternative type of shit is what real hip-hop is. I don’t pretend to be smart enough to fix that problem. I just know that it is a problem. Yeah, it frustrates the shit out of me, but every kid can’t be born in the South Bronx, Philly, or can’t be born in the 70’s. A lot of these kids aren’t only 80’s babies but they’re late 80’s babies. I’m not really sure. I just do my part by mentioning these artists as much as I can whether in rhymes, interviews, or exposing them to the music in between sets with my DJ. But there is a dramatic lack of knowledge and understanding and it’s probably why they listen to the bullshit that they listen to. If you’ve never heard of EPMD or Nice and Smooth, or the Hilltop Hustlers, or 3 Times Dope you’re not going to gravitate towards the rugged shit, you’re going gravitate towards this fagot shit kids are making.
La Famiglia- Do you have any advice for aspiring MC's or artists?
Vinnie Paz-I don’t think anyone wants any advice from me, because everyone that comes out is garbage to me. So my advice is to quit and stop ruining the shit I use to enjoy being a part of! That’s my advice! There’s no fans anymore yo! There are no fans anymore and there is no separation between the fan and the artist. I’m not dissing anyone. I’m not saying that they don’t have the right to do whatever they want to do with their life. But there was much more of an understanding that a motherfucker was whack and that they should quit back in the day.
La Famiglia- Last words…
Vinnie Paz-No, I’m not really good at being a shameless self-promoter. I appreciate you taking out you taking the time and I appreciate the love all yall are giving us and letting me talk about some things. If we’re in your city, come through.
Links
www.myspace.com/jedimindtricks
www.jmthiphop.com
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