Visions of Gandhi

The menacing, cryptic style of Philly boys Vinnie Paz and Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind has served them well on cult classics The Psycho-Social CD and Violent By Design, making them champions of the underground. On the highly anticipated Visions of Gandhi it's Stoupe's production--split evenly between moody, down-tempo beats and not-quite-commercial, mariachi- and salsa-inflected rhythms--that once again carries the day. Unfortunately, the lyrical content--a mélange of clichéd hip-hop signifiers and mixed religious metaphors--just can't match up to Stoupe's beats. The copious guest appearances (including Kool G Rap, Non Phixion, and Ras Kass) are sure to draw curious bystanders to JMT's special brand of esoterica, but they can't hide the fact that lyrically the duo seems to have lost a bit of their visionary edge. If you’re looking for dope Stoupe beats with lyrics to match, you might do better to check out another 2003 Stoupe production, Canibus’s Rip the Jacker. --Rebecca Levine