Vinnie Paz

Underground rapper Vinnie Paz is known for his aggressive personality, gruff voice, and violent, uncompromising lyrics. His subject matter frequently includes conspiracy theories, war, the paranormal, and religion, often reflecting his Muslim faith. Initially known as part of the group Jedi Mind Tricks and the larger Army of the Pharaohs collective, he released his first solo album, Season of the Assassin, in 2010, and formed Heavy Metal Kings with Ill Bill (Non Phixion, La Coka Nostra) the same year. Remaining active with all of these projects, Paz continued issuing solo material, including 2012's God of the Serengeti and 2021's Burn Everything That Bears Your Name. Born Vincenzo Luvineri in Sicily, Italy, but raised in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, Paz formed Jedi Mind Tricks in 1996 with his high-school friend, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. Two years later he would launch the Army of the Pharaohs project, a loose group with Paz as the only constant, as everyone from Bahamadia to Esoteric would rotate through the ranks over the next decade. A Paz single, "Raw Is War," appeared in 2000, but it wasn't until ten years later that he would return to his solo career, this time in earnest with the release of the Season of the Assassin album and Prayer for the Assassin EP. A year later, he partnered with Ill Bill for the Paz/Bill album Heavy Metal Kings, while 2012 saw Paz's sophomore solo effort, God of the Serengeti, land with Mobb Deep, R.A. the Rugged Man, and DJ Premier all on the guest list. A second solo EP, Carry on Tradition, arrived in 2013, before Paz would return his focus to his side crews in the years that followed. In 2014, Army of the Pharaohs released a pair of LPs, In Death Reborn and Heavy Lies the Crown. The next year, Jedi Mind Tricks' eighth release, The Thief and the Fallen, was issued. Four years after his prior solo jaunt, Paz unveiled his third LP, The Cornerstone of the Corner Store, in 2016. Heavy Metal Kings' second album, Black God White Devil, appeared in 2017. Released independently on his own Enemy Soil label, like most of solo output, Cornerstone featured guest verses by Ghostface Killah, Ras Kass, Pharaohs comrade Demoz, Stoupe, and Malik B from the Roots. In 2018, Paz issued the solo album The Pain Collector. Camouflage Regime, a collaboration with Tragedy Khadafi, appeared in 2019. Paz released the solo album As Above So Below and mixtape Savor the Kill in 2020. Burn Everything That Bears Your Name, with guests including Chino XL, M.A.V., and Crimeapple, arrived in 2021. ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi