Stoupe The Enemy of Mankind - The Decalogue

[DirtMcgehrk]

01. Allison James (Feat. Slaine)
02. When The Sun Goes Down (Feat. Saigon)
03. Evil Deeds (Feat. Des Devious & Jus Allah)
04. The Truth (Feat. Supastition)
05. That's Me (Feat. Joell Ortiz)
06. The Torch (Feat. King Magnestic & Reef The Lost Cauze AKA The King and the Cauze)
07. Speakeasy (Feat. Outerspace)
08. Transition of Power (Feat. M.O.P.)
09. Independence Day (Feat. Block McCloud)
10. Find A Way (Feat. Lorrie Doriza)

[DirtMcgehrk]

Well, this can officially be labeled as one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Stoupe The Enemy of Mankind has been the key member of Jedi Mind Tricks since their inception into the underground rap world in '96. Known for his dark, orchestral instrumentals and largely experimental production, Stoupe has built a reputation as a musical genius, but hasn't ever worked extensively outside of the Jedi Mind Tricks spectrum, only straying from the group to work with artists such as Canibus and Guru.

Decalogue was supposed to be the album that showcased what Stoupe could do without Jedi Mind Trick's leading man, Vinnie Paz. Surprisingly, the absence of Paz's violent lyricism leaves something to be desired. The contrast between the delicately assembled production and his blunt lyricism is exactly what Jedi Mind Tricks work so well, and it just isn't present on Decalogue. The biggest problem with the album is the artists chosen to perform over the production. There aren't any real standouts, and as Decalogue gets into the 5th track, the voices start to blend together, with no definable lyrics or style to set one apart from the other. The production itself is actually very well done, but those used to Stoupe's usual material will likely be disappointed. It's much lighter on the orchestral instrumentals that dominated his earlier work on Violent By Design and Visions of Gandhi. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as these differing tracks make up for the lack of variety in the lyrics. "That's Me" featuring Joell Ortiz is a cut with a heavy Cuban influence, which is something that Stoupe has been getting into more and more over the years. This exploration into his ethnic heritage is refreshing, but slightly cheapened by the corny lyrics of Ortiz, who just comes off as overly aggressive.

While there are many low points, the high points almost make up for them. Saigon is incredible on the track, "When The Sun Goes Down," and is matched by a stellar beat that echoes a lot of Stoupe's earlier work. "The Truth" is a another standout track, with North Carolina's Supastition rapping over an eerily whistled spaghetti western style instrumental. An excellent, peppy guitar loop is used for the main hook on "Speakeasy" featuring Outerspace, who also provide one of the better variants in voice and lyricism on the album. M.O.P. also provide a banger with "Transition of Power", the only track in which the angry, aggressive delivery that worked so well with Jedi Mind Tricks actually yields noteworthy results.

Ultimately, Decalogue sounds like a poorly realized attempt at making a dream album for Jedi Mind Tricks fans. While better than many other producers in the world today, Stoupe's production sounds incomplete here. There has been some speculation that the last few projects done by Jedi Mind Tricks and Stoupe have been rushed to meet the contract requirements for their current label, Babygrande, causing them to use old beats that have been lying around in Stoupe's crates. Regardless, it'd be nice to see some loyalty to the fans, no matter what the situation is, especially with so much excitement surrounding the release of his first solo effort.

Score: 3/5

[RynMur]

I believed that the production kept this together. Some of the guest appearances did an awful job like they couldn't give any extra time to spit some decent verses.

Top 5: Allison James, The Truth, That's Me, Speakeasy, Find A Way (fav)

Grade: (3/5) B-

[GhettoGnom]

This + the last JMT album both lacked the it-factor. Well, the JMT album had Jus too, didn't excactly help.

[DirtMcgehrk]

Well, the JMT album had Jus too, didn't excactly help.

Couldn't agree with you more about the last JMT album. Jus Allah doesn't sound like Jus Allah anymore. What happened to the days when him and Paz would trade verses back and forth? I wonder if his solo album's going to be any better.