Army of the Pharaohs (most commonly abbreviated as AOTP or A.O.T.P.) is an … Read Full Bio ↴Army of the Pharaohs (most commonly abbreviated as AOTP or A.O.T.P.) is an American underground hip-hop collective originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks MC Vinnie Paz in 1998. The collective has strong links to other underground east coast groups such as OuterSpace, Snowgoons, La Coka Nostra, Demigodz, 7L & Esoteric, and JuJu Mob. It has changed several times since its formation.

Paz formed the outfit in the late 1990s with the original roster of Bahamadia, Chief Kamachi, Virtuoso, 7L & Esoteric, plus Jedi Mind Tricks' other member Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The group first released the "Five Perfect Exertions" and "War Ensemble" 12" on Paz's short-lived Recordings in 1998, but then the underground supergroup remained silent for several years. After a couple of successful Jedi Mind Tricks albums and a new deal with Babygrande by 2003, Paz resurrected the crew, adding OuterSpace, Celph Titled, Reef the Lost Cauze, King Syze, Des Devious, and Apathy; however, Stoupe, Bahamadia, and Virtuoso had defected from the group. Babygrande issued their "Tear It Down" 12" and first album, The Torture Papers, in 2006. The 2007 follow-up album, Ritual of Battle, saw Jus Allah and JMT protégés Doap Nixon and Demoz joining the Pharaohs.

The Unholy Terror was released on March 30, 2010. This album marked the return of Apathy and the addition of two new AOTP members, Block McCloud and Journalist. Two songs, "Godzilla" and "Contra Mantra", were released before the album. This album also marked the departure of Chief Kamachi who left the group because of business issues and an apparent feud with Vinnie Paz and Apathy.

In early 2011, Vinnie Paz announced on his Facebook page that In Death Reborn is due to be released in 2012, however the date was pushed back and almost seemed like it was never going to be released. Early in 2012, Houston underground MC VZilla and Connecticut's Blacastan were added to the group. Both artists have made names for themselves with their features and album releases in 2012. In Death Reborn was eventually released on April 22, 2014. The album featured members Vinnie Paz, Apathy, Blacastan, Block McCloud, Celph Titled, Demoz, Des Devious, Doap Nixon, Esoteric, Lawrence Arnell,[8] King Magnetic, King Syze, OuterSpace, Reef the Lost Cauze and VZilla. Their fifth studio album, Heavy Lies the Crown was released on October 21, 2014.

Pull The Pins Out
Army of the Pharaohs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Intro: Celph Titled]
Yeah, haha
Turn the lights on, party's over motherfuckers
Celph Titled the ammunition magician
The Esoterrorist
It's the Army of the Pharaohs for real for real

[Verse 1: Celph Titled]

Back with the "Kill-Death-Murder", you better check your computers
I won't ever cheat on my bitch but I'll still sleep with a luger
You can see my reflection in the chrome, it stays blazin'
I guess my gangsta's all smoke and mirrors
Kidnap you in the basement with hatchets and cleavers
So every time after that you hearin' the Wu-Tang torture skit, and you havin a seizure
Fuck your street cred, I'll turn your street red
I'll skin the head of a skinhead
Celph Titled and ES raisin' hell without Pinhead
It's been said the Pharaohs immortalize rhymes
We kept heist plans in a trapper keeper -- that's organized crime
You might arrive in a stretch limo, tinted out
But you'll leave on a stretcher linen with no mouth, neck broken and ribs stickin' out

[Verse 2: Esoteric]
We the gorillas, its the season of Ichi The Killer
Your CD is filler so we beef like manilla
My sneakers: peach and vanilla
Call me Michael Jordan while recordin'
Slide a sword inside your organs
Speak from the pillars
How real is ES for that scrilla?, I build with godzillas
Militant flotillas that believe in shootin' first like Reggie Miller
The illest of all sorts, he spit that fire motherfucker
To leave you lookin' like dude on the "Legacy of Blood" cover

[Chorus: Celph Titled]
Soldiers stand up [UP!]
Ready the artillery
SALUTE! your comrade
Eliminate the enemy
Fire in the hole [hole!]
We lettin our grenades [blow!]
It's like we pull the pins out every time we pull our pens out

[Bridge: Celph Titled]
By now you should know theres no fuckin' around
It's the Army and it's goin' down
We came to take it all
And there ain't no stoppin' when the cannons start poppin'

[Verse 3: Celph Titled]
I wish a motherfucker would yap their lips
'Cause whether I'ma rap or load a clip
Either way that you look at it, a mack's about to spit
At crackhouses, I'm out with, real killers not rappers
Who keep pumps on our lap like we inflicted with asthma
Addicted to disaster, every last bullet, I ain't savin' none
Can't say hi to my neighbors 'cause I might wave a gun
Aim at the sun and you can shoot for the stars
Put on your beat, we'll turn it off, won't even let it loop for a bar
We known to keep your head an obstruction
Preach death and destruction
Cop diesel when I cock the eagle, and thats not for nothin'
My shots always hit their target after the smoke sprays
'Cause we store bullets in cat shelters so there's no strays

[Verse 4: Esoteric]
We sinkin' arrows through your mink and pink apparel
The pharaoh, king of the battle, on the brink of insanity
Frantically, I'm sprayin' ink out the barrel
Your way of thinkin' is narrow
We breakin' bones baby, drinkin' the marrow
These psychics blink at my Tarot (You serious?) That's hilarious
You rollin' up in chariots and leave in wheelbarrows
I'll have you wrapped in plastic just like the food in fruit baskets
I'll have your crew in suit jackets, all sad when viewing the casket
Now they pursue and attack us to rep for you and get back at me
But I'm rollin' with the army, motherfucker you can ask for me
And even when I'm outnumbered, I shut 'em down
Like Teddy Bruschi and I proved it in the past so don't you fuck around
Call me stupendous with sentences, pen a genesis
Chemists with seven venomous menaces on your premesis
We write the Torture Papes, orchestrate ways to slaughter fakes
Formulate tapes and tour the states, I can ride with Norman Bates

(Chorus)

(Bridge)

Overall Meaning

The song Pull The Pins Out by Army of the Pharaohs is a rap song that is packed with violent and aggressive lyrics. The first verse is delivered by Celph Titled, where he raps about his love for guns and his loyalty to his gang. He also talks about his violent streak, where he kidnaps and tortures people, making them hear Wu-Tang torture skits that cause seizures. In the second verse, Esoteric boasts about his skills and compares himself to Michael Jordan while recording music. He talks about his love for killing and attacking anyone who dares to cross him. The chorus is delivered by Celph Titled, where he talks about soldiers standing up and eliminating the enemy, ready with artillery and grenades.

Throughout the whole song, the themes are about violence, aggression, and loyalty to their gang. The lyrics are full of imagery and metaphors that allude to violent acts. The overall tone is dark, sinister, and violent. Although the lyrics might seem disturbing, the delivery is impressive and shows the lyrical skills of Army of the Pharaohs. The song's title - Pull The Pins Out - refers to the act of pulling out the pin from a grenade, symbolizing the explosion of violence and aggression that follows.

Line by Line Meaning

Back with the 'Kill-Death-Murder', you better check your computers
I am back with my violent ways, so you better check your computer for any sign of attack

I won't ever cheat on my bitch but I'll still sleep with a luger
I may not cheat on my girlfriend, but I'll still keep a gun (a luger) by my side when I sleep for protection

I'll skin the head of a skinhead
I will harm even those who harm others (skinheads)

The Pharaohs immortalize rhymes
The Army of the Pharaohs make their music last forever with their powerful rhymes

You might arrive in a stretch limo, tinted out / But you'll leave on a stretcher linen with no mouth, neck broken and ribs stickin' out
You may come in a fancy limousine, but I'll make sure you leave on a stretcher with no mouth, broken neck, and visible injuries

The illest of all sorts, he spit that fire motherfucker / To leave you lookin' like dude on the 'Legacy of Blood' cover
We are the best rappers out there, and our lyrics are so powerful that they will leave you as traumatized as the character on the cover of 'Legacy of Blood'

Soldiers stand up [UP!] / Ready the artillery / SALUTE! your comrade / Eliminate the enemy / Fire in the hole [hole!] / We lettin our grenades [blow!] / It's like we pull the pins out every time we pull our pens out
We are like soldiers, always ready with weapons to eliminate enemies. We put in our all every time we write our music (pull our pens out)

I wish a motherfucker would yap their lips / 'Cause whether I'ma rap or load a clip / Either way that you look at it, a mack's about to spit
I wish someone would talk trash to me so that I can either rap about it or use my gun to shoot them. Either way, I'm ready to use violence

Addicted to disaster, every last bullet, I ain't savin' none / Can't say hi to my neighbors 'cause I might wave a gun
I am addicted to violence and won't hesitate to use all my bullets. I can't even say hello to my neighbors without making them think I might attack them with my gun

We store bullets in cat shelters so there's no strays
We keep our bullets organized in cat shelters so that none of them are left unused or unaccounted for

I'll have you wrapped in plastic just like the food in fruit baskets / I'll have your crew in suit jackets, all sad when viewing the casket
I will kill you and wrap your body in plastic, just like how food is wrapped in fruit baskets. Your crew will be forced to wear suits and will be sad when they view your dead body in the casket

Call me stupendous with sentences, pen a genesis / Chemists with seven venomous menaces on your premesis
I am amazing with my rhyming words and my words are powerful enough to create a new beginning. I am also skilled like a chemist with seven powerful ways to harm you

We write the Torture Papes, orchestrate ways to slaughter fakes / Formulate tapes and tour the states, I can ride with Norman Bates
We write violent and intense music that can torture ears, and we plan to harm those who fake their way through life. We also travel around the country, and I can even ride with a fictional killer like Norman Bates

By now you should know theres no fuckin' around / It's the Army and it's goin' down / We came to take it all / And there ain't no stoppin' when the cannons start poppin'
You should know by now that we mean business and are here to take over everything. We won't stop until we accomplish our goals, even if it means using violence

Contributed by Zoe D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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