Immortal Technique

New York rapper Felipe Coronel – aka Immortal Technique – relishes a battle.

Like Eminem before him, the Peruvian-born MC made a name for himself in underground hip hop by defeating established rappers in freestyle battles. In 2001, he dropped his debut, Revolutionary Vol. 1. An aggressive political album in the vein of Dead Prez and Public Enemy, the album's most popular track, Dance With The Devil, is a seven-minute lament on the tragic, violent fall of a criminal. His sophomore release, Revolutionary Vol. 2, became an underground sensation in 2003, spawning hits like The Point of No Return and Industrial Revolution.

One year later, the gravel-voiced Immortal Technique teamed up with the ubiquitous DJ Green Lantern (Eminem, 50 Cent) to release Bin Laden featuring Mos Def and Eminem. The controversial track samples a line from Jadakiss' Why to claim "Bush knocked down the towers." This summer, Immortal Technique and Green Lantern are back with a new album, The 3rd World, on indie Viper Records (Coronel is the label's Executive VP). With guest appearances by Psycho Realm, Ras Kass and Chino XL, the record should hold over fans eagerly awaiting Immortal Technique's forthcoming albums, The Middle Passage and Revolutionary, Vol. 3.

In the meantime, they can catch Coronel on the multi-city Rock the Bells Festival tour with hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Rakim.

See: myspace.com/immortaltechnique