The Jedi Mind Tricks have been a staple on the underground hip-hop scene since breaking onto the scene in the late 90s. Now, its frontman, Vinnie Paz, is finally ready to give a solo career a try.

Paz recently unveiled the first track off his upcoming solo debut, The Assassin's Creed, titled "Drag You To Hell," which is now streaming on his official website (VinniePaz.com).

Since 1996, Vinnie Paz has been best known as the fiery frontman of renowned indie Philly rap duo, Jedi Mind Tricks. After more than a decade of critical and commercial success under both the Jedi Mind Tricks banner and with his underground rap supergroup side project, Army of the Pharaohs, Vinnie finally felt the time was right to take on the challenge of making a solo record.

"This solo record isn't a matter of being unhappy with Jedi Mind Tricks or me needing to satisfy my ego, it's just an artistic challenge that I've wanted to tackle for awhile now and the timing is right," the rapper said. "People will probably wonder why I'd bother doing a solo record when most of the recent JMT material, aside from our last record, has basically been 'solo' music with Stoupe on beats and me rapping.

"Well, we've been fortunate to have a long and successful career as JMT, and our fans are some of the best fans in independent music, but that success creates certain expectations of what Jedi Mind Tricks music should sound like, which as an artist is a blessing and a curse. This solo record is about stepping away from those expectations for a minute and challenging myself to try new things as an artist," he continued.

The Assassin's Creed features guest appearances from some of the most recognized names in rap including Beanie Sigel, Clipse, Freeway and Paul Wall, paired with a stellar lineup of producers including Madlib, Lil Fame (M.O.P.), DaBeatminerz, MoSS (Ghostface Killah), 4th Disciple (Wu-Tang), Bronze Nazareth (Wu-Tang), Shuko (Saigon) and more.

He'll be performing some of the upcoming solo material, when he hits the road with the Jedi Mind Tricks starting mid-August, for their "Hell Awaits" Summer Tour. Tickets are on sale now at JMTHipHop.com/Tours.

Also on the tour is MC Esoteric and Reef the Lost Cauze. Dates are as follows:

8/19/09 - San Diego, CA @ Cane's Bar & Grill
8/20/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
8/21/09 - Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
8/22/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent
8/24/09 - Fresno, CA @ Starline
8/25/09 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brewery
8/26/09 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
8/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theatre
8/29/09 - Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theatre
8/30/09 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
9/1/09 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
9/2/09 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
9/3/09 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
9/4/09 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
9/5/09 - Ottawa, ON @ Ritual Nightclub
9/6/09 - Montreal, QC @ Telus Theater
9/9/09 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
9/10/09 - Portland, ME @ The Asylum
9/11/09 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
9/12/09 - Long Island, NY @ Crazy Donkey
9/13/09 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
9/18/09 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero w/Immortal Technique
9/19/09 - Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre w/Immortal Technique