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By Casey Parks Wednesday, August 11, 2004 3:19 p.m. CDT
After spending the better part of 2003 involved in a bitter feud (sometimes of the physical variety) with fellow underground clique The Weathermen, Boston's 7L & Esoteric return with 'DC2: Bars Of Death.' Judging by the title alone, it's obvious that the feud has 7L & Eso feeling a bit on edge, and that's conveyed in the music as well, including the ridiculously hardcore 'Way of The Gun,' which finds the duo teaming up with Apathy, Celph Titled and Lord Digga, and the group's latest verbal rebuttal to The Weathermen, 'Mercy Killing.' While Esoteric gets more personal over 7L's rolling piano loops on 'Rise of The Rebel,' 'DC2: Bars Of Death' is confrontational fight music that, for the mentally unstable (you know who you are), is a potential lawsuit waiting to happen. (Babygrande Records)
KRS-ONE – 'Keep Right'
Knowledge still reigns supreme! Released via the Grit Records imprint (which KRS just happens to co-own), KRS-ONE returns with his 13th LP. Sparked by the well-received lead single, 'Phucked,' 'Keep Right 'also finds KRS revisiting his obvious chemistry with Mad Lion on the reggae-splashed 'The I.' With the current state of affairs throughout the world, KRS could not have picked a more appropriate time to remix his classic 'Illegal Business,' and while 'diamonds and oil' may have replaced 'ganja and cocaine' on the government's export list, there's no disputing that KRS continues to live up to his mantra of 'The Teacher.' While 'Keep Right' lacks the production that marked his past efforts, KRS remains one of hip-hop's most recognizable voices, both politically and musically. (Grit Records)
Knowledge still reigns supreme! Released via the Grit Records imprint (which KRS just happens to co-own), KRS-ONE returns with his 13th LP. Sparked by the well-received lead single, 'Phucked,' 'Keep Right 'also finds KRS revisiting his obvious chemistry with Mad Lion on the reggae-splashed 'The I.' With the current state of affairs throughout the world, KRS could not have picked a more appropriate time to remix his classic 'Illegal Business,' and while 'diamonds and oil' may have replaced 'ganja and cocaine' on the government's export list, there's no disputing that KRS continues to live up to his mantra of 'The Teacher.' While 'Keep Right' lacks the production that marked his past efforts, KRS remains one of hip-hop's most recognizable voices, both politically and musically. (Grit Records)
THE ROOTS – 'The Tipping Point'
With the release of their sixth LP, 'The Tipping Point, 'The Roots pay homage to themselves and the band's 10-year anni-versary. The title refers to the point where most artists fall off and or blatantly jump the shark, which is somewhat of an ironic twist considering this LP is The Roots' most commercially accessible LP to date. And while ?uestlove continues his search for the perfect beat, he doesn't even produce the LP's best track—that credit goes to Scott Storch for the spacey lead single 'Don't Say Nothing.' And who says the group is anti-sampling? ?uest lifts Sly & The Family Stone's 'Everybody Is A Star' for the amazing 'Star/Pointro,' and 'Harlem Hendo' on 'Stay Cool.' Yet the LP's highlight, 'Boom,' finds Black Thought doing deadpan impersonations of Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap, which, if you're a fan of either old-school legend, you need to hear. Though a guest spot from Dave Chappelle is bound to have the group's detractors warming up the 'sell-out' chants, they're the same people who've been drinking Hatorade since the group actually started selling records in mass quantities. Drink up, haters, drink up! (Geffen Records)
With the release of their sixth LP, 'The Tipping Point, 'The Roots pay homage to themselves and the band's 10-year anni-versary. The title refers to the point where most artists fall off and or blatantly jump the shark, which is somewhat of an ironic twist considering this LP is The Roots' most commercially accessible LP to date. And while ?uestlove continues his search for the perfect beat, he doesn't even produce the LP's best track—that credit goes to Scott Storch for the spacey lead single 'Don't Say Nothing.' And who says the group is anti-sampling? ?uest lifts Sly & The Family Stone's 'Everybody Is A Star' for the amazing 'Star/Pointro,' and 'Harlem Hendo' on 'Stay Cool.' Yet the LP's highlight, 'Boom,' finds Black Thought doing deadpan impersonations of Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap, which, if you're a fan of either old-school legend, you need to hear. Though a guest spot from Dave Chappelle is bound to have the group's detractors warming up the 'sell-out' chants, they're the same people who've been drinking Hatorade since the group actually started selling records in mass quantities. Drink up, haters, drink up! (Geffen Records)
PRINCE PO – 'The Slickness'
Once upon a time, Organized Konfusion was one of the most creative groups around. But after three LPs, the duo became burnt out due to the laborious recording sessions it took to create their brand of 'thinking man's hip-hop' and eventually broke up. One of the group's former members, Pharoahe Monch, has gone on to solo stardom and recently inked a new deal with Eminem's Shady Records imprint. The other member, Prince Po, has become the member who most mainstream music fans have forgotten. Luckily for Po, there's still a contingent of OK fans out there as he begins his own solo career with 'The Slickness.' While his futile attempt at crossover success, 'Bump Bump' featuring Raekwon, falls flat, Po takes on NYC Mayor Bloomberg with 'It's Going Down' and 'Grown Ass Man.' Po also aligns himself with a slew of underground super-producers, such as J-Zone, Madlib and Danger Mouse, whose recent 'Grey Album' mash-up, in which he mixed Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' with The Beatles' 'White Album, 'just happened to garnish major press from just about every mainstream magazine you can think of (including a glowing nod from the jigga man himself). (Lex Records)
Once upon a time, Organized Konfusion was one of the most creative groups around. But after three LPs, the duo became burnt out due to the laborious recording sessions it took to create their brand of 'thinking man's hip-hop' and eventually broke up. One of the group's former members, Pharoahe Monch, has gone on to solo stardom and recently inked a new deal with Eminem's Shady Records imprint. The other member, Prince Po, has become the member who most mainstream music fans have forgotten. Luckily for Po, there's still a contingent of OK fans out there as he begins his own solo career with 'The Slickness.' While his futile attempt at crossover success, 'Bump Bump' featuring Raekwon, falls flat, Po takes on NYC Mayor Bloomberg with 'It's Going Down' and 'Grown Ass Man.' Po also aligns himself with a slew of underground super-producers, such as J-Zone, Madlib and Danger Mouse, whose recent 'Grey Album' mash-up, in which he mixed Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' with The Beatles' 'White Album, 'just happened to garnish major press from just about every mainstream magazine you can think of (including a glowing nod from the jigga man himself). (Lex Records)
LEAK BROS – 'Waterworld'
The collaborative union of Cage and former Artifact member Tame One (Leak Bros) generates an LP strictly dedicated to their drug of choice—angel dust. But what else did you really expect? Cage has always been on some next #### (surely Tipper Gore is not a fan, and this will not make her a convert), but 'Waterworld' is truly the icing on his demented cake. The disappointing aspect is that Tame One was supposed to have this monkey off his back, but you know what they say—rehab is for quitters! Look, smoking dust was hip five years ago, and Cage and Tame need to join the rest of the multitudes who have moved on. Though the concept is different, I'm guessing Cage and Tame's version of 'Waterworld' took about 235 million fewer dollars to make than Kevin Costner's bomb—but with the same never-ending supply of dipped cigarettes the jet-skiing bad guys in the flick somehow managed to unearth without ever finding dry land. (Eastern Conference Records)
The collaborative union of Cage and former Artifact member Tame One (Leak Bros) generates an LP strictly dedicated to their drug of choice—angel dust. But what else did you really expect? Cage has always been on some next #### (surely Tipper Gore is not a fan, and this will not make her a convert), but 'Waterworld' is truly the icing on his demented cake. The disappointing aspect is that Tame One was supposed to have this monkey off his back, but you know what they say—rehab is for quitters! Look, smoking dust was hip five years ago, and Cage and Tame need to join the rest of the multitudes who have moved on. Though the concept is different, I'm guessing Cage and Tame's version of 'Waterworld' took about 235 million fewer dollars to make than Kevin Costner's bomb—but with the same never-ending supply of dipped cigarettes the jet-skiing bad guys in the flick somehow managed to unearth without ever finding dry land. (Eastern Conference Records)
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7l & Esoteric
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Origin | Boston, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Genres | Hip hop, political hip hop |
Years active | 1993–present |
Labels | Babygrande Records Fly Casual Creative Brick Records |
Associated acts | Army of the Pharaohs Demigodz Czarface Apathy Celph Titled Vinnie Paz DJ Premier Mr. Lif Jedi Mind Tricks |
Members | 7L (George Andrinopoulos) Esoteric (Seamus Ryan) |
7l Airline
7L & Esoteric (7LES) are an underground hip hop duo from Boston, Massachusetts, known for battle rhymes and boom bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/producer and Esoteric is the MC.[1] 7L & Esoteric are both prominent members of underground hip-hop collectives Army of the Pharaohs and Demigodz, as well as being 2/3 of Czarface[2] along with Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck.
History[edit]
Early Career (1993-1996)[edit]
The duo formed in 1993 when Esoteric DJed a hip hop show at a college radio station (WMWM) north of Boston. 7L, a DJ and producer who listened to the show, contacted Esoteric in the interest of collaborating. The two found they shared a common love of the golden age of hip-hop and decided to form a group.
After performing for some time in the Boston/Cambridge underground, the duo released their first single in 1996 as God Complex with MC Karma. The B-side, 'Secret Wars', gained a lot of attention as Esoteric paid tribute to the heroes of Marvel Comics in rhyme form. This led to the release of the Rebel Alliance LP, featuring acts such as Virtuoso, Mr. Lif, and Force Five. Also at this time, the two dropped the God Complex moniker and became known as simply 7L & Esoteric.
Rebel Alliance & Speaking Real Words (1997-1999)[edit]
Soon after, 7L & Esoteric put out their first 12” with re-mastered versions of their Rebel Alliance songs 'Protocol' and 'Be Alert'. 'Be Alert', the B-side on the record, began to receive significant radio play, due to its unique sampling of the Transformers TV theme song. The track, which was produced by Beyonder, became very popular in the underground scene, leading the duo to several European tours, major label interest, and becoming one of the first New England hip-hop acts to appear on the Stretch & Bobbito WKCR radio show in NYC and get spins on the Wake Up Show with MTV's Sway & King Tech. URB Magazine chose 7L & Esoteric for their 'Next 100' issue in 1997.
The duo then dropped the “Def Rhymes” single though Landspeed Distribution which earned them press in the Source. 'Def Rhymes' was also featured on the EP Speaking Real Words, released in 1999. The album also featured Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck on the title track. During promotion for the 12', Esoteric had spent time in Philadelphia and formed the supergroup Army of the Pharaohs with Jedi Mind Tricks' frontman Vinnie Paz. Esoteric would appear three times on Jedi Mind Tricks' breakthrough album Violent By Design in 2000.
The Soul Purpose, Dangerous Connection & DC2: Bars of Death (2000-2005)[edit]
7L & Esoteric released their debut LP The Soul Purpose in the summer of 2001. The single 'Call Me E.S.' charted at #83 on the Billboard hip-hop singles chart.[3] The album received the Boston Music Award for “Best Hip-Hop Album,”[citation needed] and led to the duo headlining tours of the United States and Europe. Upon their return, they recorded and released their second LP in the fall of 2002 entitled Dangerous Connection featuring Jedi Mind Tricks' Stoupe, Vinnie Paz, J-Live, Apathy, and others.
After taking a break from recording, the duo released their third LP DC2: Bars of Death in the spring of 2004 with Babygrande Records. The album received overall positive reviews and was lauded by long-time fans.[citation needed] In 2006, Esoteric compiled an album entitled 'Moment of Rarities' which was also released with Babygrande. This CD was a collection of previously unreleased tracks. Esoteric has stated that this CD was put out to fulfill contractual obligations with Babygrande Records.
A New Dope & 1212 (2006-2010)[edit]
In 2006, A New Dope was released, taking the duo in a new direction with a more electro influenced sound and the production shared between both 7L and Esoteric. The cover featured a re-creation of an Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat gallery poster, something that was later used by Complex Magazine for A$AP Rocky and Jeremy Scott. The mix of eclectic samples, including pieces of Suicide's electro-punk classic 'Girl' ('3 Minute Classic'), Angelo Badalamenti's theme to cult TV show Twin Peaks ('Perfect Person'), and the Serge Gainsbourg/Brigitte Bardot duet 'Bonnie And Clyde' ('Everywhere'), evokes the Dust Brothers' work on the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique according to XLR8R magazine.[4] The album featured Ultramagnetic MCs' Kool Keith on the track 'Daisy Cutta'.
2010 saw the release of 1212 which marked a return to their original sound, featuring Brand Nubian's Sadat X rhyming with Esoteric on 'The Handle,' an ode to 1980s NBA Basketball that was recognized by ESPN.
Czarface & Every Hero Needs a Villain (2011-present)[edit]
In 2011, it was announced that 7L & Esoteric have formed a hip hop trio with Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck called Czarface[5] and that they were working on a self-titled debut album. The album was released on February 19, 2013.[6] The album features guest appearances from Roc Marciano, Oh No, Ghostface Killah, Action Bronson, Cappadonna and Vinnie Paz. The album's production comes from 7L, Spada4 and DJ Premier.[7] In 2014, 7L produced the track The King's Curse on the Army of the Pharaohs album Heavy Lies the Crown, their second album in 2014 (next to In Death Reborn). Esoteric has a verse on the track, which makes it the first appearance of the duo together since the Czarface album.[8] Later that year, the duo appeared on a track called Hard Hats and Timbs from the EPYear of the Hyenas by Army of the Pharaohs rappers Reef the Lost Cauze and King Syze. The track features raps from Esoteric and production from 7L.[9]
A sequel to Czarface called Every Hero Needs a Villain was released on June 16, 2015.[10] The album's first single, 'Deadly Class' featuring Meyhem Lauren, was released on April 7, 2015.[11]
![Bars Bars](/uploads/1/2/9/2/129202692/856185077.jpg)
Esoteric solo venture[edit]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
- Speaking Real Words EP - Direct Records / Landspeed 1999
- The Soul Purpose - Direct Records / Landspeed 2001
- Dangerous Connection - Brick Records 2002
- DC2: Bars of Death - Babygrande Records 2004
- A New Dope - Babygrande Records 2006
- Dope Not Hype (mixtape, limited pressing) - 2006
- 1212 - Fly Casual Creative 2010
Compilations[edit]
- Rebel Alliance LP - Brick Records 1996
- DJ Revolution - R2K - 1999
- DJ Spinna presents - Urban Theory - Beat Suite - 2000
- Moment of Rarities - Babygrande Records 2005
Collaborations[edit]
- Demigodz - The Godz Must Be Crazy EP - 2002 (Ill Boogie)
- Vinyl Thug Music (7L & Beyonder) - Vinyl Thug Music - 2003
- Vinyl Thug Music (7L & Beyonder) - Welcome to Shaftville U.S.A. - 2005
- Army of the Pharaohs - The Torture Papers - 2006 (Babygrande Records)
- Army of the Pharaohs - Ritual of Battle - 2007 (Babygrande Records)
- East Coast Avengers - Prison Planet - 2008 (Esoteric, Tha Trademarc, DC The Midi Alien)
- Army of the Pharaohs - The Unholy Terror - 2010 (Babygrande/Enemy Soil)
- Demigodz - Killmatic - 2013 (Dirty Version)
- Esoteric & Stu Bangas - Machete Mode - 2013 (Man Bites Dog)
- Army of the Pharaohs - In Death Reborn - 2014 (Enemy Soil)
- Army of the Pharaohs - Heavy Lies the Crown - 2014 (Enemy Soil)
- Czarface - Czarface (with Inspectah Deck as Czarface) - 2013 (Brick Records)
- Czarface - Every Hero Needs a Villain (with Inspectah Deck as Czarface) - 2015 (Brick Records)[10]
- Czarface - A Fistful of Peril (with Inspectah Deck as Czarface) - 2016 (Silver Age)[12]
- Czarface & MF DOOM - Czarface Meets Metal Face - 2018 (Get on Down)
7l & Esoteric Dc2 Bars Of Death Stranding
References[edit]
- ^'HHUG Interview with Esoteric (of 7LES) - 1212'. Hip Hop Underground. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^@MCEsoteric (16 May 2015). 'the new album is named 'Every Hero Needs a Villain' and ---ahem---CZARFACE is the name of the group twitter.com/harry_amey/status/599616542905606145' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^'7L & Esoteric - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^Jesse Serwer (August 11, 2006). '7L & Esoteric: Path to Dopeness'. XLR8R. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^@MCEsoteric (17 February 2013). '@uncle_nutty nah it's CZARFACE as the group name, and it's a self titled album' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-07). 'Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric 'CZARFACE' Tracklist & Cover Art'. HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- ^'Czarface: Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric: Music'. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- ^http://www.discogs.com/Army-Of-The-Pharaohs-Heavy-Lies-The-Crown/release/6226271
- ^'Hard Hats And Timbs Feat 7L And Esoteric - King Syze'. King Syze. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ abGrefe, Cliff (April 21, 2015). 'Czarface 'Every Hero Needs A Villain' Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & Pre-Order'. HipHopDX. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^Sparkle Pratt (April 7, 2015). 'Czarface (Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric) f. Meyhem Lauren – 'Deadly Class''. HipHopDX. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^'A Fistful of Peril by Czarface on Apple Music'. Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
External links[edit]
- 7L and Esoteric at AllMusic
- 7L and Esoteric at Discogs
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=7L_%26_Esoteric&oldid=983054443'