• Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Audio
• Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Definition
• 7l Esoteric Dangerous Connection
• Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Ignition
• Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Buddhism
• 7l Esoteric Dangerous Connection

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]

• Music Reviews: Dangerous Connection by 7L & Esoteric released in 2002. Giant step up from the duo's The Soul Purpose album as far as production and lyrical consistency are concerned.
• View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2002 Vinyl release of Dangerous Connection on Discogs.

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.

Dangerous Connection (2002) Album by 7L & Esoteric. Rules of Engagement by 7L & Esoteric feat. J-Live and Count Bass D. Sampled Evening Star by Yutaka Yokokura (1978) Basketball Throwdown by The Cold Crush Brothers and The Fantastic Five (1983) I'm Still. When listening to “Dangerous Connection,” one suspects that Esoteric is himself the kind of open-minded backpacker who can be found rocking a variety of joints himself and drawing his inspiration from his contemporaries. Dangerous Connection is the second studio album by Boston underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric.It was released on October 8, 2002.

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]

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)

References[edit]

1. ^'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.
2. ^@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.
3. ^'7L & Esoteric - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
4. ^Jesse Serwer (August 11, 2006). '7L & Esoteric: Path to Dopeness'. XLR8R. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
5. ^@MCEsoteric (17 February 2013). '@uncle_nutty nah it's CZARFACE as the group name, and it's a self titled album' (Tweet) – via Twitter.
6. ^Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-07). 'Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric 'CZARFACE' Tracklist & Cover Art'. HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
7. ^'Czarface: Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric: Music'. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
8. ^http://www.discogs.com/Army-Of-The-Pharaohs-Heavy-Lies-The-Crown/release/6226271
9. ^'Hard Hats And Timbs Feat 7L And Esoteric - King Syze'. King Syze. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
10. ^ ^abGrefe, Cliff (April 21, 2015). 'Czarface 'Every Hero Needs A Villain' Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist & Pre-Order'. HipHopDX. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
11. ^Sparkle Pratt (April 7, 2015). 'Czarface (Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric) f. Meyhem Lauren – 'Deadly Class''. HipHopDX. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
12. ^'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

Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Audio

“Backpack? – Wack flow.” That’s Esoteric’s response to a little psychological quiz during the song “Word Association.” The irony though is that the very backpackers he decries may be the perfect audience for his new album.

Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Definition

Despite all the negative press that has been given to the term, a true backpacker is an open-minded hip-hop fan who might be as likely to have Redman’s “Malpractice” as Aceyalone’s “A Book of Human Language” tucked away next to the potato chips, CD player and can of soda or other beverage. The derisive meaning of the word has come to imply suburbanites that enjoy overly wordy rappers with whack beats, and push off said same rappers as being “elite” while derisively looking down their noses at everything from old school classics to the latest top 10.

When listening to “Dangerous Connection,” one suspects that Esoteric is himself the kind of open-minded backpacker who can be found rocking a variety of joints himself and drawing his inspiration from his contemporaries. Some less open-minded rap fans, the same who sneer at all “backpackers” regardless of what flavor of the form they might be, would probably turn up their noses at Esoteric. Despite the fact that 7L is one of the best producers and DJ’s in underground rap, and Esoteric slips from humerous punchline MC to thought-provoking verbalist with surprising ease, they would say with disdain that “he’s alright but he’s not real.” Why? Well if ever a dope rapper was to sound like the “white man from town,” it would be Es.

7l Esoteric Dangerous Connection

In 2002, those distinctions really shouldn’t matter. Esoteric proudly reps his home turf of Boston, Mass and sounds it too. If you can’t get over that fact, “Dangerous Connection” is not the album for you. Anybody who’s been down with Esoteric since his “Speaking Real Words” duet with Inspectah Deck though knows that no matter how white he sounds, Esoteric takes his craft just as seriously as Eminem. Actually, it’s possible he takes it MORE seriously; since Esoteric isn’t purposefully shocking to reach a larger audience. In fact, with guest appearances by the likes of Apathy, Count Bass D, J-Live and Vinnie Paz, Esoteric is clearly aiming for a listening base that might be called “backpackers” themselves; while in actuality they could simply be said to be heads who appreciate great MC’s and great beats no matter their background. Esoteric seems painfully aware of the irony of his independent label status though, as the song “Rest in Peace” proves:

Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Ignition

“Now as I look down, it’s kinda tough swallowin
the fact that I’m a dead rapper with a cult followin
Legions of fans got their hands on my old jams
And new fans, they were sayin “Oh damn!”
at every punchline, and now the rumors break and hit
Cause everybody knew that I was workin on some new shit
Cats askin, “Who’s on it? Who produced it?”
Straight up, just ask deceased, let the man {“rest in peace”}
[…]
Although I’m dead mom, my soul remains undaunted
Now you can actually afford the things you wish you flaunted
And even though every studio will be haunted
I finally got the major label budget that I wanted”

Dangerous Connection 7l Esoteric Buddhism

7L & Esoteric prove themselves time and again over a wide range of impressive tracks. “Watch Me” has a piano loop that even DJ Premier would get hot for, and the Ghostface Killah sample in the hook is wickedly appropriate for Esoteric’s tough braggadocio. “Terrorist’s Cell” is an eerie track about the events of September 11th, 2001; and Stoupe’s beat is sure to send a chill down your spine. The aforementioned “Word Association” is a raucous boom bap beat that bashes you over the head as Esoteric becomes a candidate for the funny farm. Speaking of mental MC’s, both the sublime Rakim and the loopy Kool Keith can be found scratched into “What I Mean”; Eso’s duet with Beyonder.

7l Esoteric Dangerous Connection

Since this album is only 14 tracks and 46 minutes long, you’re left hungering for more by the time the CD is finished. At least, you are if you’re a “backpacker.” Wack flow? Hell no. Just because he sounds white to even the most color-blind of people doesn’t mean his breath control, timing, dexterity and vocal pitch aren’t precisely honed by both sheer ability and years of paying dues. Maybe there are a few backpackers in the hip-hop scene who can’t rap a lick, but if Esoteric was found in their cypher he would be the one humiliating them and at the same time encouraging them to improve their craft. The slamming beats on “Dangerous Connection” should win over any doubting Thomas, but those who still sleep on Esoteric thinking he’s the same kind of elitist arrogant backpacker that he despises will have to live with missing out on dope shit.