That Realness Is Now Closed!!!: 7L & Esoteric

7L & Esoteric - DC2: Bars Of Death (2004)

Monday, September 22, 2008 | Posted in a-FILI-ated Recommends,All Albums,Apathy,Army of the Pharaohs,Celph Titled,Outerspace,Slept On Albums

The third official full-length release from 7L & Esoteric shows the maturity of the pair that has given us twelve straight years of raw Hip-Hop. 7L handles all the production save one J-Zone-produced banger and Esoteric shows why he is one of the most consistent and talented writers in the game today. The duo is supported by lyrical appearances from Army Of The Pharoahs (Vinnie Paz, Outerspace & King Syze), Demigodz (Apathy Celph-Titled, & Rise), MainFlow, & Boston vets Beyonder, KT & Uno The Prophet. Sit back, relax, and remember why you got into rap in the first place...7L & Esoteric proudly present DC2: Bars Of Death.

01. DC Theme
02. Ring Music
03. Loud & Clear
04. Rise Of The Rebel
05. Rogue Nation
06. This Is War (Feat. Army Of The Pharaohs)
07. Graphic Violence
08. Neverending Saga (Prod. by J-Zone)
09. Grace Of Gods (Feat. Rise)
10. Murder-Death-Kill (Feat. Celph Titled) (Prod. by DC The MIDI Alien)
11. Battlefield
12. Touchy Subject (Feat. Uno The Prophet)
13. Deathgrip
14. So Glorious
15. Way Of The Gun (Feat. Celph Titled, Lord Digga & Apathy) (Prod. by Apathy)
16. Another Way Out
17. That's Right (Feat. Main Flow & K.T.)
18. Hidden Track 1
19. Hidden Track 2

FILI-
This albums really show why 7L is one of the best and most respected producers out there. Eso kinda lost a few people when his flow changed to this sort of lazy drawl where you couldn't realy make out what he was sayin. I mean compare his flow on this to the previous albums and you'll see what I mean. The beats really do shine here and Eso still does his thing on the mic. My particular favorite tracks are "Rise Of The Rebel", "This Is War" which features an early start for the now infamous A.O.T.P., "Grace Of Gods" which features a sick verse from punchline king Rise. Another standout is the excellent "Another Way Out". In my opinion, this classic material, and I appreciate it more because they really went in another direction, soundwise, for the next album, a bit too eclectic for me. So definitely cop this, a true representation of what real hip hop should sound like.