7L & Esoteric
Label : baby grande records
hometown : Boston

Biography :
7L & Esoteric formed in 1992 when Esoteric, the emcee of the group, deejayed a Hip Hop show at a college radio station north of Boston. 7L, a DJ / producer who listened to the show contacted Esoteric in interest of collaborating. Through the duo’s understanding of the often under-appreciated golden age of Hip Hop (1985-89), a bond was formed. Their first release, under the name God Complex, was named ’one of the most innovative records of 1996’ in CMJ. Receiving tremendous response from NY, LA, Canada, and Europe, God Complex’s label, Brick Records, moved onward, releasing the Rebel Alliance LP, a compilation of Boston talent that debuted the duo as 7L & Esoteric.

Soon after this was released, a 7L & Esoteric 12’ came out with updated versions of their Rebel Alliance songs ’Protocol’ and ’Be Alert.’ ’Be Alert’ was immediately deemed an underground classic nationwide due to it’s innovative sampling of the 80’s cartoon ’Transformers,’ and brought them to New York’s Stretch & Bobbito radio show.

7L & Esoteric followed that up in 1998 with the chart topping ’Def Rhymes’ peaking at #1 in both Gavin and Hits. The single made quite an impact, getting press in the Source and turning up on Sway & Tech’s Wake Up Show weekly, resulting in Eminem and Jay-Z rocking lyrics over the tracks.

After the group’s collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck, they released their debut lp, The Soul Purpose in the summer of 2001. Anchored by gritty beats and battle-ready lyricism, the album recieved the Boston Music Award for ’Best Hip-Hop Album,’ and led to the duo touring the United States and Europe.

Upon return, they recorded and released their second full-length in the fall of 2002 entitled Dangerous Connection. The sophomore cd featured 7LES at the top of their game, collaborating with underground legends like J-Live, Jedi Mind Tricks, Kut Masta Kurt, and more. Esoteric has lended his vocals to two Jedi Mind Tricks albums and the Demigodz ep, while 7L had been busy establishing himself as a producer doing tracks for an eclectic list of artists including Tragedy Khadafi & Havoc (Mobb Deep), Shabazz the Disciple, Outerspace, Main Flow, and WWE Wrestler John Cena. He recently released Vinyl Thug Music, a CD- only lp with production partner Beyonder.

That brings us to the spring of 2004 and the third official full-length release from 7L & Esoteric : DC2 : Bars Of Death. This album 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.

7L & Esoteric Discography :

7L & Esoteric album :
Moment of Rarities (2005)
DC2 : Bars Of Death (2004)
Dangerous Connections (2002)
Soul Purpose (2001)

7L & Esoteric singles :
Call Me E.S.
The Soul Purpose
Mic Mastery
Speaking Real Words
Bound To Slay

More infos :
7L & Esoteric official site www.7l-esoteric.com