7L & Esoteric – Speaking Real Words

This got so many spins on my college radio show. Glad to see them still making music.

"Bound to slay" is exclusively available on vinyl on this release.

This is the first appearance of Czarface in a way.

So I'm going through rating some things in my collection, saw I rated this a 2, and I wish I could go back and rate it a 1 instead. Why? Here is why!: This single was done by 2 corny outskirts of Boston suburban guys who bought all the talent they needed to make their songs sound legit, sadly taking advantage at the time of the Wu-Tang Clan's diminishing influence in hip hop, bought up Inspectah Deck to flow (his contribution is the only thing that makes it tolerable!). In addition getting the legendary Marley Marl an "engineer" credit when he most likely produced it, and gave these corn balls enough direction to drop their weak raps. Weak scratches might I add as well, sounds like DJ Premier if he had multiple sclerosis, or some other physically debilitating disease. Back to beats (production is too dignified a word), a very tired Earth Wind and Fire sample pitched up and down in a very uncreative fashion over a very standard drum beat. This is so bad, and also an example of what anyone with rich parents and Landspeed Entertainment's distribution in the late 90's could do to create the illusion of them being rappers.
Lyrics? Are you kidding me? Throw in a few subliminals against Koreans and "pro black rap". .. LOL. Esoteric's been rapping since " he wore rope chains, and polo glasses with gold frames"? Says a lot doesn't it? "Let me put on my RAP GEAR and be RAP MAN before we ride out to the all white country club" is what my psychologists analysis of his REAL WORDS.
This almost makes me want to find some old Cage / Weathermen freestyles, where they tore these guys some fresh new assholes, very appropriately so! Buy it for the acapella of Inspectah Deck's verse, throw it on your Wu Tang remix tape, then hit the DUMP BUTTON. Or stare at the low angle shot of the Pale Face rapper looking like he's about to shit his pants, that's about the most amusement you'll get off this! •☺•