7L & Esoteric

Rap group

As part of Boston's underground hip hop scene, deejay/producer 7L and rapper Esoteric have been creating thought-provoking lyrics and atypical beats since 1992; they stood out partly because they were one of the few white rap groups gaining any type of prominence at the time. The rap duo has released several CDs and singles that have kept fans wanting more. They have toured consistently around the United States, Canada, and Europe, where they are given celebrity status.

Met Through Radio Show

Rapper Esoteric was a radio deejay at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts. He had his own hip hop show, and deejay 7L would call in to make requests for songs that were considered seminal to the rap genre, but were not very popular. Both had a love of old-school rap from the late 1980s, and sometimes Esoteric would freestyle during his show. 7L thought the two should collaborate, and they have been partners since then.

7L & Esoteric first called themselves God Complex, and they released a single that became a modest hit in the Boston area. Though rap music was more prominent on the East and West Coasts of the United States, many of the main cities and metropolitan areas did have burgeoning underground rap scenes. Radio play was not a guarantee, but word-of-mouth and the borrowing of cassettes helped spread the word for those whose records were deemed worthy to be passed around. For 7L & Esoteric, word did spread, and soon other cities heard their debut, including Los Angeles, New York. The two followed with the LP release Rebel Alliance. Next came opportunities to perform live, and the group built a fan base.

Released First Effort

More releases followed, and the duo changed their name from God Complex to 7L & Esoteric. They became known for their complex, battle-ready lyrics, combined with original beats and samples from the most unlikely places. In an interview with Chris Faraone of the Boston Herald the duo claimed: "Our goal first and foremost has always been to release the type of music that we want to release when we want to release it without any questions. We just have a lot of fun making it." While many sampled either James Brown or George Clinton and Parliament (or Funkadelic), deejay 7L chose the cartoon Transformers's theme music as his sample for the single "Be Alert," which became a classic in the Boston area. They also released the single "Protocol."

7L & Esoteric continued touring, helping to place the Boston rap scene on the map. With stops in Canada, Europe, New York City, and Philadelphia, the duo continued entertaining their fans and reaching new ones. In fact, they had more fans in Europe than in the United States. 7L told Faraone, "We did a festival in the Czech Republic where there were 10 to 15,000 people there, and we were the headlining act." Esoteric stated in the same interview, "People over there are much more receptive. People over here are starting to get the idea, but in Europe it's a completely different animal." The EP release Speaking Real Words (1999) was soon followed by their debut release on the Direct label, The Soul Purpose (2001). The CD sold over 20,000 copies and was reissued in 2006, a feat unheard of for an underground record. Not completely satisfied with the final product, 7L & Esoteric moved to Brick Records, where they released Dangerous Connection in 2002.

Worked on Various Projects

Thought of as premier artists and pioneers in Boston, 7L & Esoteric received some attention from other major players in the rap industry, and began opening for a number of acts including Rakim, Redman, and Bahamadia. They signed with the Babygrande label during this time, releasing DC2: Bars of Death in 2004. In addition to releasing their own work, the duo collaborated either jointly or separately with several local Boston and Philadelphia rappers and groups including Virtuoso, Mr. Lif, Celph Titled, and Apathy. They were also part of the supergroup Army of the Pharoahs and have collaborated on several CDs with fellow members Virtuoso, Vinnie Paz, Celph Titled, Outerspace, and King Syze.

Despite gaining new success and performing in various clubs, stages, and arenas around the world, 7L & Esoteric began to feel burned out. They switched gears and traded in battle rhymes for more entertaining dance tracks with their 2006 release A New Dope. While some fans were alarmed, most were happy with the new disc. Esoteric spoke about the new direction with Justin Rizzio of the 215hiphop Web site: "With creative risks, there's gonna be people that want the old version. But people grow up just as artists do." 7L also told Rizzio, "I just wanted to do something different and I think when we started working on it, with some different aspects, it was just fun. That's something I haven't had in a while with music." The CD also included work with rapper Kool Keith of the rap group Ultramagnetic MCs, who happened to be a favorite of the two. In addition to working on 7L & Esoteric CDs, 7L has also been a sought-after producer in the Boston area. He has worked with groups Mobb Deep, Main Flow, and World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler John Cena. Esoteric released a solo CD, EgoClapper, on his own record label, Fly Casual Collective, but the two plan to continue to work together in the future.

For the Record …

Members include 7L , deejay/producer; Esoteric , rapper.

Started group in 1992; released Speaking RealWorlds, 1999; The Soul Purpose, 2001; Dangerous Connection, 2002; DC2: Bars of Death, 2004; A New Dope, 2006.

Awards: Boston Hip-Hop Awards, Single of the Year, 2000.

Addresses: Record company—Babygrande Records, Ste. 1038, 8033 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046. Web site—7L & Esoteric Official Web site: http://www.7l-Esoteric.com.

Selected discography

Speaking Real Words, Direct, 1999; reissued, 2006.

The Soul Purpose, Landspeed, 2001.

Dangerous Connection, Brick, 2002.

DC2: Bars of Death, Babygrande, 2004.

A New Dope, Babygrande, 2006.

Sources

Periodicals

Boston Herald, December 6, 2000, p. O-47; July 23, 2004, p. PE-07; January 30, 2006, p. O-38.

Online

"Artist Interview: Esoteric," WERS.org, http://www.wers.org/articles/?id=179 (January 16, 2008).

"Esoteric—Egoclapper," Six Shot, http://www.sixshot.com/interviews/9711/ (January 16, 2008).

"7L & Esoteric," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (January 16, 2008).

"7L and Esoteric," Houston Press,http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-07-20/music/7l-and-esoteric/ (January 16, 2008).

7L & Esoteric Official Web site, http://www.7l-esoteric.com (January 16, 2008).

"7L & Esoteric," 215hiphop, http://215hiphop.com/interviews/7l-esoteric/#more-41 (January 16, 2008).

—Ashyia N. Henderson