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CZARFACE Delivers an Ode to Hip Hop’s Golden Age with “Czartificial Intelligence” (Album Review)

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CZARFACE is an east coast underground trio consisting of New York emcee/producer Inspectah Deck from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well Boston emcee/producer duo 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs. They first formed like Voltron in 1999 on the single “Speaking Real Words”, but finally decided to form the supergroup after making “12th Chamber” off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 over 13 years ago. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore effort Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. A Fistful of Peril the following year was originally supposed to be the quartet’s final album & I thought that was a great way for them to go out, but they did pleasantly surprise me when they dropped their collab albums CZARFACE Meets Metal Face with the late MF DOOM in 2018 & then CZARFACE Meets Ghostface Killah with his DOOMSTARKS partner in rhyme Ghostface Killah the year after that. The Odd Czar Against Us would come out 9 months later & that felt more like a split EP between CZARFACE and solely 7L & Esoteric given that both groups have 6 songs each. Czarmageddon! though ended up being the trio’s most consistent full-length since Every Hero Needs a Villain so when it announced they had signed to Virgin Music for their 6th album, I was intrigued to hear if CZARFACE would continue to improve themselves like they did a year & a half ago.

“Czarchimedes’ Death Ray” of course starts the album with a boom bap instrumental & feeling like no one can stop them whereas “Blast Off” works in more kicks & snares with a fuzzy guitar continuing to boast on the lyrical side of things. “All That For a Drop of Blood” is a synth/boom bap hybrid explaining that it be a grand entrance whenever Czar’s in the building, but then “You Know My Style” featuring NEMS serves as an eerie reminder to all 4 of their underground roots on all fronts.

7L & Esoteric get their own solo cut with “Mama’s Basement” telling the story of a mother going away on a lifelong trip & never seeing her much, yet he found a world he can escape to in the end leading into the dusty “Frenzy in a Far Off World” featuring Frankie Pulitzer a.k.a. Tom Hardy keeping the battle bars rolling. “Czarsenic” despite is brevity has to be one of the most cutthroat moments on the album comparing their flows to arsenic over an unsettling beat just before the piano/boom bap “Gatecrasher” featuring Logic asking why people bringing beef up in their joint.

“Sirens” brings the synthesizers back into the picture explaining that they be sleeping with the titular prolonged warning sounds going off while “Helicopter” featuring Godfather Don & Kool Keith finds the quintet bringing it live from the czarbeque over kicks & snares. After the “1-11 Chelsea” instrumental from both 7L & JL Hodges, “Marvel at That (Road Trip)” is another 7L & Eso cut filled with Marvel wordplay while “Live from Czarnegie Hall” featuring Kool Keith ruggedly talks about this being survival of the fittest. “Together” ends with album with an uncanny instrumental describing themselves as A-list.

For a major label debut, CZARFACE continues to build upon what made their last LP from a year & a half ago by putting out another consistently focused body of work that pays homage to golden age of hip hop culture with samples from classic records. They mix their characteristic old school sound with soulful & jazzy beats on top of blending the unfiltered essence of OG braggadocio, introspective storytelling that the high-flying superheroes have become known for by now.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE Return to Form on “Czarmageddon!” (Album Review)

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This is the 5th full-length album from East Coast supergroup CZARFACE. Consisting of Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs, first formed like Voltron in 1999 with Speaking Real Words” but decided to form the supergroup after making “12th Chamber” off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 in 2010. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore effort Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. A Fistful of Peril the following year was originally supposed to be the quartet’s final album & I thought that was a great way for them to go out, but they did pleasantly surprise me when they dropped their collab albums CZARFACE Meets Metal Face with the late MF DOOM in 2018 & then CZARFACE Meets Ghostface with his DOOMSTARKS partner in rhyme Ghostface Killah the year after that. The Odd Czar Against Us would come out 9 months later & that felt more like a split EP between CZARFACE and 7L & Eso given that both have 6 songs each. Last we heard from them was last spring when they dropped their 2nd collab album with DOOM called Super What? & now given that Record Store Day was last weekend, the supergroup’s getting back together for Czarmageddon!.

“Damien Dinner Time” is a boom bap opener produced by none other than The Czar-Keys finding Esoteric & Inspectah Deck spitting lethal battle raps like “You ain’t a Coachella, you flying coach with Ella & that local dope seller” and “I hit ‘em like lead to the chest, I wanna see hands to the forehead when my presence is blessed” whereas “The Czarlaac Pit” has a more Middle Eastern influence to the production talking about how you can’t stop their shine. “Can It Be?” works in some uplifting synthesizers coming through with some passionate verses, but then the synths that “Walk Thru Walls” bring to the table are more sinister accompanied by some dusty drums raising glasses to .

Meanwhile on “Splash Page”, we have CZARFACE over some heavy drums talking about being focused on the green leading into “Bob LaCzar” takes a more lo-fi route in terms of sound flexing their skills. Lion Eye tags along for the rap rock-tinged “Big ‘Em Up” challenging anyone to step up to them just before “Nu Muntantes” has a more cavernous tone to it comparing themselves to that of mutants & the hook is super awkward.

The song “Fearless & Inventive” by 7L & Esoteric and Kool Keith finds the trio over some more rock production talking about being bounty hunters & after the “Boogie DefMix” interlude, the penultimate track “Czarv Wolfman” is a fresh 2-parter in the vein of “I’m the Man” by Gang Starr as well as Jeru the Damaja & Lil Dap. “Logan-5” ends the album with an emotional 7L & Esoteric cut paying tribute to his dog Logan, who passed away a little over 2 years ago at this point.

I’ve been a fan of CZARFACE since the first album came out during my sophomore year of high school & I have to admit that this is the Fistful of Peril follow-up that I wanted The Odd Czar Against Us. The production from The Czar-Keys is pretty much a melting pot of all the sounds they’ve experimented with in the past & I’m happy to hear Deck on more than half of it destroying mics with Eso like they do best.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE – “Good Guys, Bad Guys”

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To celebrate the premiere of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, CZARFACE is putting their latest single “Good Guys, Bad Guys” out on streaming services.

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE & MF DOOM – “Super What?” (Album Review)

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This is the surprise 2nd collaborative album between East Coast supergroup CZARFACE & one of the most beloved MCs/producers in all of hip hop: MF DOOM. The first time we heard Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric team up with Viktor was on “Ka-Bang!” off the trio’s classic 2015 sophomore album Every Hero Needs a Villain, which was followed up in 2018 with the appropriately titled CZARFACE Meets Metal Face. But after being delayed for the past year due to COVID-19 as well as DOOM’s unfortunate passing, Super What? is finally seeing the light of day.

“The King & Eye” is a solid way to kick the album off as the quartet team up with D.M.C. to declare themselves as royalty on top of a boom bap beat from none other than The Czar-Keys with some chimes being incorporated. The next song “Czarwyn’s Theory of People Getting Loose” goes on about how “there’s no dope in the industry” & even though I personally believe is far from true, all 3 of the verses on here are cutthroat as Hell. As for the production end of it: I like how it starts off grimy, but the switch-up midway through Esoteric’s verse was a bit unnecessary.

“Mando Calrissian” has a Special Herbs feel to it instrumentally as the trio talk about going commando, but then the track “DOOM Unto Others” is an decimating battle rap cut. Del the Funky Homosapien provides the best feature at the end of the threatening “Jason & the Czargonauts” before talking about “continuing where they left off” on the jazzy “Break in the Action”.

After the “A Name to the Face” skit, the song “This is Canon Now” is a 7L & Eso solo cut taking it back to the days of A New Dopeinstrumentally & dropping numerous comic references. The penultimate track “So Strange” incorporates an organ as well as some dusty drums as they pop off about the thoughts in their mind & even though I like the storytelling on “Young World” a lot, it’s a weird way to end the album.

Even though Super What? is more of an EP to me than a full-length, I still enjoyed it as much as CZARFACE Meets Metal Face. The chemistry between the 3 emcees never fails to amuse me & The Czar-Keys stick to their guns in terms of the project’s overall sound.

Score: 9/10

The post CZARFACE & MF DOOM – “Super What?” (Album Review) first appeared on UndergroundHipHopBlog.
Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck, Esoteric, 7L) in Los Angeles “LIVE CONCERT” 2/20/20 Official Recap Video

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Official recap for video for CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck, Esoteric, 7L) in Los Angeles at Catch One 2/20/20 presented by UndergroundHipHopBlog.com. Recap shot and edited by: Prime @primegod87.

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck, Esoteric, 7L) in Los Angeles “LIVE CONCERT” 2/20/20 Official Recap Video

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Official recap for video for CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck, Esoteric, 7L) in Los Angeles at Catch One 2/20/20 presented by UndergroundHipHopBlog.com. Recap shot and edited by: Prime @primegod87.

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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CZARFACE – “The Odd Czar Against Us” (Album Review)

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CZARFACE is an East Coast supergroup consisting of Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well as 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs. They first formed like Voltron in 1999 with “Speaking Real Words” but after getting together again on “12th Chamber off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 in 2010, that’s when the trio decided to form a trio together. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore album Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. Last time we heard the supergroup on their own was in 2016 with A Fistful of Peril, as they’ve been putting out collab albums with both MF DOOM & Ghostface Killah throughout the last couple years. However, they’re ending off the 2010s with their 4th full-length album.

The opener “Bizarro” finds Deck & Esoteric challenging their opponents over a druggy instrumental whereas the next song “Call Me” is a 7L & Esoteric cut about people trying to hit em up over an instrumental kin to A New Dope. “The Gift That Keeps On…” sees the trio reforming to use the title as a beautiful metaphor for the trio’s music over a meditative instrumental while the song “Me’s Company” is Esoteric talking about keeping his circle small over a funky beat.

The track “Dear Computer” is Deck & Esoteric talking about going viral over an electro-boom bap beat while the song “Burrito” sees Eso telling the story of being at a Mexican place over a beat with some dope bass-playing throughout. The track “Brother Marquis” then finds CZAR trading bars with each other over a warping beat.

The track “Couch” is Esoteric about being lazy over a suiting instrumental while the song “Double Dragon” finds Deck getting back with the Boston duo to go at their competition over a tense instrumental. “The Problem with Frank” sees Eso comparing himself to the Punisher over an eerie beat while the penultimate track “Dog” finds him paying tribute to his Lab over an atmospheric beat. The album then finishes with “Czartis Gilmore (The Cool Down)”, where Esoteric gets back with Inspectah Deck to talk about wack rappers over an alluring beat.

As a huge fan of CZARFACE, this was ok. The pen game is undeniably killer but it seems like there’s a lack of focus as the album seems half CZARFACE, half 7L & Esoteric. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do going into the 2020s.

Score: 6/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Czarface Partners With Bent Water Brewing For Don The Armor Brew

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Czarface x Bent Water Brewing x Don The Armor

Source: Bent Water Brewing / Bent Water Brewing

Czarface, the supergroup comprised of Wu-Tang Clan swordsman Inspectah Deck, and Boston underground veterans 7L & Esoteric, has merged the sensibilities of Hip-Hop and comics seamlessly across six albums. In a collaborative effort with Bent Water Brewing out of Massetchestts, the group has their own brew named Don The Armor.

Don The Armor is a New England Double IPA, which essentially means this is a big, bold beer that has double the hops of other India Pale Ale styles. Clocking in at 8% ABV, Bent Water explains the taste profile as “intense aromas of orange, red berries, mango, and a hint of pine on the nose. The flavors of orange creamsicle, pineapple, and melon absolutely leap out of this smooth double IPA.”

The collaboration is available now from Bent Water but quantities of this brew are limited, so cop the Czarface X Don The Armor X Bent Water New England Double IPA soon!

Learn more about Bent Water here.

Czarface x Bent Water Brewing x Don The Armor

Source: Bent Water Brewing / Bent Water Brewing

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Photo: Bent Water Brewing.

Source: HipHopWired.com

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Joey Bada$$ Will Play Inspectah Deck In The Upcoming Wu-Tang Clan Bio Series

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Last month, following the premiere of Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men, a DJ Juanyto interview for HOT 97 on Staten Island with members of the Clan and its extended family suggested that Dave East would not be the only rapper to appear in an upcoming biopic. Joey Bada$$’s name was mentioned, but no further information was provided. Today (June 5), Heads have learned that the Brooklyn, New York Pro Era member will be portraying Inspectah Deck in the upcoming series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. The MC who just released his first Beast Coast album (Escape From New York) last month confirmed to Angie Martinez (17:00) that he will be playing the Rebel INS while Dave East portrays Method Man. “There’s movie roles [coming for me],” he says at 17:20. “So me and Dave East [are] in Wu-Tang.” Bada$$ confirmed reports that his Harlem co-star is playing Meth’. “I’m Inspectah Deck,” he confirms, adding that shooting is still taking place. Joey Bada$$ Brings Back Rap City’s Booth With Beast Coast & Big Tigger (Video) “It’s pretty on-point from what I’ve seen,” Badmon tells Angie. “I like what they’re doing. I like how they’re doing it. The only thing with TV is it ain’t a music video. There’s no playback. You just have to trust. You have to give your best performance and hope they pick the right take.” Last October, Wu-Tang: An American Saga was confirmed to be a 10-episode series airing on Hulu. Joey tells Angie he is not certain when it will air. Power Discusses Founding Wu-Wear & Breaks Down The Mathematics (Video) In May, Sacha Jenkins directed and co-produced (with the Clan) the four-part Of Mics And Men documentary on the history surrounding Wu-Tang Clan. It included interviews and never-before-seen archival footage. After debuting at Sundance, the series is available on Showtime. The crew followed with a seven-track project, including four new songs from several members. MC/producer Inspectah Deck is currently working on his first solo album in nearly a decade. The MC welcomed producers to sample using the TrackLib database to submit songs. The upcoming LP will pull exclusively from these submissions on the service endorsed by Prince Paul, Erick Sermon, Statik Selektah, and others. Producer T-Minus reportedly used the sample database to legally license a sample for J. Cole’s “Middle Child.” He last released Manifesto in 2010. Earlier this year, he and his CZARFACE squad (7L & Esoteric) partnered with Wu brethren Ghostface Killah on CZARFACE Meets Ghostface. Ghostface Killah & CZARFACE Have Released Their Joint Album. Listen Here. Beast Coast consists of Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers. #BonusBeat: The HOT 97 interview where mention of Joey Bada$$ being in Wu-Tang: An American Saga broke:

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Sustainable Fashion Brand Arvin Goods Teams Up With Czarface [Photos]

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Arvin Goods X CZARFACE Sock Line

Source: Arvin Goods / Arvin Goods

Hip-Hop collective Czarface, comprised of Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck, and duo 7L & Esoteric, have been churning up comic book-inspired projects for years now. The latest project, Czarface Meets Ghostface, features Tony Starks and the crew is collaborating with sustainable fashion brand Arvin Goods for some fresh pieces you need to add to your collection.

Arvin Goods has a simple mission of being the only basics brand that promotes sustainability overall. Each product from Arvin is made using what’s called “closed-loop” production practices, which essentially means each basic is constructed with donated or recycled materials with low impact on water supplies while also doing away with toxic dyes and waste, doing so at a very fair price point at that.

In their joint venture with Czarface, who dropped their latest music project on Feb. 15, the crew now has a line of sustainable socks. This goes hand in hand with SZA, who had a sustainable merch line and Jaden Smith, who employs the use of sustainable denim with G-Star Raw. This new angle in pairing celebrities with environmentally-conscious products could go a long way in promoting the value of the sustainability movement.

The “Czarvin” collaboration features three styles of socks, which with varying Czarface graphics and available in red, black and white. Learn more about the collection and how to cop your own by following this link, and then check out our gallery of the goods below.

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Photo: Arvin Goods

Source: HipHopWired.com

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