High Focus Records present ‘Manatee Rap’, the fifth track to be lifted from the iLL Lee Scott and Dirty Dike’s collaborative project entitled ‘Butter Fly’ out now on High Focus Records. The album is entirely produced by Dirty Dike and features cuts from DJ Sammy B-Side!
Czarface (Inspectah Deck + 7L & Esoteric) recently released their dope sophomore album, ‘Every Hero Needs a Villain’, via Brick Records. The album includes guest appearances from Method Man, Meyhem Lauren, MF Doom, GZA, Large Professor, Juju & RA The Rugged Man.
Czarface returns with the first visual, “The Great” (Czar Guitar) from the just released project.
‘Every Hero Needs A Villain’ Track List:
1 Don The Armor
2 Czartacus
3 Lumberjack Match
4 Nightcrawler feat. METHOD MAN
5 World Premier feat. LARGE PROFESSOR
6 The Great (Czar Guitar)
7 Red Alert
8 Junkyard Dogs feat. JUJU OF THE BEATNUTS
9 Sgt. Slaughter
10 When Gods Go Mad feat. GZA
11 Ka-Bang! feat. MF DOOM
12 Deadly Class feat. MEYHEM LAUREN
13 Escape From Czarkham Asylum
14 Sinister
15 Good Villains Go Last feat. RA THE RUGGED MAN
CZARFACE – Wu-Tang founding MC Inspectah Deck and veteran Boston duo 7L & Esoteric – isn’t concerned with the glitz and the B.S. that modern consumer culture is pushing. And neither are the group’s fans.
In 2013, the trio appeared relatively unassumingly with their self-titled debut, which was chiefly produced by DJ 7L and included guests ranging from Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna to Vinnie Paz, Action Bronson and Roc Marciano. The soon-to-be acclaimed group found out quickly that there was a groundswell of hip-hop fanatics thirsting for the lunchpail, lyrics-above-all-else rap they fell in love with in the ‘90s. Several pressings of the album on CD, 2-LP and even cassette later, they are back and ready to up the ante.
This time around the group is the same, but it’s fair to say that all three men have stepped up their game. “We knew how we felt about the last album, but weren’t sure how it would be received by listeners,” explains MC Esoteric. “But people really responded to it, even more than we had hoped. That gave us the confidence to really spread our wings and let loose on this one. The chemistry is even tighter this time around. We know exactly what lanes we are cruising in and what weight class we are fighting in for Round 2.”
Inspectah Deck adds, “Czarface is like the Danger Room for the X-Men, I can use all my weapons on there. When I’m in Wu-Tang, I have to come a certain way because we have a certain style of fan, when I’m here doing the Czarface projects, it allows me to actually be an MC, it allows me to actually just spit…I love that. I love when i can just spit freely and just be an MC.”
The fighting analogy – whether drawn from pugilism or ‘80s wrestling, both which figure into Every Hero Needs A Villain – is an apt one, considering the unrelenting lyrical attacks that Deck and Esoteric unleash on track after track, each trying to one-up the previous verse. Best of all, it is friendly camaraderie, based around a loose theme of renegade mutant MC talents running wild. DJ 7L explains, “All three of us are influenced by comics, sci-fi movies, TV, wrestling. Czarface encompasses all of that, and it helps with the visuals as well.”
On the production side, 7L shows yet again – as he did with the group’s debut – that he remains a formidable yet underappreciated musical force, constantly providing hard, funky and alternatingly ominous backdrops for the assembled MCs to use as lyrical luge paths.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s all iced with a ridiculously intricate and beefy 70-plus page, hardcover CD casebook with lyrics and extensive artwork by Gilberto Aguirre Mata (El Ultimo Codice) and L’amour Supreme, and with “Death & Abduction,” a comic written by Esoteric; and an explosive, comic-book-inspired cover by L’amour Supreme (Mishka NYC). The LP version also comes on Clear double vinyl, with a full-sized “Death & Abduction” comic.
Coventry rapper Shaezpeare dropping that fire as we’ve come to expect calling out all the fakes with this joint ‘Your Lying’ over the AraabMusik ‘Drops Is Out’ instrumental.
“I decided I was done with allowing the industry to construct my goals and potentially define who I am. I wanted to get back in touch with every aspect of what I want and who I actually am, whilst respecting the need to express through my art. I thought back to the beginning; what were my aims? what were my aspirations? where did my values lie? when did the understanding of respect, love, pride and dignity become over shadowed with concepts of money, views, fame, attention and status?
I decided it was time to X out the bullshit! It’s like possessing an identity given to me by a slave master, with that said I was able to revert back to the essence and find my true identity within music and at that point I realised…this is rebel music ~ It’s time to Rebel!” PROJECT X
Wu-Syndicates own Napoleon returns with the Ghostface Killah assisted track, “Game,” taken from his debut solo LP Ring of Power, which is now available worldwide. Alongside Pole’s Wu-Tang co-hort Ghostface, the album boasts appearances by Jim Jones, Crooked I, Pusha T, Killah Priest, Joe Mafia and more.
Dope Bristol emcee Twizzy is back with a video for the track ‘Loud and Clear’, produced by Hutch taken from Twizzy’s forthcoming Album ‘Done With All The Bull’
Official Music Video for ‘Over Your Heads’ taken from the Debut EP from Manchester Hip-Hop proteges ‘Free Wize Men’, consisting of ‘Blind MIC’, ‘Afro Sam’ & ‘Key Bay’. The track is Produced by Leaf Dog
Taken from the ‘Free Wizdom’ EP – OUT NOW on Room2 Records!!!
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