''Czarface'' is the eponymous debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American hip hop supergroup
Czarface
Czarface () is an American hip hop supergroup formed in 2013 by underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. They released their acclaimed debut studio album, '' Czarface'', February 19, 2013.
The album was fo ...
. The album was released on February 19, 2013, by Brick Records. The album features
guest appearances from
Roc Marciano,
Oh No Oh No may refer to:
* An exclamation used to indicate shock or dismay, primarily used in the English language
Music
* Oh No (musician) (born 1979), American rapper
Albums
* ''Oh No!'', 2004 album by Crackout
* ''Oh No'' (OK Go album), 2005
* ...
,
Ghostface Killah,
Action Bronson,
Cappadonna and
Vinnie Paz. The album's production comes from
7L, Spada4 and
DJ Premier.
Critical reception
''Czarface'' was met with generally favorable reviews from
music critic
''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...
s. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average score of 77, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "generally positive reviews".
Omar Burgess of ''
HipHopDX'' gave the album four out of five stars, saying "''CZARFACE'' has no major flaws. It’s obviously not for everyone, yet even when incorporating current critical favorites like
Action Bronson and
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire
Hugh Anthony Allison (born 1986), better known by his stage name Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire (often censored as Mr. MFN eXquire or simply eXquire), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he debuted with the release of his first mixtape, ...
, no compromises are made. Inspectah Deck, 7L & Esoteric use '90s East Coast Hip Hop as a blueprint to innovate, and ultimately, that’s what made that era so special in the first place."
[ Bryan Hahn of '' The Source'' gave the album a positive review, saying "''Czarface'' doesn't fall short of what it wanted to accomplish-knocking the chumps out the ring. It doesn't pretend to deliver positive messages for the kids or even tell heart wrenching stories about the hood. Plain and simple, 7L masterminded sinister beats while Esoteric and Inspectah Deck recruited some fellow emcees to show the potential of the often-mislead art of lyricism can sound like. Long live, ''Czarface''." Mark Bozzer of '']Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "Minus all of the corny sound bites, this album undoubtedly keeps the underground renaissance sizzling."
Bogar Alonso of '' XXL'' gave the album an XL, saying "Mention of the ‘90s, hip-hop’s supposed last golden era, might make some queeze, and for good reason. Hip-hop purists have long sucked on the decade like a warm thumb, afraid of the cold, mean world that lay ahead. But ''CZARFACE'', also the name for Deck and co.’s group, keeps matters as fresh. The album’s marquee—with names like Roc Marciano, Action Bronson, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire—assures just that. “Cement 3’s,” “It’s Raw,” and “Poisonous Thoughts”―listed in the order of appearance of the guests mentioned―come off as love letters rather than industry rub-offs. If the above trio were operating in the late ‘90s, they’d be dropping similar heat."[
]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 34 on the US ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the first week of its release.
Track listing
References
External links
{{Authority control
2013 albums
Czarface albums
7L & Esoteric albums
Inspectah Deck albums
Collaborative albums
Albums produced by DJ Premier