Whether you prefer the pulpy sci-fi yarns of Deltron 3030, the razor-sharp horrorcore of the Gravediggaz, the Atlanta stomp of Bankroll Mafia, or the moody indie-rap bliss of Madvillain, supergroups used to dominate many corners of rap. They aren’t exactly en vogue at the moment, but Czarface, made up of Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck and the Massachusetts duo 7L & Esoteric, persists. Since 2013, the trio has defined itself through mutual loyalty to old-school hip-hop and Silver and Bronze Age comic books. Czarface make hard-nosed, slightly goofy boom-bap for people who can identify Cella Dwellaz deep cuts as readily as the difference between John Romita and Steve Ditko’s work on Spider-Man.
Super What?, their 2021 collaboration with the late MF DOOM, was a high-water mark animated by the presence of rap’s greatest supervillain. Czarface’s latest, Czartificial Intelligence, plays out more like a Guardians of the Galaxy-style buddy action-dramedy. This is nerdy dad rap projected through a cel-shaded lens, a batch of average-to-pretty-good songs that don’t take many risks. Over 7L’s samples and dusty drums, Deck and Esoteric’s raps range from clever to lazy. Deck is known for his direct language, an approach that works best when he’s in storytelling mode: On the dark and heartfelt “Sirens,” he awakens to a tragic morning-after and “thugs crying.” That curt style doesn’t translate as well to his punchlines. Half-assed bars like “Taking ’em to class like I’m driving a school bus” (“You Know My Style”) or “It’s Ray’s pizzeria how I serve it to ’em pronto” (“Blast Off”) pale beside his once-earthshaking bars.
Esoteric takes bigger lyrical swings and gets wilder results. His style is lighter and his references are more specific, using Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry’s mouthguard and motion-capture actor Andy Serkis to big up his rap skills—or shame others’. He isn’t immune to groaners—if I never hear another of his “czar” puns again, it’ll be too soon—but he at least doesn’t take himself too seriously. “Rivalries is short-lived, like dwarves is,” he says on “You Know My Style” before immediately hanging a lampshade on his words: “I take that line back/They couldn’t get it off the track with forklifts.”
That keen wit comes in handy on “Mama’s Basement,” a solo track that examines the root of his comic book obsession. Over a steady drum loop and sparkling synths, Esoteric interpolates A Tribe Called Quest’s “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo” as he explains how his love of superheroes endured through a strained relationship with his mother. In the third verse, when he shows up at her place to collect his old back issues, she reminds him that he sold the books years ago and tells him to let go of the past. A Czarface album isn’t usually the place for unpacking trauma, but “Mama’s Basement” fleshes out Esoteric’s personal lore in a novel, even soulful, way.
Fresh spins like this are the exception on Czartificial Intelligence: The trio’s routine is solid but formulaic. “Gatecrasher,” which dramatizes a fake beef with fellow rap dweeb Logic and his supervillain alter ego Doc D, feels like an interlude dragged laboriously to feature length. But even when one or both flounder on the mic, Esoteric and Deck complement each other well: an indie-rap mainstay bouncing off the stoicism of a true-school legend. Take “All That for a Drop of Blood,” one of a handful of tracks where every element locks in perfectly. 7L’s beat sounds like an amped-up version of the original PlayStation startup music, Deck reflects sagely on his come-up, and Esoteric fends off biters like he’s fighting his way through The Last of Us. Czarface may be a nostalgia camp with occasional modern flair, but it’s easy to get swept up in the heroics.
