Czarface (/ˈzɑːrfeɪs/) (often stylized as 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 album, Czarface, on February 19, 2013.[1] The album was followed by Every Hero Needs a Villain in 2015 and A Fistful of Peril in 2016, both of which were also praised by critics.[2][3]
Czarface | |
|---|---|
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members | Inspectah Deck 7L Esoteric |
History
editInspectah Deck told Paul Meara of HipHopDX in February 2013, that the album had no goals, but to "create something worth listening to".[4] Inspectah Deck had worked with 7L & Esoteric on tour and two previous tracks: the duo's song "Speaking Real Words" from the 2001 album The Soul Purpose and "12th Chamber" from their 2010 album 1212. From 2013 onward, the trio decided to release further collaborations under the singular “Czarface” moniker. Esoteric spoke of the album's origin as fun between friends, which ultimately led to a character that represented all three members.[4]
The Czarface Mascot
editThe Czarface mascot was designed by artist Brad Hudson as a gift to Esoteric.[5] He is characterized by the group as an “anti-hero,” similar to comic book characters like Marvel’s Wolverine.[6] Inspectah Deck shared with Vice that the character's name intentionally draws a parallel to "Scarface," as they intend for their collaborative rap persona to elicit the same respect as cult followers do for the movie's titular character.[6]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | Label | Formats | Peak chart positions | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7][8] |
US R&B/HH [9][10] |
US Rap [11][12] |
US Ind. [13][14] |
US Heat. [15] |
US Taste [16] | |||||
| 2013 | Czarface | Brick Records | CD, LP, cassette, digital download | — | 34 | 20 | 45 | — | — | |
| 2015 | Every Hero Needs a Villain | Brick Records | CD, LP, cassette, digital download | — | 15 | 15 | 19 | 4 | 15 | |
| 2016 | A Fistful of Peril | Silver Age | CD, LP, digital download | — | 21 | 14 | 28 | 8 | — | |
| 2017 | First Weapon Drawn | Silver Age | LP, digital download | — | — | — | 44 | 16 | — | |
| 2018 | Czarface Meets Metal Face | Silver Age | CD, LP, cassette, digital download | 134 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 5 | Recorded with MF Doom |
| 2019 | Czarface Meets Ghostface | Silver Age | CD, LP, cassette, digital download | — | — | — | 8 | — | 4 | Recorded with Ghostface Killah |
| 2019 | Double Dose of Danger | Silver Age | LP, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | The Odd Czar Against Us | Silver Age | CD, LP, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | Super What? | Silver Age | CD, LP, cassette, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | — | Recorded with MF Doom |
| 2021 | Czar Noir | Silver Age | LP | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022 | Czarmageddon | Silver Age | CD, LP | 178 | — | — | 26 | 1 | — | |
| 2023 | Czartificial Intelligence | Silver Age | CD, LP | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | |
EPs
edit| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Man's Worst Enemy | Silver Age | Recorded with MF Doom |
| 2019 | Dog Days of Tomorrow | Silver Age | |
| 2021 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | Silver Age |
Music videos
edit| Year | Album Title | Song Title | Director | Featured Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Czarface | Air 'em Out | McFarland & Pecci | |
| Hazmat Rap | ||||
| 2015 | Every Hero Needs a Villain | The Great (Czar Guitar) | Sev One Media | |
| Sgt. Slaughter | ||||
| 2018 | Czarface Meets Metal Face | Bomb Thrown | Kendra Morris | MF Doom |
| Meddle with Metal | James Reitano | |||
| 2019 | Czarface Meets Ghostface | Mongolian Beef | Shawn A. Johnson | Ghostface Killah |
| Powers and Stuff | Josh Mac | |||
| 2020 | The Odd Czar Against Us | Couch | DJ Manipulator | |
| Bizarro | Mike Pecci | |||
| 2023 | Czartificial Intelligence | Czarchimedes' Death Ray | Hoku & Adam |
References
edit- ^ "Critic Reviews for Czarface". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
- ^ "Reviews for Every Hero Needs a Villain by Czarface". Metacritic. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
- ^ "Review: Listening to Czarface's 'A Fistful of Peril' is like reading a good comic book". The Diamondback. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- ^ a b Meara, Paul (2013-02-11). "Inspectah Deck Says Esoteric Is "Up There" With Eminem & CZARFACE Is A "Friendly Duel"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- ^ "'Czarface' an 'amalgam of various comic book villains'". The Daily Times. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b Olmstead, Todd (2015-07-02). "Every Czarface Needs a Villain: The Underground Hip-Hop Group Talks Their Return". Vice. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Billboard 200. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Billboard 200: Week of May 7, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Inspectah Deck Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Top Rap Albums. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Inspectah Deck Chart History". Top Rap Albums. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Independent Albums. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Inspectah Deck Chart History". Independent Albums. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Heatseekers Albums. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Czarface Chart History". Tastemakers. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.