With his illustrious career spanning nearly two-decades now, it would be easy for Inspectah Deck to sit back and rest on his laurels; after all, he has helped create some of the best hip-hop music ever recorded. Despite his low-key persona, Deck carved out his own unique space in the Wu-Tang Clan, thanks to his stand-out verses from “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Protect Ya Neck” and his otherworldly verse on “Triumph” among many. Likewise, who could forget Deck’s contributions on Ghostface’s Ironman (“Assassination Day”), his many appearances on Raekwon’s OBFCL, GZA’s Liquid Swords (“Cold World”) or his collaborations with Gang Starr (“Above The Clouds”) and Big Pun (“Tres Leches” which also featured Mobb Deep’s Prodigy).

Throughout Deck’s career, whether it was beside his fellow Wu-Tang brethren or in a solo-capacity, he is as adamant today about his culture and pushing the creative envelope as he was before Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers became an epic masterpiece; hence the formation of CZARFACE, a new collaborative project with underground icons 7L & Esoteric. With rap fans again craving more substance and less polish, Deck realizes there is a tangible shift taking place- “The industry doesn’t need another well packaged, put together “act,” instead fans are once again gravitating to the seasoned vets and newcomers that are still true to the game.”

With a working history that dates back nearly as far as Wu-Tang’s, 7L & Esoteric are undisputedly Boston and underground hip-hop royalty. CZARFACE offered the duo an opportunity to pick up where they left off over a decade ago with Inspectah Deck, as he joined them on the title track to their revered Speaking Real Words EP (1999). Deck says “Speaking Real Words is one of the many reasons we are now CZARFACE. After doing that song, it was only right we collaborated on a project to cater to the millions of fans that still support hip-hop from the underground.”

With guest appearances from Action Bronson, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Roc Marciano & Large Professor, additional beats from DJ Premier, plus album art by Lamour Supreme from Mishka NYC (www.mishkanyc.com/home), you can expect nothing less then top notch production and rewind worthy lyricism from CZARFACE. “We are CZARFACE because they know our faces and they know us for being dope rhyme suppliers, like Tony Montana we are known for our balls and our word; lyrically we will conquer the world and everything in it” states Deck. Esoteric explains further, “CZARFACE is a vigilante, anti-hero character who serves as the face of the project, and his focus is on annihilating the media darlings that the mainstream caters to.”