7L & Esoteric: Dangerous Connection

Perhaps the nicest thing that can be said about 7L & Esoteric's Dangerous Connection is that it would be a pretty terrific album if it weren't for Esoteric, the duo's lackluster MC. Of course, hip-hop is full of duos in which a visionary, overachieving producer/DJ compensates for a less auspicious MC, but on Dangerous Connection, 7L's production strengths are wholly overshadowed by his partner's weaknesses. Which is a shame, since Dangerous Connection has a lot going for it. DJ 7L has clearly devoted a lot of time and energy to studying the beats of Gang Starr's DJ Premier, and while his work sounds derivative throughout, he has both the taste to steal from the best and the skill to rip off Premier with style and finesse. Similarly, 7L and Esoteric have a knack for intriguing song concepts, even though they aren't always able to pull them off. "Terrorist's Cell," for example, is an audacious attempt to delve inside the mind of an Islamic terrorist as he prepares to embark on the Sept. 11 attacks. Told from the perspective of an anxious, doubt-ridden hijacker, the song marks a well-intentioned stab at melding social commentary with narrative storytelling. The duo deserves credit for even attempting such an ambitious track, but Esoteric lacks the depth to pull it off, and a line about visiting a strip club diminishes much of the song's authority for the sake of a lame gag. Esoteric manages some clever lines on Dangerous Connection, but his snotty sneer seems better suited to belting out bratty pop-punk songs than delivering fierce battle rhymes. Easily Dangerous Connection's best track, "Rules Of Engagement" pairs him with cult favorites J-Live and Count Bass D, who pack more personality, color, and insight into one verse apiece than Esoteric could pull off in a day. In the presence of Live and Bass D, Esoteric can't help but sound tired and second-rate.