The Soul Purpose

Last updated
The Soul Purpose
The Soul Purpose.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 24, 2001 (2001-07-24)
Studio
Genre Hip hop
Length1:04:44
Label Direct Records
Producer
  • 7L
  • DJ Spinna
  • Joc Max
  • Raw Produce
  • The ARE
  • Vinyl Reanimators
7L & Esoteric chronology
The Soul Purpose
(2001)
Dangerous Connection
(2002)
Singles from The Soul Purpose
  1. "Speaking Real Words"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Mic Mastery"
    Released: 2000
  3. "Call Me E.S."
    Released: 2001
  4. "Jealous Over Nothing"
    Released: 2001
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
RapReviews9/10 [2]

The Soul Purpose is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric. It was released on July 24, 2001 via Direct Records. Recording sessions took place at Joe's Wax Museum, The Garden in Massachusetts, The Thingamajig Lab and Miss Pusskin's House in Brooklyn, BassCamp in Lynnfield and BPM in Boston. Production was handled by the Vinyl Reanimators, who also served as executive producers, 7L, DJ Spinna, Joc Max, Raw Produce and The ARE. It features guest appearances from Akrobatik, Apathy, Cadence, Checkmark, Inspectah Deck, Karma, Mr. Lif, Reks, Vinnie Paz and Count Bass D.

Contents

The album was preceded with four singles: "Speaking Real Words", "Mic Mastery", "Call Me E.S." and "Jealous Over Nothing". Its third single, "Call Me E.S.", became the duo's only charted single off of the album, reaching number 83 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 3 on the Hot Rap Songs in the US.

Background

After years of doing guest verses for other acts, and releasing songs such as "Be Alert" on their own; the duo managed to garner significant hype in the underground hip hop community. They even received press in The Source , and attracted enough attention to get a guest verse from Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck. All of this culminated into a distribution record deal with Landspeed Records Inc., 9 years after the group's original formation.

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Dwight Spits Intro" (featuring Count Bass D) 1:00
2."Verbal Assault"Vinyl Reanimators3:32
3."Terror at Your Ear"Vinyl Reanimators3:16
4."Operating Correctly" (featuring Mr. Lif) 7L 4:31
5."Call Me E.S."Vinyl Reanimators3:27
6."My Rhyme Pt. II" 0:59
7."Jealous Over Nothing"Joc Max3:54
8."Chain Reaction" (featuring Vinnie Paz)Vinyl Reanimators3:53
9."Think Back"7L3:19
10."Interlude - Terra What?" 0:42
11."Mic Mastery"Vinyl Reanimators3:35
12."Public Execution" (featuring Reks and Apathy)7L3:53
13."You Know the Concept"Vinyl Reanimators4:10
14."Speaking Real Words" (featuring Inspectah Deck)Vinyl Reanimators4:11
15."First Letter"7L1:13
16."The Soul Purpose" DJ Spinna 4:41
17."Rep the Hardest" (featuring Karma)7L4:01
18."Play It Cool"7L2:26
19."Guest List"The ARE3:35
20."State of the Art" (featuring Akrobatik, Cadence and Checkmark)Raw Produce4:26
Total length:1:04:44

Personnel

References

  1. Mills, Brad. "The Soul Purpose - 7L & Esoteric | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  2. Ridge, B. (October 6, 2001). "7L & Esoteric :: The Soul Purpose :: Direct Records". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2001. Retrieved June 19, 2024.