7L & Esoteric

In Toronto hip-hop parlance, the city is often referred to as the "Screwface Capital” — something Boston duo 7L & Esoteric might have wanted to know before they took the stage. A veteran crew known for crunchy boom-bap inspired beats, their profile in Toronto has nevertheless remained pretty low. Unfortunately for the duo, they squandered an opportunity to change this by front-loading their set with the keyboard beats featured on their latest album, A New Dope. By the time grimier beats that might have resonated emerged about five songs into their set, it was hard to hear over the merciless boos raining down on the duo. Ouch.