7L & Esoteric “Retrospects” Music Video from Ian McFarland and Mike Pecci

The latest video from 7L & Esoteric is a refreshing new approach to hip hop music videos. Brutally honest In a genre filled with bravado and flashy extravagance, 7LES along with the directing team McFarland & Pecci set out to make a bad situation as real as possible.

Ian Mcfarland: “Mike and I saw an article in the New York Times on joy riders in Ireland and we both called each other and said this would make an amazing video! The photography by Ross McDonnell had this beautiful gritty realism that would be perfect for hip hop and the embedded feel that the photographer captured really piqued my interest.”

Mike Pecci: I saw this video as an opportunity to create a real world in which the violence and edge that hip hop wants to have could actually exist. Esoteric was a perfect match and understood what we were going for immediately. It’s not often that an artist ‘gets it’ after you tell them that they are going to get their ass kicked, be held at gunpoint for the whole video, and have to run for their life. Eso not only understood it, but brought a maturity to it that steals the show.”

The directing team (known as the two headed dragon) has been acclaimed for pushing boundaries in the metal and hardcore world with their videos for Fear Factory and Meshuggah. 7LES’ “Retrospects” marks their entrance into the hip hop video world.

Pecci: “We are excited to cross over into a new genre and are looking for a handful of talented artists to collaborate with. This video is a prime example of the artist/director collaboration gone right. We do our best work when we are able to communicate directly with the artist and develop ideas that would otherwise be lost in translation. We are actively seeking other musicians that are open to pushing the boundaries of the genre and their limits as an artist!”

— Released by Mike Pecci (dir. Boxed Lynch, Stray Bullet)

7L & Esoteric “Retrospects” Music Video from mcfarlandandpecci.com on Vimeo.