A Labor of Love: Apathy Talks Honkey Kong and Independent Success
Apathy doesn’t love college. In fact, he’s never been to college. But, sometimes – when you’re dealing with major-label record deals and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of promotional efforts – what you are and who you are come second to what — or who — will sell.
And, in 2002, when Apathy was first signed to Atlantic Records, what the Lupe-strong-arming behemoth thought would sell was the college lifestyle.
“They wanted me to do what Asher Roth was when Asher Roth was still in junior high,” says the Connecticut MC, explaining the circumstances of his record deal. He’s talking candidly about the situation. He doesn’t seem so much like a disgruntled ex-employee as much as a disillusioned child that just found out that Santa isn’t real – he seems genuinely still shocked about what goes on behind the scenes, even almost a decade after the fact.
“They wanted me to ride skateboards and talk about frat boy shit and talk about high school girls.”
-Apathy
What goes on behind the scenes at major record labels, apparently, is pretty much exactly what most anti-mainstream, “back packer” types fear and loath. It’s a form of reverse-engineering. Some suit-bearing record executive comes up with an audience they haven’t tapped into yet and then finds an easily-manipulated artist to sculpt into that space, rather than finding a particularly talented artist and building a market around their own sound. “They wanted me to ride skateboards and talk about frat boy shit and talk about high school girls,” explains Apathy.
The Demigodz co-founder didn’t go through with the deal.
“I know it always sounds like I’m complaining about it, but I’m not complaining,” clarifies the veteran rapper. “I’m just astounded that they wanted me to do certain shit. At the end of the day, I’m just gassed that I got signed to a major label.” But, it wasn’t a perfect ending. Although he chose to make a bold move that is probably championed by many of his fans as an act of artistic integrity, leaving the imprint did create problems for Apathy professionally.
For starters, Apathy’s financial security went out the window. He explains that his latest single – “Check To Check” produced by Dilated Peoples’ Evidence – takes a realistic look into his financial woes. He’s open about the problems, but to be sure, doesn’t just blame fans for downloading rather than buying music. He self-diagnoses his own financial irresponsibility.
“’Check To Check’ is just primarily about not being smart with money,” he says. “It’s just all about being broke and living check to check and trying to stretch things out.”
The track, which features a prominent sample of OutKast’s Andre 3000 likening making a living in rap to working a day job, touches on a number of sources for financial hardship as an independent artist, including the downturn in album sales. “There’s still tons of fans that think we’re crazy paid or make tons of money and take advantage of it so they can download our shit for free,” Apathy tells me, stressing that although he does mention this aspect, it isn’t the entire point of the track. “But, what they don’t understand is that this music – especially for an underground artist – is the same thing as if you went to work to a day job.”
“People have related to it and it helps them get through the work day,” says Apathy when asked about the reaction to the track. He explains his connection to his fans – his ultimate goal is to keep them in mind. “They feel it and at the end of the day that’s what I give the fuck about the most.”
And that’s what it’s really about for the Northeastern wordsmith; his music career is truly a labor of love. He explains that even though at one point after first signing to Atlantic he thought his career was on the verge of really taking off and that he was about the make it big, he remains satisfied with where he’s at now. After finding out what a major record deal really entailed, he backed off. Instead, he decided to forge ahead and make his own lane.
“Initially when you first start you have zero expectations,” he says, talking about how his expectations have changed since he first start rapping. “But then there comes a time where you have to recognize your worth and you have to realize, damn, people are coming to see me, people are paying to see me, I’m providing them quality music as opposed to giving them fuckin’ bullshit.”
“I’m providing them quality music as opposed to giving them fuckin’ bullshit.”
-Apathy
It’s been a turning point for Apathy. Going from an unknown rapper from Connecticut to rubbing shoulders with big-name veteran record executives, only be tossed back after a falling out with his major-label imprint. But, post-Atlantic, Apathy wasn’t put back to square one. He had a new sense of understanding about the way things worked, he told me, and a growing fan base hungry to hear his material.
Rather than starting fresh, Apathy built on his momentum, and almost ten years later, he’s built a successful independent career that most artists envy. But even so, he can’t just sit back and coast. With the changing landscape of music, he’s forced to constantly evolve.
So, Apathy has chosen to re-assess his business strategy. Without the backing of a major label he’s solely responsible for his own destiny and financial well-being. “I just carelessly put out records for so long ,” he explains, talking about his two most-recent releases and how he’s been working to improve his business prowess. “It was time that I needed to start doing things smarter and doing things differently.”
He’s been striving to change the music buying experience for his fans. Offering different packages and medium — like a limited-edition flash drive fashioned after a retro beeper — Apathy has attempted to get people excited about his music. “We wanna make it an event to buy shit again,” he says, explaining how he doesn’t want to keep pushing his album through social media outlets ad nauseum.
So, now, readying the release of Honkey Kong, what will be his third solo album, Apathy is poised to make his biggest splash yet. Teaming up with an all-star cast of producers such as DJ Premier, DJ Muggs and Statik Selektah, as well as a guest cast including Xzibit, Celph Titled, Action Bronson and more, the albums seems to be concocted with the purpose of being revered as a classic in mind. While he may not be signed to a major label or looking at a million-dollar record contact, the rapper’s reality seems to have come full circle.
“I wish I could do the hip hop that I do and make a million dollars,” he tells me, making the point that it’s really just a pipe dream. “Who the fuck wouldn’t wish that? That’s a fun, bullshit wish.”
In the end, Apathy seems content; his fan base has continued to grow and his music has never wavered in the face of economic pressures. Instead, he moves forward, carrying on the legacy of hip hop that he grew up listening to.
Apathy’s newest album, Honkey Kong, is available on August 23 via his self-released imprint, Dirty Version Records.
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