Returning to drop his sophomore album three years after releasing his much awaited debut, the one time shelved Atlantic records artist Apathy has unleashed a bevy of new work that not only showcases his ample talent as a hardcore narrator, but also introduces you to his skills in the field of production.
“Wanna Snuggle” is a twenty one track opus that Ap can truly hang his hat on. Clearly displaying that he’s here to make high brow Hip-Hop and nothing else, the direction of the LP is always pointed toward delivering a message and conveying dope music with feeling. Behind the head nodding production lineup and a minimal list of worthy guest MC’s we’re given the life story of a independent rapper from somewhere in Connecticut, who’s only real agenda seems to be leaving his mark on the game forever, an accomplishment He’s getting dangerously close to….
Early on we hear exactly how Apathy has managed to carve a name out for himself in the business. Joints like “Money Orientated”, “On And Off The Mic” and “Shoot First” all have that unmistakable Golden age swing and sample manipulation in an rejuvenated format. Featuring Ap alongside both a promising young wordsmith in Blacastan and a wily old vet in B-Real, there’s no question that the updated, hardcore, boom bap sound that many a 90’s head has been seeking out will power this LP. Or is there?
Perhaps lost in the shuffle is the album’s fifth track “Back In L.A.”; a wondrously smooth, soulful and sing songy ode to La La land, that Ap uses to both glorify and caution folks about the city of angels. A decent track no doubt but a drastic shift in mood from the previous 4 cuts.
The Alien Tongue continues with his hardcore assaults for a moment with “I’m A Demigod”, which boasts a powerful chorus and some insight into how Ap’s Demigodz crew came to be; a moment where Apathy isn’t just rhyming to rhyme, but rather, is letting you in on some of his origins. Switching it up once again however, the next track “True Love” strays a bit. Assisted by Little Brother lyricist Phonte who’s verse delivers an interesting and comedic take, but isn’t really in concert with Ap’s.
As we move into the middle of “Wanna Snuggle” we receive some great gifts like “Mind Ya Business” that un-earths former Fu-Schnickens member Chip Fu for hook duties, the cogitative “Thinkin’”, and the album’s shiniest gem “This Is The Formula”, a jazzy creation that finds Ap successfully hanging with J-Live, who himself drops an unforgettable 16 over the lively rhythm. We also get “Guys And Girls”, another cut that has a truly compelling beat and features long time Wu-Tang songstress Blue Raspberry, but succumbs to the botheration of re-hashed, tired themes.
Bouncing back quickly “Anyday”, finds our MC displaying his most durable mic presence yet, delving into some rough luck and conspiracy laced rhymes alongside Philly force King Magnetic. Managing to straddle the line between viable underdog and depressive slacker is tremendously hard to do nowadays without coming off as being imitative, but Apathy does so here without missing a beat. By this point if your not thoroughly impressed by not only his strides as a beatmaker but also his focus commanding the broad majority of his songs, well, your hating big time fella.
Mis-steps did happen and they came in the form of experimentation, which I can deal with. Usually those songs are the ones that either grow on you as the years go on, or force the artist to re-examine what they were trying to do and return later with the right tune. Specifically the last nine tracks are split, with four being “meh”, and the other five being pretty damn slick. “Candy” is just a miss…I see what Ap and Dose were trying to do with the wordplay, and those horns in the sample record are nuts, but sorry, that 1930’s era chorus killed it for me. I can’t really explain it much further than that. The two Holly Brook assisted tracks “No Sad Tommorrow” and “Victim” are far too somber for me as well. The messages are poignant, but I found that both diddy’s left me long-faced and aren’t my cup of tea when I’m trying to bump a Hip-Hop album. Trimming one or the other woulda made things more bearable. “The Last Thing I Need” also disappoints, but more so from the production perspective. The one experiment that I thought did work out was “Run Run Away”. Maybe I only feel that way because I grew up listening to the sample source on my oldies station though. All reminiscing aside, it’s kind of a miss and then kind of isn’t…
Down the stretch the quadruplet lineup of “Rhode Island”, “What Goes Up”, “Hard Times On Planet Earth” and “Slave” will close the listening experience on high note. Ap relies more on his best rhyming attributes and techniques rather than trying to be so outside of the box here and it pays off. I must tag “Hard Times On Planet Earth” as the concluding triumph of the album. Just an inviting song of struggle and coming up that glorifies all the dues that Ap has paid in his quest to get where he’s at simultaneously highlighting the current state of things here on “planet America” masterfully.
Sure there was a lil’ extra fat on “Wanna Snuggle” that might of been best left on the cutting room floor, but not even a small few trial-and-error moments could ruin the smash bang job Mr. Bromley has presented. Shedding his typical antagonistic stance for a much more judicious outlook, Apathy’s efforts are distinctly appreciated in this well conceived album, that included him just flat out giving up a five star performance production wise. He’s grown up a considerable amount since “Eastern Philosophy” and has broadened his horizons significantly.
-Dominick “BIG D O” Ledezma
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January 30th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
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