Be careful with that mixtape you’re holding. Recent events have shown that
the “For Promotional Use Only” mainstay in Hip Hop is being threatened by
recording industry crackdowns. Unafraid of an angry knock at the door from the RIAA, Apathy has delivered a new collection of unreleased songs and
exclusive freestyles. The self-anointed and undisputed King of Connecticut has sat on his throne for several years,
waiting to make his major label debut on Atlantic.
In the meantime he independently released 2006’s Eastern Philosophy. He’s using the do-it-yourself ethos once again
with the release of Baptism by Fire, an
80-minute mixtape designed to keep his name relevant in the listening public.
The recording industry and Apathy‘s
place in it are frequently visited on Baptism. He adds his own personal take to
the ongoing “Hip Hop is dead” debate and constantly addresses the seemingly
endless delays during his time at Atlantic
Records. The Alien Tongue lashes
out at his label for allowing his album to remain in limbo for so long, and, as
he believes, mishandling an under-appreciated roster of talented Hip Hop
artists. “They just put out Lupe, they sleeping on Saigon/Barely gave Little Brother love, fuck it – I’m gone,” he raps on “Speak Ya
Clout.” More venom is spewed on “Fuck You.” Though trumpets set a very upbeat
tone, radio station program directors, copy cats, gossipers and shit-talkers of
all kinds are verbally abused.
The “mad rapper” shtick wears thin though, even if it is understandable. Ap treads the line of sounding like a
living relic when he routinely infuses songs with the spirit of yesteryear
combined with his often bitter content. The nostalgic nods play well on “Me
& My Friends” but are less successful on “Theif’s Theme Freestyle.” The
latter sounds tiresome on this 28-track mixtape chock-full of dark sounds and
freestyles that borrow from songs released years ago. If you’re gonna rock
older beats then you’re much better off going back a decade or so (“Speak Ya
Clout”) than just doing some shit from ’04. He has a great command of his flow
and displays an incredible writing talent, but his occasional blandness shows
that great parts don’t always add up to a great sum.
Apathy seems at his most comfortable when his Demigodz cohorts make guest appearances, especially Emilio Lopez‘s near-show-stealing
verses. The collaborative spirit shines brightest when he, Motive and Southpaw Jones
play wingmen to “The Doe Rakers,” a top-flight lift of the beat from Young Hot Rod‘s “Be Easy.” The group
does justice to the song that bears its name, showing great chemistry and
wordplay. Apathy does CT proud over the digital guitar licks
when he says, “Ap‘s buzz is growing
stronger everyday/When your people say my name more than Game says ‘Dre‘/Trying
to get Connecticut popping and I’m a pave the way /Cassie don’t count, and she don’t even rep us anyway.”
Few things separate this particular release from the dozens of other
mixtapes available at your local bootlegger, but it has more than a few bright
spots. Apathy‘s penmanship runs the
gamut from comedic to vicious (see “Ap Is Like”), and the original songs that
appear on Baptism are entertaining.
With a few more choice cuts and a forward-thinking outlook, Ap‘s sure to receive plenty of burn in
the recording industry. If being a voice for the Constitution State is his
goal, Baptism by Fire is certainly a
respectable stop on the road to proper representation.