(Mixtape album; no rating given)

    There are certain emcees that you wish would have came out 10-15 years ago. Back when people appreciated skill over the nonsensical bullshit that’s released today. When an emcee could be an emcee, and people loved someone who could spit. Apathy is one of those emcees. He has everything that an emcee should have - commanding voice, deliberate delivery, witty punchlines and songwriting skills. But what sucks, is that in 2007, the market is so oversaturated with bullshit, that an artist like Apathy gets lost in the shuffle at Atlantic (where Pretty Ricky gets precedence over someone like Ap). Most of the hip hop world were excited when it was announced that Ap got a major label deal, but three years passed, and here we are. Two Pretty Ricky albums later, Apathy still sits in the Atlantic vault.

“They just put out Lupe, they sleeping on Saigon/Barely gave Little Brother love, fuck it… I’m gone” 

    Apathy spits those lines on his new mixtape titled Baptism By Fire and it pretty much sums up the bullshit Ap has had to deal with over the past few years.  After dropping Eastern Philosophy to much critical acclaim, one would think that Atlantic would at least whisper the kids name among their releases. Obviously this era of labels can’t handle a real emcee, and Apathy is every bit of that as he knocks them dead once again with Baptism By Fire.

     When Ap slides comfortably behind the horns of “Fuck You”, he gives a deliberate tongue lashing to every radio station, nay sayer, shit talker, hater and basically anyone who has fronted on Apathy. Is he a mad rapper? Not quite, he still maintains every bit of wit and humor that has made him the emcee he is today. “Cheap Sunglasses” showcases how ill Ap is with the pen. The funny thing is that as you progress through this mixtape you begin to get aggravated wondering why the hell he hasn’t blown up yet. The fact that he can spit viciously over Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People” makes this that much more of a head scratching experience.

    It’s even more evident when Apathy crushes the Young Hot Rod “Be Easy” instrumental with his Doe Raker fam in tow (Emilio Lopez, Motive & Southpaw Jones). What became a menacing instrumental with lame lyrics gets a serious upgrade when Ap spits “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.” Forget about it!

   Not too much to argue about here. Sure it’s 28 tracks, which might be a little overwhelming for the listener. Maybe you’d rather have more original beats for Ap to rhyme over. Whatever floats your boat. But honestly there aren’t too many on the mic that are doing it better than Apathy. Sooner or later somebody has to notice.