Apollo Brown & O.C.

At no other time has hip-hop been so inclusive, its subgenres reconfigured for accessible radio-friendly formats. Though with that inclusiveness comes a different kind of rap music, not focused so much on hefty lyrics and grainy bass drums. In the pursuit of fame, some MCs have chosen to scale it down, fusing comprehensible rhymes with glossier beats for a more digestible sound. That reality has created an unfortunate rift within rap circles, mostly between older and younger listeners: those with traditional palates long for the “boom bap” and social commentary of yesteryear, while their counterparts revel in the current wave of “swag” rap. Certainly, hip-hop doesn’t belong to one community in particular, but never before has there been such divisiveness about its artistic direction.

Is hip-hop more about mixtape downloads and YouTube views, and less about artistic integrity? Is today’s MC more concerned with celebrity than creative depth? Detroit producer Apollo Brown and Brooklyn rapper O.C. seem to think so. “Everybody want their trophy,” grumbles an aggravated voice at the top of Trophies, Brown and O.C.’s collaborative album. “Is that supposed to tell me that you did something?” That criticism is the underlying theme of  Trophies, on which O.C. discusses real-life scenarios over Brown’s crackling percussion and enveloping bass lines. You won’t hear O.C. bragging about his material possessions; in fact, he chastises such excess. Nor will you hear Brown forgoing his menacing compositions for pop extravagance. Instead, Trophies is no-frills hip-hop for nostalgic fans: dope beats and sharp lyricism for the insightfully inclined.

Yet the album isn’t too heady. “Anotha One” is about smoking weed after a long day of work. “When it’s down to the roach, I light another one,” goes the chorus. On “The Pursuit,” O.C. details a high-speed chase between he and the police. Conversely, “We The People” details inner city distress with remarkable clarity, O.C.’s poignant verses of struggles mixing well with Brown’s prominent drums. Here, he raps: “Somebody shot, lying, dying on the ground/Instead of calling 911, people just crowd around him.”

In “Disclaimer,” the MC sounds confrontational over a chopped blend of haunting chimes and distorted vocal samples: “My cause and effect’s the Butterfly Effect/I’d tear a hole in time, rearrange and fix this mess.” So Brown and O.C. take issue with the state of hip-hop. In bemoaning its demise, the two have created an album reminiscent of the 1990s dark era of rap; murky production and complex wordplay are paramount. At its core, Trophies refutes complacency. It chastises the rat race and nudges mainstream rappers to be more insightful. Surely, they need the pep talk.

-Marcus J. Moore