Anchovies- Listening to this album by a duo that has earned tremendous respect in Hip Hop circles speaks of individuals who are inexplicable, but on a journey to self- actualization.
Anchovies takes you to that metropolis Planet Asia and Apollo Brown govern, but the tour only makes sense if you listen, it’s not the typical record from Apollo Brown of course, something sounds different here, the drums. The man in the hat seems to have laid off the typical hard-hitting drums that have been synonymous with his productions, ears familiar to Brown’s work will definitely take note of the deliberate twist, it is different but certainly lustrous.
Planet Asia’s delivery on this project is evidence of a man who gets better with every single bar as he skates on simple soulful melodies, Planet Asia comes hard-easy, witty lexes full of wisdom, the rapper reflects on personal experiences and painful moments. The project may be viewed as a story in two parts; the first half of the project provides an apparent side, while the rest of the album embodies intuitive observations from the artists’ point of view. From “Panties In a Jumble” to “Pain”, “The Aura” to “Deep In The Casket”, from “Diamonds” to “Nine Steaming”, “Dalai Lama Slang” to “Fire”.
The 15-track album features the likes of Guilty Simpson, TriState and Willie The Kid whose presence and delivery come into sharp focus; TriState owns his verse on “Fire” with exemplary delivery, on a track enriched with a profound and nourishing sample. The features in an overall sense provide a tight delivery model, Guilty Simpson is not a new collaborator with the artists, yet again he does not disappoint on his role in this movie.
Anchovies is more of a bonding session with the two familiar artists, everything, or if not a lot on this album was purposely crafted with a movie perspective as indicated by Apollo Brown, something different. To get most out of this listen, you need not to view it in singularity, Apollo Brown is a man whose signature style brings music to life, appreciating the inadequacies which he projects by making the tracks sound dirty, eccentric and raw.
Like the fish, this album is nothing close to popular taste, Anchovies has a distinctive taste to anyone that wishes to consume it. Transformative, aesthetically dirty, introspective and untapped.