Customer Reviews

Eastern Philosophy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of Apathy. Not only is this my first Apathy album, but this is my first time ever hearing him rap. I knew OF him, but never bothered to check for his material. I decided to take a chance on a virtual unknown (well in my world his is) and the results were outstanding. I could list the bangers on the album, but I don't want to write an essay about the album. Let me just say that tracks like "9 to 5", "Chemical", "1000 Grams", "The Winter" and "Eastern Philosophy" make this album worth owning by themselves. Ap finishes strong at the end of the album with bangers like "Philosophical Gangsta", "I Remember", and "The Buck Stops Here". Apathy has a tight flow and the beats are excellent. What more do you need in a rap album?

There aren't many flaws on the album, but if you know my review style, you know I gotta list them. There are a few tracks that are passable. "Dough Rakers" and "All About Crime", though great in subject matter, can be boring after some repeat listens. Also, "One Of Those Days", and "Can't Leave Rap Alone" don't really go anywhere. In my opinion, Apathy shines better on his own -- he doesn't really need the guest appearances. The songs aren't bad, but they're somewhat passable.

Eastern Philosophy is on of the dopest rap albums to be released this young year. I'm sure there will be more good albums to come out this year, but I can't imagine there being a better rap album out there right now. I don't know much about Apathy's work, but I'll be checking for his material and buying his old stuff from this point forward. I highly recommend adding this album to your library.

Standout Tracks: Philisophical Gangsta feat. Bad Seed & Poison Pen, 1000 Grams, The Winter feat. Blue Raspberry, 9 to 5 feat. Emilio Lopez (My Favorite), Eastern Philosophy, Chemical, I Remember, Here Come The Gangstas, The Buck Stops Here, and Me And My Friends feat. Celph Titled & One Two

If you're looking for the traditional Apathy battle raps, you've got the wrong release (but check out Army of Pharaohs "The Torture Papers" which dropped the same day as this). Don't get me wrong Ap didn't fall off at all, but this being his "debut" he knew he had to deliver something a little bit more ahead of the curve. And let me tell you he delivers 110%. Eastern Philosophy is rooted in his east coast roots and it was reported that while making this joint he was listening to the classic early nineties NY hip hop albums, and it shows thoroughly. Opening with that traditional battle based style he shows everyone that he still has the knack for delivering what we all love him for, but then he delves into the conceptual and story telling tracks. Whether breaking down the history of crime on "All About Crime" (3) or letting us know about all the chemicals that we take into our bodies on the aptly titled "Chemical" (9) he shows us that he does not suffer from the freestyle/battle curse. He gives us some knowledge about how he knew that rapping was for him and the downfalls of these damn 9 to 5's on "9 to 5" (4). While he is probably gonna get some hate from the ladies for "One of Those Days" (7) all the guys will appreciate it. The production is mostly held down by Chum the Skrilla Guerilla and he does a dope job throughout delivering the right samples to take place of choruses. Apathy shows us that he is no chump and if Atlantic won't drop his album he can create that hotness and deliver it anyway. Step up and support him, this album is guaranteed to be liked, it may take a little while to seep in but it'll hit you and you won't want to stop listening and I urge you to listen and listen close cause he's got something to say unlike a lot of these wannabe emcees out here.

I first heard of Ap a little over a year ago on the internet. A lot of people are predicting this dude to blow up, and many believe he is the best white emcee since Eminem. I haven't heard of lot of his previous work, but after hearing him lace a couple of tracks on the Fort Minor Mixtape I wanted to pick up his latest offering.

This cd starts off with the cd's title track Eastern Philosophy. While it is only a one verse intro, Ap spits some dope rhymes paying homage to his home. The track contains an absolutely hilarious punchline about east coast dialect, which I won't spoil in this review. The second track 1000 Grams is also a banger. Basically it is a braggadocio track that shows Apathy is a little bit twisted, but at the same time he has some substance in his rhymes. These first two tracks have gotten a lot of air time in my car since I bought this cd. Another standout track on the cd is Me and My Friends. The song makes me reminisce back to my teenage days, as Apathy and Celph Titled rock verses about being young and mischievous. The Winter, Here Come the Gangstas, and Can't Leave Rap Alone are all good songs as well.

There are some skipable tracks on this cd, but overall it is a very solid release. 4 stars.

Mannnnnnnnnn This album is Bananas! Apathy really stepped it up since his last stuff..Forget these haters talking trash this is one of the most innovative original hiphop classics to come out in years. cop it fa shoooooooo! This is one of those albums you can bump all the way through which is hard to come by nowadays!

LYRICS 5 STARS!
BEATS 5 STARS!

Classic album from one of the best emcee's ever. If you are a hiphop fan and don't own this, buy it immediately!

Yeah. Ap holds it down with sick flow, tight wordplay, and great storytelling. Only wish I had heard his stuff on 88.9 when they were still playing good stuff over 4 years ago.

Luckily for me, I stumbled upon him through 7L & Esoteric this year who I remember being mentioned all the time but never heard them on 88.9.

Buy it.

i can't belive this has a 4 star average.. it should atleast have a 4.5... i'm giving it 5 stars to try to increase it, to try and get it to wat i believe it should be 4.5....
some sick beats and some more 'matured' apathy lyrics shows his storytelling ability and lyrics amazement (heck, he's almost as good as me... he hee)...
this is a great cd that any apathy of demigodz fan should have... bloody magnificent after a few listens, it might not be an immediate classic, but over time, you'll love it SOOOOO much like i do... it's bloody great...
it's like that new linkin park album minutes to midnight, not at all in substance, but that it shows a more mature side and shows an incredible amount of artistic integrity...

a great listen, if you like ANYTHING from dough rakers, demigodz, or AOTP, get this... you will NOT regret it... i certianly didn't, and i've never met anyone who did...!

I got wind of Apathy's skills afew years back on the 7l+Esoteric album "The Soul Purpose" and thought he was amazing so promptly went out and copped his "It's the Bootleg Muthafu*kas! Vol. 1". Its a monster album of about 60 tracks and freestyles that any hiphop fan needs in their collection. With the subject matter primarily battle raps I was wondering if he had any depth in his lyrical arsenal. If I had any doubts this album blew them away!! Everybody knows his concept behind it, that mid-90's east coast boom bap feel and the production is brilliantly done with that in mind. Chum the Skrilla Guerilla produces most of this and is on point every single time. With 2 or 3 other producers also helping out on afew tracks they all seem on the same wavelength and provide the perfect soundscapes for Apathy to rip on. From the opening 3 tracks "Eastern Philosophy", "1,000 Grams" and "All About Crime" to the red hot collabo "Can't Leave Rap Alone" (my favourite) he shines lyrically and the level of skill never drops for a second. The deeper, more complex side of this verbal giant unfolds beautifully on tracks like "One of Those Days" (hilarious, every man in a relationship will love it), "Chemical" (probably the most complex so far in his career), "Buck Stops Here" (taking about money in a way only he seems able to do) and "The Winter" (describing living in his hometown during the worst season of the year). It really is a tour-de-force for an m.c that many only suspected of being a battle rapper. Probably the underground hiphop album of '06.

Not Apathy's best, I want to preface by saying that. But honestly there's some really dope tracks on this c.d. and the only problem I have with it is that many of the songs are more philosophical, hence the title, than most hip-hop songs. That sounds like a stupid observation, it just wasn't what I was used to from Ap. Anyway, the point is all his collabo's are dope as hell and the other tracks will definitely keep your mind working a little more than listening to Krunk Juice, which is why AotP and Demigodz are the dopest music out there right now. Overall, 4.5 stars, all other Ap stuff is 5.

Understandably, many Apathy fans may be turned off by the fact that this is a mostly topical/conceptual album instead of the usual battle raps Ap writes, but I personally think it's better than his previous releases. Apathy is one of the best with punchlines but this album proves he can also hold his own with a topic whether it be about money ("Buck Stops Here"), drug addiction ("Chemical") or the coldest season ("Winter"). Apathy is one of the best rappers out right now, and this album is definitely his best work so far. Every song is tight, lyrically, and production-wise.

Worth buying...