Sy ShacklefordBorn to drug addicted teenage parents in Connecticut and raised during the zenith of the crack years of the Reagan era, Chad Bromley (b/k/a/ Apathy) has seen a lot. While his “Connecticut Casual” albums placed a Blue Velvet-esque spotlight on the ugliest parts under his home state’s surface, his latest album “Mom & Dad” is just as conceptual. The title refers to Nancy and Ronald Reagan, and the pain & nostalgia of growing up under the tower of Reaganomics. When lyrically toying with concepts, Ap analyzes them down to the bone (“The Buck Stops Here”; “Chemical”, and “The Curse of the Kennedys” come to mind). He skillfully delivered on this latest outing, his customary interest in nautical (shore) life is also incorporated here, along with sharp battle rhymes. Handling the majority of the production himself, rap’s Connecticut blue-blood takes listeners on a journey through how it was being raised on an unsteady diet of Ron & Nancy.
Despite having a 1980s backdrop, the sonic backdrop isn’t steeped in the era. Produced primarily by Apathy (DJ Playa Haze helms two tracks while New York City rap artist Little Vic produces one track), the music is sampled with a mostly boom-bap sound. The opening for “Mom & Dad” is “The Great Flood” which features Little Vic and frequent collaborator Suave-Ski. Ap makes references to ‘80s cultural icons amidst growing up on welfare, Suave-Ski lets listeners know that they can’t knock his hustle, but it’s Vic who has the best and longest verse, weaving together pop culture nods into relentless multis.
All three appear once more on the piano-sampling “Shore Life”. Part of the hook, “This shore life, love the life we livin’” coincides with Ron and Nancy smiling while laying on a hammock together for the album cover and contrasts with the hard-luck raps of the emcees. “Put the Money in a Bag” only features Little Vic and contains a poignantly personal verse from Apathy that seems to condense his life experience in double-digit bars. Little Vic, though? He raps like his intent is to steal the show and he’s not far off. As for “All Good”, its record crackling and sampled R&B crooning are combined with a Biggie Smalls sample in the hook. Lyrically, Ap conveys unusual spiritual belief and applies it to his upbringing.
“Vintage Canvas” is produced by Apathy and features a funk-driven production along with his ‘destroy-my-enemy’ raps ready for combat. It also samples a news informercial at the end to drive home, via shore life, the wealth gap between classes. Ironically, “Old Lyme Like Old Times” has horns and vocals which give it a yacht music feel. It features fellow Demigod Ryu (from Styles of Beyond) and a coda about being “flier than ever before.” Boston-based emcee Slaine provides a guest verse on “Blue Collar Scholar” where he and Ap make known their perspective on the middle class and its destruction via Reaganomics. Speaking of which, the title-track encapsulates all that Apathy experienced in Reagan’s America over his own gritty piano-key driven production:
“Summer at the Shore” is pure braggadocio raps over a smooth jazz sample with imaginative references to tesseracts and jewelry and how contrary Apathy can be in wearing a NY Yankees cap in New England shore territory. “One Crown” has distortion all within from the record scratching and even the hook. Ap goes into familiar territory on “Lee Harv”, which both features and is produced by Little Vic. Given the number of tracks he’s released with similar content, it’s safe to say that Apathy has quite the fascination with the Kennedy assassination, with Vic’s verse also making explicit political references. The album’s single “WHALERS” is the final track and refers to the Hartford Whalers. Though Reaganomics was intended for economic growth, it had the added effect of widening wealth inequality and hurting poor communities (war on drugs, cuts to public housing, education, etc.). Hip-hop became a voice for those impacted by Reagan-era policies while both “Mom & Dad” and Apathy serve as legacies to that era.