Apollo Brown & Hassaan Mackey – Daily Bread

Apollo Brown & Hassaan Mackey – Daily Bread
Mello Music Group: 2011

When discussing the evolution of hip-hop, purists love to debate its all-encompassing nature — the hieroglyphic splashes of graffiti dotting the city landscape, the innovative fashion transcending urban neighborhoods, and the engaging dialect binding its multicultural listeners. While there’s no ignoring the past, progression is essential to any culture, especially one as dynamic as hip-hop. All that aside, hip-hop’s foundation is still built upon two key elements: captivating beats and engaging rhymes. It’s the so-called purists who clamor for change, waxing one minute about the culture’s complacency while begging the next for a return to its archaic beginnings. Maybe that’s why Hassaan Mackey sounds so emotional on Daily Bread, a 15-track collaboration with Detroit producer Apollo Brown. Throughout this downtrodden opus, the New York emcee vacillates between raw anger and disdain, suffocating the crackling samples with ferocious intent and persistent aggression.

On the surface, Daily Bread makes sense as an insulated journey through yesteryear. Mackey is a throwback to 1990s hip-hop, where anyone with a bomber jacket and tan Timberlands seemed to grumble their frustrations over methodical bass drums and wistful piano loops. And while some of his peers opt for complex wordplay, Mackey attacks the microphone with honest abandon, making clear his feelings for sub-par rappers and the listening public, among other topics. Apollo Brown — arguably the king of underground, gritty boom-bap — expresses his anger through rich instrumentals, layering his deafening percussion with forgotten soul melodies. On Gas Mask, Brown’s soundtrack painted an intricate portrait of despair within the Motor City. Conversely, Daily Bread is more efficient and introspective, even if the production sounds similar to that on Gas Mask. Instead, Mackey’s rhymes describe personal conflicts. “Living conditions made me different, so I never did the things they do/Remain me and stay true,” he says on the biographical “Dollar Bill Hill.” At certain points, the emcee sounds fidgety, discussing struggle with piercing candor. Take the chilling “Mackey’s Lament”, which discusses drug dependence and homicide: “All things happen in a flash/Cause happiness in this life is never meant to last.”

The album isn’t too heavy, though. “Volume” is possibly Daily Bread‘s centerpiece, as Brown’s finely chopped Percy Sledge sample provides a nostalgic, head-nodding backdrop for the emcee’s lyrical assault. “Weak Won’t Do” finds Mackey wagging his finger at inferior competition (“You rappity-rap n****s can all save it/Whatever you plan to bake is bland-favored.”) Then there’s the menacing “Megaphone”, in which the vocalist quickly assesses his surroundings. But while Daily Bread stands as a solid release, it feels slightly redundant at times, as many of the songs begin in typical Apollo Brown fashion: a dusty soul sample that dissolves into the producer’s reconstructed version. It’s a tried and true method for Brown, but it runs the risk of growing stale with each release. Nonetheless, Daily Bread serves its purpose as a contemplative look into the mind of a multifaceted emcee and a brief nod to the culture’s humble foundation. Hip-hop is not supernatural. It will continue its trek toward tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for yesterday.

3.5 out of 5