(This album review was published on Facebook on October 3, 2017.)
Last Friday, September 29, 2017, Apoc the Death Architect, one of the most polarizing emcees and battle rappers in the local scene, finally released his solo album under Uprising that he’s carefully curated for some two years: “Loob ng Kabaong”. I’ve heard some of the songs live many times already, my initial judgement that they were created with live performances in mind, the engaging crowds making them thrice more fun to listen to. But as a studio album, the intimate listening experience is something else.
The most concise way to describe the “Loob ng Kabaong album” would be ‘Apoc naked (pawse) and redefined’. Taking the standard skillset and character he’s established for himself thus far and taking it to vastly greater heights, the album showcases all of Apoc’s strengths (some unseen before) at their present highest level: as a writer, as a rapper, as a producer, as an album curator, as a complete-package musician.
The production in this is some of the best we’ve ever heard from Apoc, putting in full display the richness of the genre when it taps into its roots and the elements that it has borrowed and made its own, and the kinds of melodies that only a master beatsmith can craft. Just as how the instrumentals transition so seamlessly per track, the switches between social commentaries and personal stories also make sense in a this-led-to-that sort of way.
As per the contents of each song, Apoc talks about a multitude from things: the nihilistic worldviews that serve as the setting and tonesetter of the album (“Loob ng Kabaong”); the work machine that we know all too well and the circumstances that push us to be a part of it (“Piyesa ng Makina”); the various stereotypes that rappers of his kind are hastily put into and what being a rapper truly means for him (“Rapper Ka”); the ups and downs of his career and his embracing of it (“Wala Akong Pake” and “Idolo”); the judgemental nature of mankind (“Husgado”) and the need to grow a spine because of it (“Sensitibo”); the fallacies involving God, faith and religion (“Taong Mesiyas”); the boiling point of chaos and injustice that we just might have to reach before our nation becomes truly united (“Pagdanak ng Dugo”); yes, this album is dense, just look at how long this freaking paragraph is.
Classic Apoc, gritty gatekeeper of the pinoy hip-hop scene and ambassador of self-confidence is also present within the album in the songs “Bara Imortal” (with legends Denmark and Kemikal Ali gracing us with their presence), and “Mula sa Kailaliman”. Overall, as an emcee, Apoc showed in the album the different depths and layers of his abilities, some of which most people never thought they would see coming from someone like him, like the intricate rhyme schemes and double-time sequences that he effectively delivered in the trap beats that he himself produced (another feat that would be unimaginable for those who’ve dismissed him as a purist). The lyricism shown in some of the songs here is at a level that can be put side by side with, say, a BLKD or a Sayadd.
“Mundo Mo Mundo Ko”, one of my favourite songs in the album, showcases Apoc’s storytelling abilities. The plot twist that the story is actually an ode to money is clever not only because of the two verses-long chain of double entendres, but because it also successfully humanizes the relationship between man and money; the comfort, tragedies, necessities that cause the best (and worst) of us to fall for the allure of money and be a part of either the cog of capitalism, or the deviants that survive outside of the law.
In “Balik Alapaap”, Ralph Dela Fuente narrates his life story, painting the portrait of a man who has both enjoyed the joys of privilege, and experienced the struggles of the working man after his fall of grace. This is Apoc at his most stripped down thus far, letting us see who he is, what he’s been through, and what has helped shape the psyche of The Death Architect.
The final track, “Guhit ng Palad”, neatly ties together the two main themes of the album. Between the chance to return to a prosperous life thanks to the cards that he’s managed to get ahold of (which is the logical choice to take considering the misery involved in being a loser in the rat race), or the uncharted, uncertain territory that his journey as a musician has been leading up to, he quickly and very clearly gives his answer, and challenges the listeners to also make more honest, straightforward decisions with their lives. The album comes full circle as the meaning of the title is finally given clarity: yes we are all fated to die, yes the world is screwed with only a thread-slim chance for a turnaround, but we can choose to live and fight for what we believe in despite the futility of it all. Apoc made us look from under the grave not to make us submit to despair, but to make us see vividly how we want to feel like during those last few seconds that we’ll be looking at our lives here on Earth. Musically, this track is yet another part of the recent trend of incredible outro songs; the shift from melancholic boombap into an explosion of trap, along with the writing and rapping ability displayed, makes this arguably the best song in the album. Saving the best song for last in a relatively balanced album can really spell the difference between a good release and a classic.
To conclude this review, the album is a fulfilling reconciliation of the worldviews of a cynical man and his earnest pursuit to rise above it, drawing inspiration from the pain that he’s gone through, is yet to go through and he sees in others; and the kind of sound he wants to bless us with as someone who has pursued music with the highest amount of respect and faithfulness one can give it, as someone with plans to keep pushing hip-hop to greater heights with these contributions. As he said so himself in “Idolo”, ‘nagsisimula pa lang ako’. This 14-track mixture of Apoc’s more vulnerable, socially aware side, and the unflinching stubbornness we’ve come to love/hate him for was a delightful listening experience. Another entry in the list of great releases for what has been an insane year for pinoy hip-hop.
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