Apostles: Press

Scene Magazine, Issue #637

Apostles: Not a Movie
by Milk is Chillin

Contrary to what the videoclips depict, hip hop isn’t an endless procession of cars, money, and women. Even in New York, the spiritual home of hip hop, it’s a struggle to get over.

“Gangsta rap rules the streets of NY right now and the airways, “ says Mega. One fifth of Apostles. “Or better yet gangsta rappers doing party and love songs rule the airwaves. Don’t get me wrong, Apostles does party songs and love songs too, who doesn’t like partying and making love? But what separates us is a solid grip on reality. We ground our music in everyday real life as oppose to fantasies.”

While hip hop originated in the US and its commercial success over there is a beacon for MCs and producers the world over; the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Indeed, Icon is quick to jump in and dispel the nonsense that MTV peddles.

“What bothers me is that I am in the ghetto everyday and I know drug dealers and gang bangers. So there is gangsta rap supposedly talking about that life and the real gangstas and drug dealers think that shit is silly. It’s completely romanticized, like a Hollywood cowboy movie’s depiction of the old west. So what we try to do is what hip hop was trying to do in the first place; tell the truth in a way that moves people.”

Having spent some time in Australia, Mega from Apostles draws parallels with the fledgling local scene and the US, specifically, the “golden era” of the late eighties.

“From what I can tell, from building with my aboriginal brothers Leaf and Rival MC, Aussie hip hop is at a crossroads similar to America in the late eighties and early nineties. Right now rappers can do anything and be themselves and get respect and recognition and I hope it stays that way. What happened in the states was we let the business dictate the music rather than the opposite. So let me offer that to Aussie rappers, don’t let the labels tell you what the fans want. Before any hip hop artist is an artist he or she was a fan so you know better than they ever will.” “I think Australia is an up and coming market as far as hip hop is concerned, that’s what makes it easier as you put it [to make an impression]. In New York rappers are a dime a dozen, so there is definitely competition…”

April 19, 2006

Time Off Magazine, Issue #1269

Hailing from the Bronx, Apostles are one of New York’s most talked about underground hip-hop acts, and have supported the likes of The Roots and Naughty By Nature. They formed back in 1997 when “poets” Icon and Griot (half of the quartet, completed by Megawatt and Skillz) met while working as lifeguards at their local swimming pool. They quickly built a killer reputation on the back of their lyrics, which set them apart from many other acts.

“I like to describe it as Grown Folks’ Hip Hop, “ Megawatt says. “I think too often in the U.S., Hip Hop is about fantasy. Cats rhyme about what they wanna do or what they wish they were doing. We try to take a more realistic approach and rhyme about things that everyday people can relate to, like having fun, feeling disenfranchised by your government, like love and lust and everything in between, and like trying to be an MC representing real hip hop in an industry that mainly embraces commercial rap. “

[Griot adds] “In NY we have been performing with a six-piece band and that has been the shiznit! I hope that someday soon we can bring them out to smash the Aussie scene. Right now though, I think its best that we’re doing it the traditional way as it began in the Bronx; two turn tables and a mic and a crowd ready to have fun.”

And what can Brisbane audiences expect?

“Ya’ll can expect a live show with an abundance of lyrics and head banging beats that make the people go crazier, “ Griot says. “I’m talkin sweat drippin, fist pumpin, crowd jumpin, speaker blastin, mic rippin, straight gritty from New York City, ladies take your panties off hip hop, complete with all the toppings. Ketchup, mustard, relish, ketchup, tabasco… You know what the f*@k I’m sayin.”

April 25, 2006