Connecticut underground MC/producer Apathy releases the sequel to Connecticut Leisure as his ninth full-length solo record. He rose to prominence just 2 years ago as a member of the bands Demigodz and the Army of the Pharaohs, founded by Open Mic and Vinnie Paz respectively, and was signed to Atlantic Records for a time, although he eventually left due to creative differences. Since then, The Alien Tongue have built up quite a solo record on their own, my favorite being Honkey Kong! and The Widow’s Son or more recently Where the River Meets the Sea and King of the Gods. “No Second” was produced entirely by Stu Bangas. Almost a year and a half later, it only made sense to hire Playa Haze to primarily produce the Connecticut Casual 2 in honor of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Connecticut Casual.
“Connecticut Formal,” the album’s jazzy opener, represents his hometown, while “Hammond Court Kids” veers into a nasally groove about how they can only be one king and never forget who they are. Wear the crown. “No One Can Hear You Scream in Space” has more kicks and snares over the soul sample to discuss love that’s definitely related to the moon landing, but “Holiday” talks about it with a calming vocal flip, Keep it prosperous. Staring into space in his own mind.
Meanwhile, “Jackie O” mixes those kicks and snares with a mellow loop, admitting that he’s been dreaming about JFK’s widow lately, while “Fenwick,” a collaboration with Kappa Gamma, brings jazz influences back to the beat , before paying homage to the titular city. Little Vic’s “Never Change” bounces around on a woodwind-accompanied boom bap beat, encouraging everyone not to switch before the warm and dusty “Around the Planet” lets his mic roam the globe.
“Eazy$” kicks off the LP’s final stretch with a drums-less kick, while “Todd McFarlane,” featuring Celph Titled, likens himself to the Canadian comic book creator on a dusty instrumental. The penultimate song “Kingdom of the Coroner” goes down the road of rap rock and rightly declares itself the king of Connecticut; finally, “Tick Tock Tick” has Connecticut Leisure 2 chasing time in the dust and creating another A classic.
“Connecticut Leisure” was a great showcase for hometown pride almost a decade ago, but the sequel here basically changed the outlook for Apathy’s entire career, and “Where the River Meets the Sea” was a big hit for him. Very important, although he still didn’t capture it. Playa Haze’s productions achieve the sound of what he wanted to do. It’s inspired by the sounds of the Midnight Marauders from ’93 to the Infinity & The Main Ingredient era, though still has its own style, so Ap could transport the soundtrack to where he and his team came from: the New England coastline.
Score: 8/10
