The fifth anniversary of Apollo Brown and Joell Ortiz’s collaborative album Mona Lisa is upon us and the duo are going to drop an anniversary edition of the project. But rather than it just being a re-release, this version will have two new songs. One of them is “About It” and you can check it out now.
Producer Apollo Brown collaborates with Chicago emcee Philmore Greene for the forthcoming Cost of Living dropping on November 15. Our first taste of what’s to come is “Paradise” which features a verse from Evidence.
“Paradise” is the perfect representation of what Cost Of Living is about; from the soundscape, to the content” Apollo Brown affirms. “Both Philmore and Evidence tell the story of many; loyalty and deceit, while the beat is just eerie enough to walk you to that fork in the road.”
The emcee/producer tandem of Che Noir and Apollo Brown release another joint from their upcoming album As God Intended. “Freedom” is eerily timely considering the state of America with protests still running rampant across the country.
“Freedom’ was a song I wrote at the end of 2019. It was before the George Floyd murder and before all the protesting and looting started happening. It’s a song that I feel like my people needed at the time, not even realizing months later that I would be witnessing the biggest revolution of my lifetime” Che lamented. “The art of war, it’s a meaning behind the message, you don’t need a gun or sword if you treat ya mind as the weapon” is my favorite line in the song. My people have to stay 10 steps ahead mentally in order to fight this battle with the institutional and systemic racism we fight on the daily. Our anger and frustration right now is justified.”
With As God Intended on the way, Che Noir and Apollo Brown drop “’94” as Noir rhymes about the year that she fell in love with Hip Hop. Arguably one of the best years in the history of Hip Hop, the smooth production allows Che to pay homage to everyone who dropped albums in 1994.
Apollo Brown has announced another collaboration album. This time, the Detroit producer is working with Buffalo’s Che Noir on As God Intended for a July 10th release. For their first offering, the duo are joined by Black Thought on “Hustle Don’t Give.”
“This joint is a favorite of mine, and it was also the last beat I made for the album. I love how Che’ comes at you from all different angles, and gives the imagery that’s needed in this game” Apollo stated to OkayPlayer. “It was an honor to have one of the best to do it, Black Thought, on this record as well, giving his take on the grind.”
Apollo Brown drops his 2nd song from his all-Detroit album Sincerely, Detroit with the video for “The Backbone” featuring rhymes from Guilty Simpson and Fat Ray and a hook courtesy of Melanie Rutherford.
Apollo Brown will showcase over fifty artists from Detroit on his massive Sincerely, Detroit album to salute the Motor City and the plethora of talent that has come out of the midwest. Before the album drops on October 29th on Mello Music Group, Brown drops the single “God Help Me” that features Black Milk, Ketchphraze and DJ Los.
“There are cities that get by on their good looks, offer climate and scenery, views of mountains or oceans, rockbound, or with palm trees,” Apollo Brown says of the project. “And then there are blue-collar cities like Detroit that have to work for a living. Cities that rely on the toughness and resiliency of their people. Cities that will not quit. Detroit has an unmistakable soul; nobody can duplicate what we give to the world.”
Apollo Brown and Joell Ortiz keep delivering videos just to remind you just how incredibly dope their collaborative album Mona Lisa is. This go around we get a set of visuals for “Grace of God.” Against the backdrop of projected videos from the crack era, Ortiz drops a host of introspective bars.
Joell Ortiz plays the role of “Chaco” and slams his face in a pile of that powder white and launches into a bugged out dream where he’s helping Pablo Escobar escape from prison. It’s wild.
Three of Slaughterhouse’s finest link up on the remix of “Timberlan’d Up” from Joell Ortiz and Apollo Brown’s forthcoming project Mona Lisa.