Apache was one of the founding members of “The Flavor Unit Crew” helping Queen Latifah to create that massive Jersey area project. He first made appearances on The 45 King, Double J and Naughty By Nature releases in the late 80’s and early 90’s. These connections led to a record deal with the legendary Tommy Boy label.
The first single “Gangsta Bitch” was produced by Q-Tip and it quickly became a huge hit. Expectations were high and the result is a solid hardcore flavored album. The lyrics are strong and confident with plenty of wordplays and … humour : few controversies soon followed as some of the mainstream world found parts of the content offensive. The production is on the fat boom bap tip and is mostly handled by S.I.D. Reynolds and Double J. Also on the beats : The 45 King, Large Professor and Diamond D are providing diverse but cohesive sounds for the project.
Unfortunately the hardcore feel of the album didn’t provide another radio friendly hit such as “Gangsta Bitch”. After collaborating with Fat Joe and Tupac, Apache, who didn’t enjoy being in the limelight, kinda stepped back from the scene and went back to working in the studio and ghostwriting for a lot of different people. “Apache Ain’t Shit” is somehow an underground classic that captures the feel of that era when jazzy and funky beats could still be matched with some hard lyrics!!!
Full album on YouTube:
Stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer & Tidal.
Videos:
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Gangsta Bitch
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Do Fa Self
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Hey Girl
Interview:
