Cost of Living by Apollo Brown and Philmore Green

This Album has 4 Moose on the Moose Meter: 🫎🫎🫎🫎

In the maelstrom of an often chaotic world, "Cost of Living," the potent collaboration between rapper Philmore Greene and producer Apollo Brown, resonates like a stoic prayer, a candid exploration of life, its trials, and ultimate consequences. This visceral album paints an indelible portrait of urban life, trapping the echoes of systemic traps, hard choices, and survival's inherent guilt within its bars.

The opening track "Consequences" poses a hard-hitting question - what are the costs of living in this chaotic world? It's a game of dice, suggests Greene, fraught with the perils of death, imprisonment, and poverty. And yet, amidst the grit, a shimmer of hope emerges - the chance for a beautiful life. Greene's words strike like bolts of reality, punctuating the poignant silences with introspection and raw wisdom.

"Paradise," featuring Evidence, is a masterstroke in storytelling. It morphs Chicago into Pakistan, intertwining the city's turmoil with vivid imagery of off-key church bells, clandestine deals, and a landscape teetering on the precipice of sin and salvation. It's a narrative on hypocrisy, contrasting the harsh sentences for drug trafficking with the often lenient punishment for murder.

On "Free," Greene takes us on a philosophical journey, exploring the concept of freedom, and how it intertwines with the hardships of urban life. The lyrics carry the weight of a somber prayer, blending harsh realities with a call for liberation and self-discovery.

Beneath Greene's hard-hitting narratives, Apollo Brown's production is an imposing titan. Drawing comparisons to legends like Pete Rock, J Dilla, and DJ Premier, Brown's atmospheric strings and drums infuse the album with cinematic depth, creating an audial landscape as intricate and layered as the themes it explores.

"Cost of Living" is a work of tragic timelessness. It gives voice to the age-old struggles of survival and dignity within an unforgiving system, with the echoing promise of hope and perseverance. It is a testament to Greene's lyrical prowess and Brown's sonic alchemy that this album stands as an illuminating beacon of raw truth in a landscape often shrouded in illusion.

-Monty Moose