To me Apani B. Fly (Emcee) is one of the most unsung voices in HOP music. This is because in a multiverse she is as big a name as Talib Kweli, El-P or a Mos Def. Something happened in our reality where a force unseen created a series of events which prevented “Apani” from becoming one of the most respected rappers and elite woman M.C.’s. Of course this is my fantasy version of events because I was such a fan.

I first recognized Apani B. Fly on a mixtape called ‘Hip Hop Independents Day Vol. 1,’ which was mixed by D.J. Eclipse. It was a track called ‘The Woman In Me’ that at the time was a bit odd for a person such as myself, who likes to “soundbomb,” blasting the song loudly the way I did. It was one of the best tracks on the mixtape though but also “connected a dot,” so to speak to the first track on the mixtape from the Polyrhythm-Addicts, which I heard previously on a college radio show. She was in this group and clearly one of the stand out moments of that particular song ‘Not your Ordinary.’ I was becoming a quick fan of this rapper. Towards the end of 1998 her name was next to some of the best underground HOP music acts at the time like Blackstar, Pharoahe Monch, D.J. Spinna and others.

Rawkus records was bubbling heavy at the time and truly serving their core audience. With the turn of the millennium being one of the biggest pushes for women rappers; as there would be a “first lady” of the many rap record labels, I figured it was only a matter of time for Apani to be that for Rawkus. This never happened and always had me thinking that the missed opportunity to present her to the world through Rawkus was an error on epic levels.

As the years would role by I would still hear Apani B. Fly on features here and there but it felt like her light had dimmed. It was refreshing to come across a release called ‘Story 2 Tell’ which was seemingly an Apani B. Fly album. I say this only because I was very aware of releases at the time and this album I had not heard about. My question became if it was official or did someone just put together songs from the M.C. in the file sharing era the album was released in. ‘Story 2 Tell’ was in fact official but the caveat was it was only released in Japan with no retail in the United States. This for me created a bittersweet moment as I was glad to finally hear a project from “Apani” but would it have the same care had it come out through traditional means.

‘Story 2 Tell’ is a proper way to provide any new person discovering the rapper how talented she is. Apani B. Fly always had a style that was a perfect balance of hardcore while not trying to sound like a man, with a delivery and voice that was so unique, yet reminiscent of early women voices involved in rap music. Apani provides a variety of stories on this record ranging from aspiring tales of being a musician, independence, discovering love and heartbreak. Production is handled by a tight group of beat makers like rapper Celph Titled, Da Beatminerz, Mr. Dibbs, D.J. Spinna and Japanese producers Tamashie Creations and Hiro.

The album is a solid listen but I feel it was still pasted together and maybe the sequencing of songs keeps it as simply being an overseas niche release. I would have loved to hear more production form Da Beatminerz, and everyone could always use more D.J. Spinna on their albums. However if this is all I was able to get as a release from Apani B. Fly, I’m not disappointed. Her presence alone provided the experience I had yearned for in those first couple of years of discovering the M.C. Hopefully for those who discover the “time capsule” she’s in, will also see a glimpse of that multiverse where Apani B. Fly is a hall of fame rap legend. What did you think of the album?

Singles include:
‘Abracadabra’

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