DJ Appleman is a rapper with a lot of silly ideas. While being a quantity-over-quality artist that raps on a multitude of hip-hop beats, especially trap and plugg, there’s still a sense of charm with the quirkily simple song ideas that don’t try to impress but show what her brain is thinking. This, along with the chronically online generation Z and Alpha pop culture references, creates a certain comedic slant.
Appleman released her latest mixtape, “Holy Shit I’m So Cool And I Totally Realize It,” on April 25. The week before she dropped an album with the reoccurring theme being clowns.
“Stop Being Nice,” the opener for this tape, is an anti-bullying anthem. The lyric, “Stalking people isn’t nice, that’s a crime,” stood out for how matter of fact it is, with Appleman’s voice making such a line humorous.
“Been Calling You This For A While,” has a synth that’s reminiscent of “Be Nice 2 Me,” by cloud rapper Bladee. The word that Appleman has been calling this second party is probably “bitch” considering the chorus of “I think you’re stupid as a bitch.” She then does her best impression of English rage rapper Lancey Foux with the faux-English accent and abrasive vocals.
“I Actually Hope This Happens. Please, Feel Free To Play This One In Court Too,” is quite the threatening title. Appleman sings instead of raps on this song, lyrics insulting the intelligence of this subject and telling them, “I hope your dad goes to jail.” Appleman must really hate this person since she’d go as far as claiming she’d want to kill this person’s brother.
“You’re An Imbecile,” seems like a run of the mill DJ Appleman song, but then the second half the song has this incredible Jersey club-infused trap beat that brings the energy up. The lyric, “I think that you smell like dog, because bitch is in your jaws,” is one of the most creative and funny bars that Appleman has rapped in a song.
“LBN,” shows a return to the Lancey Foux vocals. The beat — especially the melodies — makes this song atmospheric and peaceful. This is probably the best beat on the entire mixtape.
“I Can’t Even Describe How Pitiful You Are,” has a boring trap beat that sounds run of the mill with the 808 and hi-hats. However, the song redeems itself with the homicidal tangent Appleman goes on. The lyric, “Totally don’t want to leave you with puncture wounds all over your torso, get your arms tied to your legs, cut off every one of your toes,” says enough. It is a bit concerning with Appleman as to when the irony starts and ends, though, since it’s hard to pin down her genuine thoughts.
“Man, I Really Think You’ve Gotta Be One Of The Fuckiest People On Earth. Is There A Leaderboard?” has vocals that sound like the beginning of rapper wokeups’ “fragged aht” with melodic auto-tuned singing that comes from the soul.
“Real Friends,” continues with the theme of homicidal thoughts. It’s increasingly easier to be concerned for Appleman with her expressions of wanting to kill somebody else due to her mental health, which she has been vocal about in her music, but it’s probably just irony taken to an extreme or creative license for self-expression. Many other rappers casually rap about killing and committing acts of violence on other people, after all.
“BEAST!” is a groovy and mesmerizing beat. There’s a gem of a line in the self-confident, “How could a diamond in the rough be so sweet?” Appleman also expresses feelings of paranoia with the character of “the beast” stalking her, which might be a callback to earlier in the mixtape.
“I Seriously Hate Being Alive, But If I Told Anybody… Wait, There Isn’t Anyone I Want To Tell,” is a middle of the road outro for the mixtape, but it suffices. She sings, “Does anybody care?,” to end off the mixtape. Again, there is a lot of concern to be felt for Appleman with her struggles with mental health.
It’s simultaneously incredibly easy yet impossible to pinpoint what Appleman wants to drop next considering how chronically online she comes off. There’s a certain charm to her music that’s certainly not for everyone but it’s a fun and chaotic ride all the way, if you decide to see it through. Although it isn’t of the best quality, it’s certainly her music and that has merit enough in my eyes.
Daria Jacobi Appleman, I care about your music, but more importantly, for your wellbeing. Take care of yourself.
Rating: 3/5
Hi. DJ here. Appreciate the review, thanks so much. Just wanted to clear up one thing.
EZZIE is my sister. She sounds similar to me, but she actually has an accent. She’s featured on the two tracks. I think she’d appreciate being compared to Lancey Faux, since we love that guy.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed the album. Hope you keep listening.
-Daria