Reality is a harsh mistress. I imagine no one would know this better than CEO Cleezy. Shortly after releasing "Beatrice", his first album, something happened to this rapper from Queens, New York. On August 29, 2016 CEO Cleezy was in the middle of enjoying a meal when he began to feel sharp stomach pains. The pain persisted for two days non-stop, prompting him to pay a visit to his family doctor. Upon examination the doctor immediately made arrangements to have the musician rushed to the closest available hospital emergency room.
A biopsy was performed at the hospital. The news that came back was nothing short of devastating; he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. The prognosis in these cases is grim. With a measurably low 1% survival rate, and a short five year life expectancy for most of those afflicted, the doctors in charge of this case and the patient had to make some tough choices. And they had to make them fast. Time was of the essence. Cancer treatment began at once, and at least for the time being, CEO Cleezy had to put his music career and dreams on hold. As I've said already, reality is a harsh mistress.
Of the many choices that had to be made during that period perhaps one of the most vital that was made was to not give up. This was a choice that this artist made for himself. The foundation of this choice rested on two decisions. The first was to embrace a new mission in life to show others suffering from cancer that there is hope and that you should never give up your dreams because of these life threatening experiences. The second was to be a living example of his first decision and make a return to his own dream of making music again. And I'm fairly sure that anyone who listens to "I Accept Your Apology" will be glad that he did.
Within the fourteen tracks that make up "I Accept Your Apology" what you hear is not just someone sparking on the microphone it's a person dealing with life, and everything it throws at him. Handling each situation with determination, humor, love, courage and fear, sometimes even anger, but most of all, handling it with hope. Dealing with cancer is an ordeal that not everyone can survive, much less than be able to set it to beats and make it rhyme. Songs from the album like "Scream", "Contagious" and "Say Goodbye" are ripe with deeper underlying messages and darkly cloaked in double meanings and misdirection. On these as well as the other songs on his latest record CEO Cleezy shares with those who want to hear them the struggles he goes through on a daily basis just to stay alive.
But it's not all dank and dark. "Darling Nikki" is an ode to some of those things in life that make us happy and keep us keeping on. The same could be said for tunes like "Bad Chic" and "I Want the Paper" and will probably paste a smile on your mug and get your head bobbing in time to their tight rhythms. As a wordsmith CEO Cleezy keeps you guessing as to whether you're getting the straight dope or if you're being hustled. What is never in doubt is that "I Accept Your Apology" is something you're not likely to forget once you've heard it.
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