Pour slow. Press play.

Track: “Estragen” — Apani B the Fly Emcee

Release: Estragen / Soul Control 12-inch Vinyl, Q-Boro Sounds (1998)

Estragen dropped in 1998 on Q-Boro Sounds as a 12-inch single, paired with “Soul Control” on the flip. DJ Spinna handled production during a run when New York’s underground thrived on ciphers, late-night sets, and mixtape rotations. The beat loops four bars clean. Kick sits in the center. Snare hits on two and four. The mix stays open enough for every voice to sit clearly.

The record features Apani B the Fly Emcee with verses from Ayana Soyini, Helixx C. Armageddon, Pri the Honey Dark, Yejide, Jean Grae, Sara Kana, and Heroine. Each voice enters with control and exact timing. The delivery is even and direct. Every verse keeps count precisely.

Apani closes the record with precision. Her verse builds through complex rhyme runs and measured cadence: “At the auditory peak with authority, freely speak by our shadowy physiques…” She moves through multisyllabic phrasing without pause, keeping pace as the beat loops steady. Each bar lands clear, no crowding, no drop in timing. It’s the kind of technical control that defines the song and cements her presence at its end.

Her performance works as a model of how clarity outlasts volume. She lines every word inside the bar and leaves space at the end for breath. That restraint makes the track stronger. She does not crowd the measure or stretch phrasing. She uses form as foundation and lets tone carry the rest.

The other women on the track build within the same structure. Each voice takes space, then steps back cleanly. The sequence sounds like conversation among equals. Every verse adds texture but never interruption. The production helps; Spinna’s layout leaves space that rewards discipline. The result is one of the few records from that period where several women shared a track and all of them sounded ready.

In the late 1990s, New York’s underground gave few slots to women. Those who appeared had to be exact. Apani and her peers treated that standard as baseline, not barrier. Estragen captured that approach. The recording sits like documentation of preparation, work, and repetition.

The track still plays the same way today. Timing stays right. Rhymes align. Delivery keeps its edge. What holds it together is accuracy, and accuracy does not fade.

That same method carries into the pour.

Pour: Kings County Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Distillery: Kings County Distillery
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Kings County Distillery operates inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Their Straight Bourbon Whiskey blends a small set of barrels made from New York corn and malted barley, aged three to four years in fifteen-gallon charred-oak casks. The city’s temperature swings push spirit through the wood faster, tightening color and flavor.

Open the bottle and caramel leads. Dried fruit follows with a trace of vanilla. First sip begins sweet. Oak, clove, and pepper rise through the center. The mouthfeel spreads evenly and clears clean. The finish holds low heat with a light layer of sugar that lingers.

Kings County works through repetition and proportion. Each run relies on measurement, timing, and temperature. Every detail is tracked, logged, and refined. The approach values control over scale. That rhythm matches Apani’s. She builds songs through counted beats and clear boundaries. Each process depends on focus, steady practice, and full attention.

Final Bar

Apani built sound in Queens studios and New York clubs that left no space for error. Kings County builds whiskey in Brooklyn warehouses where control defines outcome. Each system runs on discipline inside constraint. One manages timing by ear; the other manages heat by instrument. The logic is the same.

Apani worked bars until flow became second nature. She used rehearsal and repetition as tools. Kings County repeats its steps the same way: grain measured, still cleaned, spirit cut, cask filled. Every cycle moves with purpose. Both operate close to the source. Neither hides process. Each values work that can be traced from start to finish. That transparency builds trust in the result.

When Apani raps, you hear years of refinement. When Kings County pours, you taste the same kind of persistence. They come from different corners of the city but share the same intent: produce something clean, honest, and exact. Each shows what sustained practice creates. Both stand as records of process done carefully and repeatedly until it becomes identity.

Want More

Stream Estragen / Soul Control .
Follow Apani B the Fly Emcee for current work.
Learn more about Kings County Distillery or visit their Brooklyn site to see how their bourbon is made.
Explore The Warm-Up for pour terms