A$AP Rocky has never been one of my favorite rappers. With his 2011 mixtape Live.Love.A$AP, Rocky simply seemed to prove to everyone that he was just another Tumblr-rapper whose content basically included money, weed and women; not a lot of new concepts to be brought to the table at this point in the game. Despite Rocky's simplistic lyricism and cookie-cutter flow, this first mixtape brought an unbelievable amount of hype with it, with Rocky even signing a three million dollar deal with RCA. The mixtape was widely accepted among critics and white kids alike, and Rocky announced his debut album that would be released in July. But wait, now it's October, then December, and now, finally in January, we see the release of the album. Rocky definitely improved his game while still saying on the same plane that makes him so accessible, with features varying from Danny Brown to Yelawolf to even Skrillex.
A$AP and his most prolific non in-house producer Clams Casino have a sort of symbiotic relationship, and on Long.Live.A$AP, which features production credits from Danger Mouse, Hit Boy and even LORD FLACKO himself, it shows what can happen when the two are separated. While Clams has gotten a lot of light from his production on A$AP's debut, Clams also made most of the songs on that mixtape tolerable. The separated relationship that is exemplified on Rocky's latest effort shows both good and bad. For example, on the Hit Boy produced single "Goldie", Rocky once again raps about pussy, money and himself. Alongside the club-banger beat, it makes it hard to care for a song like this. On the other hand, drug anthem "LVL", produced by Clams himself, is a refreshing spin on Rocky's typical lyricism and gives us a heavenly beat, giving the lyrical content a little more weight. Unfortunately Clams doesn't make many more appearances on the album. Again, not all bad, but his appearances are always praised.
A$AP Rocky always has a way of making a great initial splash. Opener and album title track "Long Live A$AP" is undoubtedly the best track I've heard in 2013 so far (Given we're only four days in). The way Rocky begins with an intense and heavy beat, then slips into the angelic hook is something that pleasantly threw me off guard. Right after the nice hook comes to an end, it violently drags you right back into the madness of the verse. Regardless of what he is really saying in said verses, the beat sounds ambitious, cocky and great overall. I just wish this momentum would continue into the rest of the album.
I don't care for A$AP Rocky as a lyricist. At all. Whether it range from hooks such as "Pussy, money, weed/ that's all i really need." or "East coast nigga/ oh how trill is this" nothing he has ever said really impressed me. Due to the varying production credits on Long.Live.A$AP and great features, Rocky's latest effort feels a little more relaxed and focused than the scattershot, trill-fest that was his debut mixtape we heard in 2011, and hey, he even takes himself a little more seriously (hilarity ensues).
5/10
A$AP Rocky always has a way of making a great initial splash. Opener and album title track "Long Live A$AP" is undoubtedly the best track I've heard in 2013 so far (Given we're only four days in). The way Rocky begins with an intense and heavy beat, then slips into the angelic hook is something that pleasantly threw me off guard. Right after the nice hook comes to an end, it violently drags you right back into the madness of the verse. Regardless of what he is really saying in said verses, the beat sounds ambitious, cocky and great overall. I just wish this momentum would continue into the rest of the album.
I don't care for A$AP Rocky as a lyricist. At all. Whether it range from hooks such as "Pussy, money, weed/ that's all i really need." or "East coast nigga/ oh how trill is this" nothing he has ever said really impressed me. Due to the varying production credits on Long.Live.A$AP and great features, Rocky's latest effort feels a little more relaxed and focused than the scattershot, trill-fest that was his debut mixtape we heard in 2011, and hey, he even takes himself a little more seriously (hilarity ensues).
5/10
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