A$AP Rocky- Long.Live.A$AP Review
Artist: A$AP Rocky
Album: Long.Live.A$AP
Genre: Swag/Real Trill Shit
7.0/10
You ever watch Immortal Technique
videos on Youtube? You ever read
the comments? “This is real
hip-hop. Fuck those rappers that
just rap about bitches, money, and weed.”
Well A$AP Rocky is the rapper that comment is directed at. He’s a capable rapper with a signature
style but his flow is not super unique, so why is he so popular? The got damn production. His beats are completely fresh and
musically engaging, and Long.Live.A$AP doesn’t disappoint beat-wise.
The title track and opener sets a pretty different mood than his debut
mixtape. Thunder and dreamy synths
loom over a creepy beat. A$AP lays
back on the beat and breaks out a nice little falsetto for the hook. He tries to recreate this aesthetic in
different ways in different parts of the album with varied results. “LVL” and “Hell” have interesting
texures, but A$AP fails to really deliver, lagging just too far behind. His use of pitch-modulation to lower
his voice also is hit or miss.
I’ll be listening to a track like “LVL” and suddenly I’ll hear these
distracting “uh…aw…yeah…asap…” in the background. Album closer “Suddenly” accomplishes this dynamic well,
mainly because of a well-executed sample and a nice crescendo. The preceding track “Phoenix” also
executes a more somber tone with stand-alone flows and airy piano chords. It’s a nice contrast with the bangers
on the album.
And that’s where the true greatness comes out of A$AP, in the louder
tracks. A$AP is all about
confidence, so it makes sense that the best tracks would be loud, obnoxious,
and arrogant. Single “Goldie” uses
the pitch-modulation perfectly.
A$AP sits right behind the tight beat and his overall flow is quicker
while still remaining relaxed.
‘”Fuckin Problems” features Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar all
doing what they do best. Drake’s
signature soft-rap and sing style is evident. 2 Chainz yells about fucking bitches, and Kendrick decides
to sport another character of his invention. “Wild For the Night” features “his nigga Skrillex” and the
results are surprisingly good.
It’s a very fun song. The
brostep synth line is wonky, but tasteful and I could definitely rage with that
playing in my speakers. “1 Train”
features a slew of features over a nice sublte string-incorporating beat. Each feature showcases their signature
style. Kendrick manipulates meter
and his voice, Joey Bada$$ brings his youthful energy, and Danny Brown keeps it
nice and weird while streamlining a bit to not scare off new listeners.
Overall, its hit or miss, and honestly not as good as his mixtape,
though some of his best songs are on this record. I appreciate how A$AP wanted to keep things somewhat fresh
from track to track, but his flows get a little rehashed on the slower tracks,
reusing some of his tricks a bit too often. Still, I recommend listening to it in full to see which side
of A$AP you prefer. 7.0 swags out
of 10.
FAVE TRACKS: Goldie, Fuckin Problems, Wild For the Night, 1 Train, Suddenly
