#Asap rocky at long last asap review full#

Less problematic but still confusing is the inclusion of Joe Fox on nearly half of these tracks. It’s undoubtedly in poor taste, but this isn’t the first time Rocky has flirted with controversy, and the Ora lyrics lean more toward bullying for the sake of seeming hard than actual hate speech.

Certainly his Rita Ora diss on “Better Things” has caught the attention of listeners. Of course, it wouldn’t be ASAP Rocky if there weren’t some questionable content sprinkled into the proceedings. While this record certainly echoes the who’s who of designer brands name-dropped on, A.L.L.A is Rocky’s “locked in the studio with a sheet of acid” record. On that song, Rocky acknowledges the transitions in his life, holding a conversation with someone in his first verse: “Heard you done with fashion/ Now yo ass is actin’/ I’m trippin’ off the acid/ Now yo ass is lookin’ massive.” It’s difficult to tell how much Rocky is pumping the brakes on being one of the foremost authorities on fashion in hip-hop, but the shift in focus is clear. Similarly, “Jukebox Joints” remains firmly an ASAP Rocky song, even with production and a first-rate verse from Kanye West.

The track manages to fit in one of today’s most controversial and exciting pop stars and one of the planet’s hottest rappers, and there’s still room for Rocky to make it all his own. and Future together on “Fine Whine” feels like a watershed moment and something Yams might’ve had a hand in. That’s still true on A.L.L.A Rocky never appears washed or overshadowed by a feature. The features he’d pick out would suit the overall aesthetic and not only make the song great, but make Rocky look great by proxy. One of Yams’ defining qualities was his ear for talent. The guest list for this album is huge, and while some could argue that it means Rocky can’t carry this record by himself, that’s not the case. “West Side Highway”, meanwhile, might be the worst song on the album, with James Fauntleroy’s vocals going to waste over a terribly boring Danger Mouse beat. Mentions of chartering spaceships to escape Earth, smoking until his iron lung doesn’t work, and the effect gentrification has had on his home paint a bleak picture for Rocky, who, just lines later, proclaims that LSD has inspired him. While his flow works over downtrodden melodies, “Pharsyde” is just depressing. “Pharsyde” feels like a leftover beat from Demon Days and doesn’t offer Rocky a chance to do anything exciting. Another executive producer here, Danger Mouse, can be heard in the boilerplate beats, which mesh well with Rocky’s aesthetic but never push the envelope or make any revelatory alterations to the formula. Though Yams gets an executive producer credit, it’s difficult to quantify how much of his vision for the album made it to the final cut. One of the creative forces behind Rocky’s music, ASAP Yams, passed away in January while A.L.L.A was still in the works. At. would be my new favorite album if I had taken LSD for the first time last week, but seeing as that isn’t the case, it’s pretty easy to identify the album’s flaws, of which there are a fair number, while still basking in the moments of greatness that Rocky managed to create out of a bad situation, of which there are also plenty. Now, he’s added another facet to his repertoire: dude who really likes taking and talking about taking acid. He’s been the Harlem-based Tumblr rap prodigy, the luxury fashion name-dropper, the de facto face of ASAP Mob, and a guy who loves rapping about all things purple. This is the official 2xLP pressing that comes house in gatefold sleeves.ASAP Rocky wears many hats.

Add on top Rocky’s keen sense for the “luxuriously swampy” sound that has proven to be the most effective backdrop for his born-in-Harlem-but-influenced-by-the-world-and-beyond verses, we have an undeniable 18-tracker that’s puts the rapper on a level above his contemporaries. A quick look at the liner notes - Danger Mouse, Mos Def, Joe Fox (who Rocky discovered in London), UGK, Lil Wayne, Juicy J, Mark Ronson, Emile Haynie, Hector Delgado, Kanye West, Rod Stewart, Future, Schoolboy Q just to name a few- alone speaks for the quality of At.$AP.

#Asap rocky at long last asap review full#

For the second album, there are no compromises, and Flacko puts out a “deeply curated affair” full of hazy brilliance that’s reminiscent of his earlier, edgier aesthetic that first put him on the rap map. There is no denying that has joints, but Rocky himself has said that he’s moved on from the overtly “mainstream” (minus “1 Train,” of course) aspects of record. What sophomore slump? The A$AP Mob leader took his time for the follow-up album to his smash debut and delivers another modern hip-hop classic.