A$AP Rocky: LIVELOVEA$AP

A$AP Rocky
LIVELOVEA$AP
Rating: Grrrr

I will be the first person to admit that I am not a huge hip-hop fan. All the posturing and posing gets tiresome to me, and whether or not a rapper has a good flow or not, is fairly alien to me. However, what usually draws me in to any hip=hop artist in particular is the music they are rapping over. In fact, I mentioned to Kurt the other day that latest Internet star A$AP Rocky's debut mix tape LIVELOVEA$AP would be perfect if he wasn't rapping over it. What basically elevates this album to Grrrr status in my opinion is the collection of weird beats and backing tracks. Using a diverse group of new producers, including Clams Casino, Burn One, Beautiful Lou, A$AP Ty Beats, and SpaceGhostpurrp, LIVELOVEA$AP features some of the oddest assortment of instrumental backings I've heard in a long time. I guess it defeats the purpose of a review to like something solely on the basis of one element of the album, but in this case, the rapping, while doing nothing for me, is still somewhat interesting, and at least doesn't bother me in a significant way. A$AP really doesn't go beyond the usual trappings of money, fame, blunts, purple drank, and f**king women. But apparently he has a lot of bragging to do these days, as he is rumored to have scored a $3 million dollar record deal with RCA, which definitely lends more credibility to his lines ""the only thing bigger than my ego is my mirror."

Although he is a Harlem rapper, A$AP's sound is more akin to Southern rap, with glacial beats and spacier sounding synths. I'm a huge champion this year of Clams Casino, who has produced many of the tracks on this album, and generally the best of the tracks features his nimble production work. "Peso," one of the tracks that got A$AP first noticed, features whip smart beats, sparkling synth loops, and a drugged out pace.



"Bass" has literally one of the sickest basslines I have heard all year, deep and rumbling, with burping synth stabs overhead.



"Wassup" has a dreamy, ambient vibe to it, ghostly atmospherics over tinny 808 beats. A$AP basically rapping his catchphrase over and over like a mantra, "pretty muthafucker/Harlem's what I'm reppin'."



Probably the most personal and intimate track on the album is "Demons," featuring another drug-dreamed production from Clams Casino, has A$AP mulling over the pitfalls of fame and where he is right now.



Although Clams Casino by far is the highlight of the record, there are plenty of other great tracks. The pop leaning "Out of this World," has a bouncing beat and thumping backing track which could easily fit on Top 40 radio.



The album has a lot of the party tracks that A$AP is known for. His first single "Purple Swag" is included here, which has a skewed beat and suitably druggy flow from A$AP.



"Trilla" has a laid back, reverb-heavy guitar vibe, that would be perfect for slow drives down a beach front street.



The only real drawbacks to LIVELOVEA$AP is that at 16 tracks, like many hip-hop cds, is far too long, some of the rapping is forgettable, the limited scope of what he writes about can get tiresome, and there are some guest stars that are so out of place, it is painful to listen to. But for the most part, A$AP keeps the guest stars to a minimum and thankfully doesn't feel the need to litter the album with pointless skits and sketches. I am definitely impressed though with his selection of producers who keep the music interesting and a bit off-kilter. A$AP Rocky is a hip-hop artist that should be looked out for.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.