Jordhan Woods

In 2009, A$AP was just another well-dressed, semi-known rapper uploading videos to YouTube. Now in 2013, A$AP Rocky is a household name. Following the successful release of his 2011 mixtape “Live.Love.A$AP,” the RCA/Polo Grounds debut was considered the most anticipated debut hip-hop album of the year. Despite an early leak of the album, the New York City native was still able to move more than 140,000 units in his first week putting him at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The 24-year-old Harlem man broke on the scene in 2010 when his single “Peso” was put into heavy rotation on New York City radio station Hot 97. Shortly after, the seemingly overnight Internet sensation and fashion connoisseur was everywhere (literally, he was at the Knicks game, then Fashion Week in Paris).

With his style reminiscent of OutKast (sometimes he’s Big Boi, sometimes he’s 3 Stacks), A$AP channels Houston’s chopped and screwed trap music and has adopted clear West Coast and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony influences. These multiple facets have allowed him to create a unique sound that travels far beyond his Harlem roots. And although he is relatively new to the rap game, he has fortified a signature sound: a lyrical flair where he hovers and maneuvers over and around synthesized beats and deep basses with a Southern drawl, promptness and conviction.

Although his persona and lyrical style are extremely charismatic, his album lacks direction (mostly because his style is so broad) due to borrowing influence from nearly every sub-genre of hip-hop. Rocky’s “Long Live A$AP” is boastful yet humble, provides heavy doses of drugs and women, and shares remnants of a harsh childhood. He raps about what he knows: cockroaches in the projects, cocaine in his drinks and Chanel clothing.

Due to the fact that Rocky has only been in the rap game for a short time, I can excuse his misdirection and just hope his future projects will provide more clarity and not just strategically placed similes. But for now, I take the album for what it is: exactly what my ears and hip-hop needed. I still wonder how so many current hip-hop artists release flawless mixtapes, yet miss the mark with their commercially-released albums.

Don’t think Rocky didn’t call in a few favors for “Long Live A$AP” though. The album has a stacked lineup featuring 2012 all-star Kendrick Lamar, SchoolBoy Q, Drake, 2Chainz, Santigold, Skrillex, Gunplay, A$AP Ferg, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T.

“Long.Live.A$AP”: 3/5 stars

Via The DePaulia