The mention of Rita Ora in the second verse is interesting but it’s not enough to save it. I stuck it through and listened to it start to finish for the sake of this review but after this, easy skip. It sounds like a leaked demo and James Fauntelroy falls flat here. “Westside Highway” is the only song here that I wish I never heard.
With “Max B” I can pull certain lines like “Buckshots fly/ my young buck died/passed away from a stray/from some fake tough guy,” but I can’t tell you how that contributes to the song as a whole. Try saying “Trappin’ through the speaker peep the beeper ringer, uh” twice as fast and with an infectious cadence-it’s not easy.Ī.L.L.A’s second act, tracks 10-14, is the A$AP Rocky that flies over my head. “Excuse Me,” “JD,” “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2),” “Electric Body” and “Jukebox Joints.” All of these bump in the whip and display what’s easiest to see that A$AP Rocky offers: great production, catchy hooks and star studded songs. It doesn’t bother me but it’s an easily skippable song if played on shuffle.Īfter “L$D” comes a string of songs featuring the A$AP Rocky I’m fondest of. While interesting “L$D”… you can take it or leave it. He’s not just influenced by Houston and Harlem rap music there’s a lot of rock in there too. It shows his range of talents and interests. “L$D” follows and it kind of reminds me of “Kissin Pink,” not because they sound the same, but because they both feature A$AP Rocky singing throughout most of the song.
A$AP Rocky does that chopped and screwed voice, M.I.A. “Canal St.” follows and from my best interpretations is about A$AP Rocky reflecting on his current position and where he’s come from. Fox tried to sell him a CD, Rocky told him to play something on his guitar, which he did, and Rocky was intrigued the rest is history. Turns out he’s a singer from London whom Rocky met on the street at 4 a.m. I first saw his name on “Jukebox Joints” and thought he was a rapper. A fellow named Joe Fox appears here and he will feature throughout the album. “Holy Ghost” sets the tone as Rocky discusses his views on Christianity and his own relationship with God.
That didn’t affect my experience at all when I heard it straight through, though. The album has been out for over a year, so I’ve heard about a third of it. At.$AP, or A.L.L.A, came out in May 2015 and is Rocky’s second solo album. With a good sense of familiarity of music, I was confident enough to examine his latest solo release.
This further encouraged me to look into Rocky’s catalogue and figure out why people would come to the conclusions they make about him. A$AP Rocky saw this and didn’t take kindly to it. I get that he’s jiggy, but what does that mean? What does Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye stand for and how did he come up with that name? A few months ago, a chart categorizing rappers went viral and Rocky’s name was listed under overrated. I’m a fan, but I would have a hard time explaining him to someone. I’ve always had mixed feelings about him. This year I made it one of my resolutions to examine the work of A$AP Rocky. With this newfound access-albeit he's extremely late-he's ready to finally join the conversation on some of the most discussed releases of the past couple of years.
#AT LONG LAST ASAP SONGS TRIAL#
Sainvil, finally got the three-month trial for Apple Music and is opened to the vast world of music that it provides. Our Assistant Arts & Culture Editor, Deion A.