A$AP Rocky - Long Live A$AP

Something tells me I should have known what I was getting into...

I'm always weary of people telling me, “Hey dude! Check out this new rapper! He is dope as shit!” Usually 9 out of 10 times someone tells me a rapper is good, I end up hating them because they fall into the same problems I have with rappers today. Lets rap about how bad ass we are, how much drugs we do, and how many bitches we screw. Yeah...I’m sorry but I like my rap to have meaning like the days of Tupac and The Wu-Tang Clan. So this time, we got A$AP Rocky with his first album Long Live A$AP. A$AP has received great praise from critics and rap enthusiast after his mix tape Live.Love.A$AP. So I did have a little hope going in that I would get something that was on the better end for rap today. Too bad to say those hopes were dashed pretty damn quick.

This album could have been great. I see so much to love in this album. Very meaningful lyrics that could have had Rocky automatically on my good side. Too bad he ruins it really quick by falling into tropes of modern rap. By this, I mean trying way to much to look like a hard ass. Rappers, I’m going to say this right now...SAYING THE N WORD EVERY OTHER DAMN WORD IS NOT POETIC! IT’S JUST REPETITIVE AND MEANINGLESS! Phew, got that out of my system. A$AP falls into this trope of the overuse of the N word in the first song. It doesn’t stop there as each song on the album at least mentions the word once. I have heard amazing rap albums that don’t even utter the N word, so I find it pointless to exploit it to try to look awesome.

Another point that I should bring up is A$AP “tongue in cheek” misogynist lyrics. I put tongue in cheek in quotes because I didn’t get the feeling it was jokingly used. In some songs, yes I could see it, other songs not so much. Misogynist lyrics on a rap album will bring down my points on an album quick. I can’t stand rappers that put down women. I’m sorry you don’t look like a bad ass using misogynist lyrics, you look like a tool who has a compensation problem.

Its a shame really, because A$AP does have some great stuff to talk about in his serious songs. Unfortunately, those serious songs are few and far on the album. For one serious song you get like “Hell” you get three songs that jut go back to A$AP trying to look like a hard ass. It’s not something I look for in rap albums. I like rap albums with substance, songs that mean something. A$AP doesn’t seem too concerned with doing rap like that.

I will give credit where credit is due though. The production on the album is very well done. The fast paced production fits A$AP’s fast style of rapping very well. Each song works off whatever time signature A$AP is going with his rapping. This is especially shown in the fun “Wild For The Night”. A song I know I normally shouldn’t like because it is about partying, but it is infectious with a nice spot by Skrillex and great rapping done by A$AP.

The final verdict:  I understand why A$AP has fans and positive critical reception. The dude does have a lot of talent with his rapping ability and production. For me though, Long Live A$AP falls flat by falling into the negative stereotypes of just rapping about how awesome he is. Even with the songs that do show signs of leaving these stereotypes, they quickly go back in the area of being generic. If A$AP is just gonna be another rapper like the 100 others out there, I can’t say I’m going to support him.

FINAL GRADE: C-
CHOICE CUT: Wild For The Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW4gFZTi9So