Always $trive And Prosper

    There are many artists that I have followed and grown with over the years, yet A$AP Rocky is a rapper that I will always consider as my personal favorite. I initially discovered Rocky during the summer before beginning high school with a single called “Goldie”. This track had an addictive beat with a whistle layered behind the bass, but the highlight of the track was the actual rapping of Rocky. His flow and rhyme scheme was like butter on this track, very smooth and complex throughout. He also utilized a deep voice filter on the hook which added to the overall hypnotic nature of the song. This was the lead up single to his debut album and once it was released I fell in love with what A$AP was going for in the album.

 

            A$AP Rocky’s first project was a mixtape by the name of Live.Love.A$AP and I actually had to go back and listen to this after his debut album because I was not aware of it at the time. This mixtape is incredible and has popular songs on it such as “Peso” and “Purple Swag”. The mixtape is very psychedelic in sound and it has a very specific ambience to it that I had never heard before in rap music. Then a little bit less than two years after this mixtape released his debut Long.Live.A$AP which was a very diverse album sonically. It had songs that were made for parties, but also introspective songs exploring Rocky’s outlook on the world. “LVL” and “Phoenix” are some of my favorite songs of this album because of the very trippy production and the reflection that Rocky has on his life within this world. The album made me a fan instantly.

 

            Roughly two years later Rocky released At.Long.Last.A$AP which had a lot of hype surrounding it because he would either hit a sophomore slump or improve on his own style. Luckily he improved and pushed the boundaries with his sound, and this actually is my favorite album by A$AP to date. It still retains the psychedelic production but it is even more luscious on this album, and he layers his voice throughout the beats in a way that he seems to be floating in and out at points in this album. The subject matter includes his upbringing and his experiences with drugs and women. He never shies away from painting a very luxurious picture when it comes to his wealth and fame. The album has great features and once again Rocky flows on it perfectly. It is a masterpiece in my opinion and it is a much more interesting album when compared to some of the monotony that can be found in the musical landscape from the last decade.

 

            In 2018, Rocky released his third album Testing which was a very controversial album for the fanbase when it was released. Many people hated it and still do not think that this was anywhere close to the quality that Rocky is capable of. I think the album is very good and it very much retains all the things that I love in an A$AP Rocky project. He has club music, conceptual tracks, and introspective pieces on the album, so there is still diversity and subject matter. I will say that the flow is not as clean as in previous projects, but I figured that Rocky was experimenting with new sounds and starting to take a jab at alternative music. Regardless, I am still waiting for his next album and I do not think that he will miss with the strength that his discography holds now. 

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