Long Live A$AP Review
Long Live A$AP review by Big Ghost.
Ayo whattup you now in the presence of the grand imperial Big Ghost AKA the mighty Volcano Hands otherwise known as the one n only Phantom Raviolis or the majestic Galaxy Knuckles AKA Shampoo Bracelets the panty melter....or the infamous Spartacus Deluxe yo. Bein that its the Xmas season n shit tho you can call me Holiday Zeus. Once again back in the okayplayer building for ya pleasure...we bout to go on this journey into the music of a dude who about a year n change ago woulda needed some kinda introduction but now he probably dont need shit...my boy A$AP Rocky. Anybody who peeped my Best Shit Of 2011 list already knows the god proclaimed the LiveLoveA$AP mixtape one of the best joints of the year... Truth be told tho I had K.R.I.T. Return Of 4Eva at number one on my list but Ionno what I was thinkin cuz I really actually fucks wit the Rocky joint A LOT more son. But thats neither here nor there or whatever b. Bottom line is I thought the mixtape was dope. Originally sons label was gon drop a retail version of the mixtape but the shit aint transpire that way namsayin. Personally I was a little disappointed nahmean when I heard he wasnt gon be droppin that shit cuz I be coppin physical copies like a muthafucka b. But after he hit us off wit the "Goldie" joint (all the way the fuck back in April) I was like yoooo....son jus changed up his whole shit....but this THAT WORK! So all a sudden now Im hype...Im ready...if he do a whole album at THIS level he gon kill the game. Straight up n down son. What happened tho? Not a muthafuckin thing b. But I aint bitter. Lotta shit dropped this year n son always managed to keep hisself out there doin features n droppin shit like the A$AP Mob joint n whatnot. But here it is...at last yo. The shit was pose to drop in 2013 but leaked a month early nahmean. No doubt thats probably gon fuck up sons sales n shit but the question is IS this muthafuckin album worth coppin in the first place? Lets find out yo... Now bein that this aint the gods domains Imma have to hit yalls wit that legal disclaimer shit again first namsayin..
Disclaimer:
The views n shit in this muthafucka is all my owns…so that aint in no way a reflection of nobody other than myself n whatever whatever. No other man or woman or child represented heretofore n such hereby is sharin the opinion of the gentleman who be sayin the shit contained within namsayin. This muthafucka do be containin foul language n shit that might offend small children n old people n shit too.
Aight now that we got that bullshit out the way let me fire up my wok n throw that titanium apron over my neck n get this shit flammbayin.
1. "Long Live A$AP" - Aight coo...so we off to a decent start right out the gate. This shit coulda slid up on the mixtape n woulda fit right in probably b. It dont really SOUND like nothin in particular from the Live.Love.A$AP joint but it got the right vibe nahmean. Son aint really change his style or nothin neither but he definitely tightened up his shit. The hook is some other shit tho... But Imma assume the n**ga Rocky aware of the fact he singin like 4 octaves outta his muthafuckin range yo.
2. "Goldie" - This shit kinda old now (still fresher than a muthafucka tho) but I aint never get to speak on it like that before...so Imma do that right now. Basically this my favorite beat of the whole damn year tho (cue uptight 90s baby talmbout NAH DAT ILL MIND OF HOPSIN 5 BEAT DOE U HATERRRR!! ). N**gas can hate on the lyrics cuz son really aint sayin shit for a dude who was named after Rakim aka William Griffith Jr. or one half of the illustrious Eric B & Rakim (Word is bond they had some joints...google em yung) but you cant say he aint do the beat justice cuz son was snappin on that shit far as Im concerned b. I aint sayin he bodied it wit his complex verbal acrobatics or whatever...he jus complimented it the right way namsayin...same way a new Tyga joint compliments the recycle bin on ya computer.
3. "PMW (All I Really Need)" f/ ScHoolboy Q - Speakin of one thing complimentin the other.... These muthafuckas got some real chemistry b. Niggas might need to unite n join forces or form a duo or whatever sound the least suspect n shit namsayin. Its always refreshin to hear some trill shit over a dope T-Minus beat without a YMCMB member hoppin on that muthafucka n spritzin that fuckouttahereness all over the track. Shit actually sounds like a hundred other T-Minus joints but that aint a bad thing cuz son usually got that fly shit on deck...it jus happens that a lotta corny niggas be jumpin on them heaters he be cookin up. The hook on this muthafucka is jus some basic n**ga shit nahmean....(but what ya gon do right!). It aint on the "Brand New Guy" level but its a dope record regardless yo. I fucks with this shit heavy.
4. "LVL" - Clams Casino back up in this muthafucka finally... In case you aint kno, thats the dude who responsible for half the joints from the mixtape. When you think of that A$AP sound you SHOULD be thinkin bout Clams Casinos beats bruh. This shit is jus cold. Its like somebody gave a martian a MPC n told him to whip up some alien work on that muthafucka. Shit is interstellar...like NASA intercepted some transmissions from the delta quadrant of a the Milky Way or whatever n somebody threw a drumbeat on it nahmean.
5. "Hell" f/ Santigold - Clams 2 for 2 on the dope ambient space beats so far... Shit sounds like the soundtrack for the planets collidin n shit. Its colossal yet its beautiful yo. I aint heard a beat this gorgeous in a minute namsayin. Im listenin to this shit thinkin how he balancin out the beauty of the track wit that supreme ignorance n makin it sound effortless yo? Santigold elevated this shit tho...without her the shit was majestic...wit her added to the track the joint was heavenly. Word is bond.
6. "Pain" f/ OverDoz - This the first ehhh moment on the album for me son. Aint een like the joint wack it jus aint the same high caliber fire as the first 5 tracks namsayin. I fucks wit it tho. Its good background music for like when you at some elegant type affair like a gala or a swarrray or some shit where muthafuckas be air kissin on both sides of ya cheeks....n you be layin in the cut havin some olives n gorgonzolas wit some wine you dont kno how to pronounce n whatever whatever...
7. "Fuckin Problems" f/ 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar - I gotta hate/hate relationship wit this joint b...I hate the fuckin song first n foremost but what I hate most is that the shit probably gon grow on me in some form or fashion if I keep playin this album nahmean. Not even a Kendrick verse saved this shit for me. The concept is some lame shit bout how niggas got fuckin problems cuz they likes fuckin so whats the fuckin problem? ...some not-so-fuckin-thought-out shit like that is what. But broads fuck wit shit like this heavy so naturally niggas in the 2 thousand n now stay makin corny shit like this n yall soulless niggas stay pretendin that yall actually enjoy fuck shit like this in order to pull hoes at the club. So first off we got Chainz on the hook. Ayo listen b....I fucks wit that n**ga Tauheed's music on the low but this hook is so ass I feel like he was tryin to sabotage the track forreal yo. I heard 40 produced the track which is whatever but it really aint surprise me to see "C. Papi" on the damn credits next to his name. That explains the vagina sauce comin out the speakers right there yo. The nigga Aubrey probably twerkin in the stu like "Awwwwwwwwww Noah yeaaaaaah jus keep doin it like thaaaaaaaaaaaaat Noaaaaaah...put some more bitch on that muthafuckin beat my niggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" First off lemme get this off my chest...if you a grown man...or even jussa male PERIOD n you be callin Drake by his muthafuckin "Champagne Papi" alias....you a hoe b. Fuckouttahere wit that. Same go for any nigga who refer to Rocky as Pretty Flacko. Call that nigga by any his other names or even jus Flacko....but soon as you put the Pretty n the Flacko together you jus got issues b. If you seen the video you already seen Drizzy makin 12 fuckboy facial expressions per second n all the way the fuck overdone hand gestures he be usin errday errday. I kno shit like this jus falls on deaf ears n shit...but yall really lettin a sheep in wolf's clothing infiltrate the game tho. This the problem wit rap tho...niggas is refusin to play they positions. Ey'body wanna be a lion n nobody wanna be the other animals in the jungle nahmean.... So we got mad monkeys n flamingos n hedgehogs actin like they lions. Shit is disruptin the whole circle of life b. Meanwhile Rocky spit that line that go "all these muthafuckas wanna dress like me" n so what happens? Kendrick gon show up to the video shoot dressed pretty much exactly the same as that nigga. Ion een understand these muthafuckas sometimes yo....
>> Continue reading track 8 "Wild For The Night" produced by Skrillex
album cover for A$AP Rocky's Long.Live.A$AP
Long Live A$AP Review (cont'd):
8. "Wild For The Night" - Skrillex on the beat? Word? YO. GET. THE. FUCK. OUT. TA. HERE. B! Skrillex? SKRILLEX???? That was my reaction when I first heard bout this shit namsayin. But soon as that beat dropped on this joint....son. The intro bein on some ragamuffin shit n whatever....yo that shit made me wanna roll a spliff n throw on a mesh tank top n politic wit the natty dreads round the way n shit b. The screwed vocals is a nice touch too... Then at the :45 second mark the shit jus flips. Im like the fuck is THIS shit yo? How they gon fu.... Yooooo this shit kinda aight son. Its mad synthesizer shit goin on here but I actually aint mad at it at all son...YO WHAT THE FUCKS THAT HIGH PITCHED BIRD SIREN SHIT THO??? NAAAAWWWWW....that shit is fuckin ILL yo. Son I fucks wit this shit so hard it aint een a joke....like we gotta problem here dog. That WI WI WI WI WI WEEEOOOOOUUU WI WI WI WI WI WI WI WEEEEOOOOOUUUUU shit should be gettin on my nerves n instead I wanna wild the fuck out n throw a sofa at a muthafucka for no reason b. Shit is the future my n**ga.
9. "1 Train" f/ Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T. - "Oh shit...lookit that lineup yo. Imma jus g'head n declare this shit a classic without listenin to it even famz" said the nigga who drank the kool aid. Now I aint one to go against the grain jus for the sake of goin against the grain but I aint all the way fuckin wit this joint like that. ONE...its too many muthafuckas on this shit (like I said...its a thin line between Banned From TV n shit like the "One Blood" remix that had like 70s niggas on it) n TWO this beat needed to change at some point yo....shit jus aint powerful enough to rock for 6 mins b...it aint "The Symphony." This aint the muthafuckin "I Shot Ya" remix... But how the same Hit-Boy that made Goldie produce this beat too? The little strings n the boom bap drums is cool...n niggas is spittin n whatever...but to me the shit was jus coo....the shit was aight.... it wasnt like some timeless classic shit or nothin tho. 90s babies declared it the greatest posse cut of all times already tho so what Imma say to change that....
10. "Fashion Killa" - Ionno why son felt like he needed to cater to broads this excessively yo. His shit already appeals to females without him goin straight Aubrey Graham on em. This is some Spandau Ballet type shit tho. Shit is jus o.d. corny my n**ga. The hook on this song like...
Rocky: Her pistol go...
Broad: Bang bang, boom boom, pop pop...
(repeat)
Shit sounds like somethin from Pink Friday or some bullshit like that. I aint een make it to the second verse tho....Skiiiiip
11. "Phoenix" - Son gettin back to what he be doin best... talkin wild shit over a beautiful ass beat. Its like he hears that shit n knows he cant jus approach the beat on some all the way sucker shit. Lotta niggas from this era...or The Estrogeneration© feel like they gotta talk bout overcoming mad obstacles n makin they moms proud n all that corny bittersweet shit over n over n over again nahmean. Like....Im sayin this coulda been some 'Lookit me now Im on top of the world forreal n n**gas thought I would never ever make it but Im crazy famous n successful now but Im still sad' type shit (or what I be callin that Eeyore Cole Syndrome) or 'Lookit me now Im on top of the world forreal n n**gas thought I would never ever make it but Im crazy famous n successful now n oh is that yo girl? Oops I jus fucked yo girl wit my imagination' type shit (or what I be callin Medium Sean Disorder) or 'Lookit me now Im on top of the world forreal n n**gas thought I would never ever make it but Im crazy famous n successful now n guuuurl I kno you aint jus walk up in here wit the new Celine Nano bag *gasp* ohmuhgoooooodenss that shit aint een out til next Spring' type shit (or what I be callin Drakegina). Instead he jus approached it on some 'Im doin real good n niggas gon hate but fuck it' type shit.
12. "Suddenly" - Man... for the first couple minutes this shit is jus laid back as fuck. If he filtered that sample out any more you wouldnt even hear it yo. But even tho the beat wild mellow he jus spittin like he rhymin over a Just Blaze banger from '03 or some shit. But yeah I fucks wit this shit.
Bonus Tracks
13. "Jodye" - This shit is jus some more harmless warning shots fired at SpaceghostPurrp aka SPVCXXGHXZTPVRRP n Raider Klan (or RVIDXR KLVN) without sayin any em niggas names n rapped over one those amateur ass soudin beats that SpaceghostPurrp be speacializin in makin.
14. "Ghetto Symphony" f/ Gunplay & A$AP Ferg - Might need a "sans Ferg" version of this joint right here. The beat hard as fuck son. Rocky did his thing (even tho he wildin sayin he spittin like 3 Stacks on this) but Gunplay kinda stole the show here forreal. Ionno how that dude be catchin so many Ls in life n still got the confidence to step in a booth n leave a beat slumped like this but he be doin that yo. Meanwhile Ferg got the nerve to anchor this shit n say he bout to spit like Big Boi since Rocky spittin like Andre n then son commences to rap like ya muthafuckin drunk uncle or some shit instead. For the love of music tho...navigate this n**ga away from any mics in the future PLEASE.
15. "Angels" - The beat sounds like some Nutcracker shit but its actually kinda fly as fuck...Son jus snappin on this tho nahmean. Not a whole lot else I can say bout that. But hell yeah I fucks wit it. Matter fact I think he shoulda replaced "Fashion Killa" wit this joint or "Ghetto Symphony." Word.
16. "I Come Apart" f/ Florence Welch - My illegal download of the album aint had this joint on it so I aint really got nothin to say bout it namsayin.
Anyhow yo...first couple times I listened to this shit I wasnt too impressed. But the more I hear it the more I fucks wit it. But personally I still dont get how n**gas can put out dope mixtapes n then when it comes time to drop they album they usually cant match that shit song for song n redeliver (see Big K.R.I.T.). Far as this shit go...I was actually feelin more than half the joints. And it was only a couple tracks that I gotta permaskip from this day forward n whatever nahmean. Overall the shit was dope. He aint knock it out the park like I thought he could but son still delivered namsayin. Shit still wasnt fuckin wit the mixttape tho.
Aight peace.
Score: I give this shit 4 Zeus Slaps outta 5
>>>Read more from the Big Ghost Chronicles here.
A$AP Rocky's highly-anticipated Long.Live.A$AP is due out January 15, 2013. Pre-order it on iTunes here.
