10
Book Club Week 2: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP by A$AP Rocky
(ttrpg.network)
Technically a mixtape I believe and released for free in 2011, this is the only album of the initial first 4 weeks I planned that I had never listened to prior to selecting it. I knew this was what blew up Rocky, and really the whole A$AP Mob but my first Rocky album wasn't until 2013 with LONG.LIVE.A$AP.
Overall
I was not disappointed, this very much feels like a prototype of LONG.LIVE.A$AP. Rocky is the only rapper besides Snoop Dogg that just oozes cool to me and it is all over this album. Thinking back to 2011, I can't imagine any other rapper of the time calling himself a "pretty motherfucker" and somehow coming out the other side with everybody agreeing. This was before Young Thug and before Lil Uzi Vert, at the time Hip Hop was just dropping of the hyper masculine facade and Rocky went a step ahead of other innovators by not just wearing what he wanted and looking how he wanted, but by being undeniably cool as fuck while doing it. Kanye had did it before but Kanye has never been what I'd define as "cool" and tight pants had started to make an appearance in raper wardrobes, but nobody was doing it like Rocky.
On to the album, shit is an experience before anything else. I love the production, with the generally slow beats and the grimy sounding vocal effects used where a lot of rappers would use a more traditional ad-lib. While rocky is rapping about drugs and getting high on Purple Swag, I can feel the calmness and relaxed vibe I get when I get the right type of high. This album isn't about the word play or the punchlines, it is about the vibe.
Best Tracks No particular order
Trilla hits different from the rest of the album for me. Maybe it is just the energy of having Nast and Twelvyy on the track but this is the best straight up rapping Rocky does on this album imo. Twelvvy's verse is the standout to me, with his voice and flow being perfect on this track.
Purple Swag makes me think back to my younger days. I'm older with 3 kids and I get high maybe twice a year when the kids are at their grandmother's house. That said, the vibes on this song reminds me of my early 20's going out, having some drinks, eating an edible and just vibing with friends.
Houston Old Head is all about the hook for me. The whole song is good but I can't NOT song along to this hook. Almost a shame because I don't like when my kids use language talking about hoes and I try to set a good example, but here we are. I blame DJ Burn One and Rocky.
Also good but I have less to say is Roll One Up and Bass
Worst Track There is just one
Leaf just doesn''t work for me. It is basically all down to Main Attrakionz. Their name is dumb and while they rap like Rocky, they don't have any of the swagger that makes it work. Also, "it feels good waking up to money in the bank" is a lame ass lyric. I know Rocky uses that exact lyric on Goldie and maybe elsewhere, but he sounds cool enough to get away with it. On a semi related note, I actually checked the next album they put out after this song dropped, Bossalinis & Fooliyones and it wasn't very good. It was fine. It also came out in October, the year following this song dropping. They did have some mixtapes come out in 2011 and maybe one of them was November, but they said album.