A$AP Rocky Long.Live.A$AP album review

After signing a $3 million deal with RCA based on earlier buzz, Harlem born rapper A$AP Rocky has silenced skeptics with his debut Long.Live.A$AP

Despite an early leak of the rap sensation's Long.Live.A$AP, A$AP Rocky's highly anticipated breakout album has been the talk of the hip hop world today. The lead single F*ckin Problems has received both chart and radio success, yet Long.Live.A$AP picks up right where Rocky's left off on his Live.Love.A$AP mixtape, not adapting to mainstream, but taking his sound  - a combination of syrupy Houston and old school New York rap - to the next level and proving his own words "Always $trive And Prosper" are those to live by.

A$AP Rocky Long.Live.A$AP album cover 2013

The 24 year old's impressive debut shows off his laid back lyrical personna combined with solid production from the likes of Clams Casino, Hit-Boy, Noah "40" Shebib and T-Minus to name but a few. The album features a well rounded compilation of songs with appearances from the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, SchoolboyQ, Skrillex, Joey Bada$$ and Florence Welch proving this promising young talent is a diverse artist. With such a range of songs on the album, Rocky seems to have an unmatchable and uncommon ability to successfully offer something for all audiences.


Tracks such as Phoenix and Hell show off the fact that the young rapper clearly has an ear for ambient production whilst tracks like Suddenly are a chance for Rocky to show off his story telling skills as he reminisces his child hood and his roots. Tracks such as the label endorsed, high fashion talking Fashion Killa and, another lead single along with F*ckin Problems, 1 Train - undoubtedly one of the best posse cut tracks of these past few years - prove there is no denying that A$AP Rocky has beaten expectations twice. His rags to riches story is a common theme of the album just like on the mixtape whilst it's noticeable that his unique flow switches by mood throughout the album.


Hard hitting lyrics and a confident delivery combined with incredible production and catchy hooks - the New York native's first full studio album definitely lives up to all the hype. Believe the hype, this album sounds great from start to finish and deserves all the attention it's about to receive. 2013 is about to be another huge year for A$AP Rocky and the A$AP Mob. Long.Live.A$AP indeed.