Music Banter - A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveA$AP (2011)

I dun wrote this for tha school paper. Enjoi

Rakim Mayers, AKA ASAP Rocky, has signed a 3 million dollar deal with Sony/RCA/Polo Grounds with only one mixtape under his belt. The big question underlying this decision is if he is worth it.

A preliminary question would be what kind of buzz got his name where it is now? Well, he’s a New York rapper with heavy Southern-stoner influence, especially the cough syrup “chop-and-screw” scene. His two main videos, “Peso” and “Purple Swag,” garnered a lot of hype, with “Peso” getting radio play on New York’s huge Hot 97 hip hop station, and “Purple Swag” gaining over 3 million views on Youtube- the video was co-directed by the rapper.

But is the album with its six figure deal? Well, some aspects are promising. His beat selection is outstanding and fairly varied. Though they all revolve around a stoned atmosphere, they do so with different styles, such as a more country vibe on “Trilla,” the Lex Luger-on-sizzurp sound of “Brand New Guy,” or the soothing chaos of “Demons.”

Catchiness is a strong suit of his as well. The songs are extremely infectious with hooks that will be stuck in your head right away, and he has hooks for days. “Peso” has about 3 separate hooks, each as catchy as the last, and the chorus on “Houston Old Head” comes to mind.

However, his overall style is nothing too impressive.

Lyricism, for example, is not his strongest suit. He has clever flashes, such as the alphabet wordplay on “Peso” or the Spanglish burst on “Leaf,” but his slick talk only gets him so far (not to mention the limited topic range). None of his lyrics truly draw the listener in, leaning more on his smooth flow and cool beats for grabbing attention.

His flow also feels recycled at times, with similar approaches to a few of the beats. While he can switch it up, such as a quicker pace on “Leaf” or the singing on “Kissin’ Pink,” it comes out sounding repetitive when “Peso” and “Keep It G” have virtually the same meter.

Rocky’s personality doesn’t seem all his own either; his influence bleeds through. Drake bleeds through on the opener “Palace,” in flow and tone (and even beat choice), and pops up throughout the album.

Drake’s mentor, Lil Wayne, seems to have a fairly deep influence on A$AP’s rapping style; the sly yet rugged, streetwise rapper, with some clever lyrics- as seen on “Out of this World”- and a diverse beat selection (as exposed on Carter III); the more clever lyrics are also reminiscent of Wayne’s mixtape heyday, along with the cool confidence seen throughout. A$AP does, however, seem a little more clearheaded or safer than Wayne’s former self, leaving who has sipped more lean or smoked more cannabis debatable.

Hodgy Beats recently called him “A$AP Copy,” and it doesn’t seem farfetched: Left Brain was making southern-inspired beats on “Blackenedwhite” before A$AP’s mixtape by a full year- both being released on Halloween. Mike G’s beat selection also comes to mind when listening to something like “Get Lit.”

It feels like there are many artist just as deserving or even more that have been left in the underground. The Odd Future pack remains unsigned, and Tyler’s moment on XL is gone at the moment, since it was a contract only for one album, “Goblin.” Sony’s RED distribution label has offered to release their material in physical form, but no full deals have been mentioned.

Lil B called A$AP out on jacking his style, such as calling himself a “pretty (vulgar noun)” several times and utilizing the trendy “swag” call. B has been cited as an influence on A$AP, and has made even odder career decisions than the newcomer (one example being his peak album titled “I’m Gay (I’m Happy)”); yet the Basedgod remains unsigned by a major label.

Spaceghost Purrp, a close associate to Rocky who produced “Keep It G,” the chill jazz jam moment on “LiveLoveA$AP,” and contributed a strong, simple verse to “Purple Swag: Chapter 2” (chapter 1 cannot be found on the album) is left unsigned; even with his interesting, completely self-produced and mostly self-featuring “BLVCKLVND RVDIX 66.6” has been left behind, though it shows just as much stoner potential and the outrageousness of Lil B and Odd Future combined, along with more old school Three 6 Mafia/Wu Tang tendencies (eeriness, misogyny, and simplicity).

But A$AP has the swag to appeal to the youth, throwback styles to appeal to older Hip Hop heads, and an ear tuned to great beats for anyone to enjoy. However, with a lack of outstanding traits or style, he will have to prove himself above trends and catchiness to truly fulfill his 3 million dollar reputation.