We went into this promising to be as objective as possible. No doubt he’s been gone a while, something in the region of 8 years since his last release. We were looking for a reason to say he’s still the king of the aesthetic, and he always will be ‘cause he’s a pretty boy. But is the album what we were waiting for?
IS A$AP ROCKY A REGULAR ON OUR PLAYLISTS?
Not really. And this album isn’t changing that. We wanted the ultimate banger to throw us off the planet, but instead, we got a mixed bag.
ORDER OF PROTECTION slides in with a smooth synth intro and the line ‘It’s been a lil’ while since I been in the league’. It’s an introduction to his current reality, asserting that absence doesn't mean he lost his spot; he’s still in the lead.
But is the album actually convincing?
HELICOPTER, he had to defend the video for this one because it looks like something the GTA team would do - in the best way possible. Love. The lineup for the video is nuts. The track itself could’ve fooled you into thinking that’s the style for the whole album. It feels like a fever dream.
STOLE YA FLOW It’s not "officially" a diss track, but come on. When you drop lines like “First you stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bitch,” we all know he’s aiming straight at Drake. It’s so light touch, it didn’t need to be in there at all.
Then we hit STAY HERE 4 LIFE, Brent Faiyaz brings a necessary calm, and honestly? We love the R&B switch-up.
ROBERRY is the genre-bend that actually works. We know the Reddit critics are feverishly typing about how Doechii’s part was too long, but we love the chop-and-change into something so distinct and crisp. They both shine on this one.
STOP SNITCHING is blunt. But as a song? One we won’t be coming back to. Don't even get us started on STFU. We’re sorry (not sorry), but it is the worst track on the album. Chaotic electro-techno beats that are unbearable to listen to. Just a huge NO. But like we’ve said before, not everything is for us.
DON’T BE DUMB has crisp, clean production, but they know that; he even says don’t bother mentioning it. Confidence. What ASAP has delivered is a sell-out album. Is it perfect? Maybe not. What makes it interesting to listen to is the mix. You can never settle into one genre on the album, and instead, he made something that shows off more than just rapping over some beats. He’s given people something worth chewing over and talking about. While the claims of replay/relisten value are saying low - we disagree.
This album isn’t bad. It’s just confusing for some. There are some smart lyrics in there, and he carefully pieces together a fantastic line-up and mixes genres like a pro.
3/5 Cups
