A$AP Rocky is a Harlem based rapper who came into the eye of mainstream hip-hop with the release of his debut mixtape Live.Love.A$AP. Rocky received quite a bit of attention due to his beat selection which often times combines gritty production influenced from the New York street scene with hard hitting bass lines thanks to the likes of Clams Casino, Hit-Boy, and even himself at times.
Much like on his previous two projects, Rocky used a plethora of different producers on this LP, a choice that really payed off as the production on ALLA is top notch. To me, that was evident from the first track Holy Ghosts.
One of the best instrumentals on the album, the Danger Mouse produced track showcases Rocky's thoughts on organized religion and has him pleading with the "Holy Ghost." The album opens with great potential, and is followed up by another stellar track Canal St. which to me is easily the strongest track on the LP.
However, after these two tracks the album becomes a rollercoaster ride of solid tracks mixed with plenty of filler cuts. As ambitious as placing 18 tracks on a rap record is now a days, it's a risk that I feel didn't pay off for the fashion mogul, as it feels as if oftentimes throughout the album he's repeating himself lyrically.
By no means is Rocky a "weak" lyrical rapper, but he does seem to bounce back and forth between being a subject rapper, and simply throwing around brag lines. While sometimes that can make for a breath of fresh air on a project, that isn't the case for this album as we see a lot of the stylistic switching being done on the same track, which can cause the actual message or purpose of the song to be lost in a cloud of one-liners and disses.
One welcomed addition on this project was the inclusion of street artist Joe Fox, who A$AP Rocky appears to have taken under his wing. Fox lends his vocals to 5 songs on the rec, 3 of which I consider to be stand-outs on the album. Not only is this good because of Fox's vocal ability, but also because it appears that Rocky is embracing the pop aspect of his music that I feel has always been there, but has been neglected. This allows for catchy hooks, and is a great change of pace from poorly sung hooks from rappers who lack any actual singing ability (I'm looking at you Chance the Rapper.)
Despite the fact that some of these risks did indeed pay off, there are also some that didn't work out as well. On L$D, Rocky takes a shot at making a love ballad to both his drug of choice; LSD, and his love for women. While I do appreciate the effort, and understand the direction he attempted to go in, it ended up making for a fairly generic and forgettable addition to the album.
Perhaps the most disappointing moment of the album was the feature from Kanye West on Jukebox Joints, which Yeezy also produced. While I expected a great verse to build the hype for West's upcoming project SWISH, we instead got Kanye rapping so slowly that it almost felt as if he were doing spoken word, and not only was his flow off, but the verse also felt incredibly empty lyrically.
Immediately after, the album picks back up with two more great tracks in Max B and Pharsyde. The LP then returns to it's up and down tendency, as after 18 tracks it finally comes to a close. The outro track Back Home makes for a fitting close, as Rocky pays tribute to his friend and fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Yams, who passed away earlier this year. The final lines of the song consist of a monologue of sorts from Yams himself, making for an emotional end.
While the album wasn't exactly what I was hoping to see from a rapper the caliber of Rocky, it was by no means a bad album, and it is a welcome addition to what has become a very solid discography from the talented emcee. However, if Rocky wants to join the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J.Cole as one of the next elite in hip-hop, he will need to make quite a few improvements heading into his next project.
Rating: B-
Favorite Songs: Holy Ghost, Canal St., Max B, Pharsyde
Least Favorite Songs: Electric Body, L$D
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