The Scene

A$AP Rocky, it's nice to see you again, it's been a while we haven't heard much from the A$AP crew in the past year besides bits and pieces while it feels like A$AP Ferg has been holding things down. It appears that Rocky has been out in London for much of this time, enjoying the sights and sounds which have inspired At.Long.Last.A$AP.

Unfortunately the A$AP crew lost one of their main men in A$AP Yams leading into the release of this album which would have undoubtedly been a bit of a bummer, but there's no better tribute that a solid album. You may have heard about this Joe Fox character, Rocky found him busking in London and has basically put him on with Fox featuring heavily on the album and his presence has strongly influenced the overall sound of the album.

We've been waiting for something from Rocky. He came into the game with a huff and a puff with his own unique sound and perspective, which means that new music is always eagerly anticipated. However, this album comes at a time when Rocky is able to put his experiences and learnings into a different context, which usually comes with a few years behind you. You nail down who you are as an artist and what you're trying to achieve, hence A.L.L.A has been a long time coming.

The Songs

Holy Ghost ft. Joe Fox - Rocky has found God, but not how you found him. Tricky rhymes
Canal St ft. Bones - How to hustle, with fire bars over mellow beats
Fine Wine ft. Future, Joe Fox & M.I.A - Multi-layered, various vibes in the one song
L$D - Trippy, as you would expect
Excuse Me - Rocky's still from Harlem, but the sound is far from Harlem
JD - Slow mo, the signature A$AP sound
Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 - Step your rhyme patterns up and beware of the siren
Electric Body ft. Schoolboy Q - For the shawties, two machine guns firing
Jukebox Joints ft. Joe Fox, Kanye West - Versatility, bop slower while reflecting
Max B ft. Joe Fox - Wisdom raps, leader of the new school over slightly Middle Eastern sounds
Pharsyde ft Joe Fox - Slow mo, a bit of wisdom and reflection again
Wavybone ft. Juicy J, UGK - Ultimate vibes, jam of the album
West Side Highway ft. James Fauntleroy - Not sure if this is even hip hop anymore, it's beautiful
Better Things - Even Rocky has nights alone
M'$ ft. Lil Wayne - Raw bars, straight up rawness, peep the YMCMB shots from Wayne
Dreams (Interlude) - An interlude, but an interlude filled with poetry
Everyday ft. Rod Stewart, Miguel & Mark Ronson - The ups and downs with a fresh perspective, beautiful combo from Stewart and Miguel
Back Home ft. Mos Def, Acyde & A$AP Yams - Bars bars bars that forms the perfect platform for a Mos Def comeback

The Vibe

To try and explain the vibe of this album and how it made me feel is a very complex task, one which I don't really feel fit to do but whatever, I'll try. This is far from your standard boom bap rap, but you probably don't expect that from Rocky anyway but it's also far removed from his early music as well.

There are definitely signature Rocky sounds and moments, with the slowed down vibe used many times throughout the album. It's very umm, artistic. That's the one. In its purest form, an album should resemble a piece of art on top of a blank canvas and A.L.L.A is the reflection of a very creative person in Rocky. There are so many little nooks and crannies to this album that you can get lost in, especially if you are on some type of drug and to get distracted wouldn't be the brightest idea as you would definitely miss something.

While it's very creative and there isn't a singular sound or vibe to the album, Rocky sounds like he's proving a point as well with what he does best. You may be put in a trance by the music, you may love the crooning element of Fox but at its core A.L.L.A is very much about Rocky spitting fire, which is his bread and butter. That's why I love this album, Rocky offers up his finest rap performance but he packages it all in a utterly creative way which doesn't resemble anything or anyone else.

The Music

Don't ask me why there are like 50 producers/musicians credited on this album, but it works because the album sounds great. There are far too many contributors for me to list them but it's important to note that Lord Flacko is credited on four tracks, which means that A$AP Rocky is making beats, and he's making good beats.

Other notable producers include: Danger Mouse, THC, Jim Jonsin, Kanye West, Juicy J, DJ Khalil and Hector Delgado.

In terms of guest appearances, it's also a very extensive list and it has led me up a weird path. There's a whole bunch of producers/musicians involved and there are plenty of features as well, but listening to this album doesn't give you a sense of different artists pulling songs this way or that. I think we've got to tip our hat to Rocky the curator as well as the artist because that's what it feels like, Rocky has pulled all this people from a variety of musical backgrounds together to help him execute his vision.

Rocky pulls in M.I.A and Mos Def/Yasiin Bey for a song each, while Kanye West and Schoolboy Q also have notable appearances. Juicy J and UGK, yup including Pimp C (RIP, and RIP Yams), also get onboard for my favourite song off the album while Lil Wayne also drops a verse which is absolutely fire. Shout out to Wayne, he has put together two huge guest verses recently, one on Tyler, The Creator's album and one here, he's still alive.

The game is full of slaves and they mostly rappers
You sold your soul first, then your homies after
Let's show these stupid field niggas how they could own they masters
Holy smokes, I think my pastor was the only folk
To own the Rollie, Ghost and Rolls Royce's with no Holy Ghost
And get your shit prepared, face your fears, all you niggas scared
Say your prayers, pray you fit upstairs, it's our only hope
Church bells and choir sounds, tell 'em, "Quiet down"
Bow your head, the Most High's around, Lord - Holy Ghost

Tell me why these little niggas talking like they killas, bruh
Nowadays these niggas always caught up in they feelings, bruh
But I stay 100 cause you know I keep it trilla, bruh
Mobbin like 2Pacalypse or Bishop how I Hit 'Em Up
Fill 'em up with lyrics, bury all my victims, kill 'em
Dig 'em up again, to say I did it
Snitch, excuse me, mind your business, bruh - Excuse Me

Sippin' slow, Texas throwed, comma, I'm about decimals
Chill and get faded, I'm surprised that we made it
Young niggas know the sky's the limit
All I ever wanna do is chill and get shaded
Chill and get faded, shit, I'm surprised that we made it
Nowadays stress overrated
All I ever wanna do is chill and get shaded - M'$

Eureka!

Joe Fox is the man.

Rocky likes pretty, big fore-headed bitches.

Usually the last track is slightly outro-ish, but on A.L.L.A it leaves you wanting a bit more, there's not outro vibe to it at all, it just gets you pumped for the next installment, so I guess that's an outro vibe.

This is one unique dude. Wine, fashion, art yet still a gritty Harlem rapper at heart.

Finale

I honestly think that this will go down as one of the best albums of the year and could give 'To Pimp A Butterfly' some serious competition. There's so much to A.L.L.A that you've got to give it your all, you can't sit there and get hyphy off of one track on the radio, those days are over. This album stands alone as a piece of art while also being highly entertaining because Rocky is a very honest rapper, there's no tricks, no gimmicks it's just all him.

There's songs that will get you in the mood for a fun time and there's songs that will need you to probably get really high and zone out to. But it's versatile, I found myself jamming to it in the car a lot, like every time I went anywhere I listened to it because you can do pretty much everything with it. Whether you're rapping or singing along, nodding your head to the infectious beats or just admiring some funky rhyme schemes, it's the perfect partner for a drive across town.