#live.love.a$ap

[sixmillionlizards]

Photos taken by Brock Fetch during the shoot of the album cover for A$AP Rocky’s album LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, released in 2011.

[thisaintascenereviews]

2013 Was The Year I Got Into Hip-Hop

I recently posted a retrospective on Childish Gambino’s 2011 label debut, Camp, and how much that album means to me, as well as what it meant in the larger grand scheme for hip-hop. Camp was one of the first albums of the “blog era” that really took advantage of the Internet, but you had some before that. Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool from 2007 is a good example, as well as 2011’s Live.Love.A$AP by A$AP Rocky, which stuck out in the genre for being a mixtape / album that didn’t have a specific sound, or at least clearly have come from a certain place. The Internet became such an important place for rap music, especially when mixtapes became bigger. I downloaded a lot through Datpiff back in the day, and that’s where a lot of folks downloaded the debut A$AP Rocky mixtape, or Chance The Rapper’s first couple, mainly including 2013’s Acid Rap. This, along with Camp, was one of the seminal albums that got me into the genre, along with a few more. The reason I titled this piece the way I did was because most of the albums that got me into rap came out in 2013 (with a couple of exceptions), and instead of doing a ten-year retrospective on three or four albums separately, I figured I’d talk about each album here and take a walk down memory lane, so to speak.

I already talked extensively about Camp in the retrospective I did for it, but I wanted to talk about a few other albums from a couple of years later — Childish Gambino’s Because The Internet, Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap, A$AP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP, and Tyler, The Creator’s Wolf. These albums have more in common than just being released the same year, namely that all of these rappers became huge during the “blog era,” in which a lot of rappers and artists started to use the Internet to their advantage. These were rappers that got big thanks to an online following, and that really shaped my enjoyment of the genre and how I eventually got into it. These few albums don’t necessarily sound the same, but they introduced me to different styles of rap music, and they were all alternative to what was popular at the time.

Aside from walking down memory lane, and talking about my overall experiences with these albums, I also wanted to examine if whether or not that these albums have aged well, especially because of even just a decade ago was a very different time in rap. We can still look back fondly at certain albums or artists, but part of growing and growing up is understanding that certain things that may have been acceptable then aren’t acceptable now. They were never acceptable, but they weren’t as blatant of an issue as they are now. Mainly what I’m talking about is homophobic language that was freely used back a decade ago, but it’s in poor taste now (unless you’re Eminem, then you think you can still say whatever you want like it’s 1999). We’ll talk about this more as we dive into every album, but it’s good to look at the culture in which these albums came from, too.

If anything, these albums probably wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for the culture that they came from. Alternative rap, while always having been around, has just taken on different forms over the years. First it was the jazz-rap of A Tribe Called Quest, but then it moved into the indie rap of guys like Aesop Rock and MF Doom, which eventually morphed into Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, and Tyler, The Creator. A great example of “alternative rap” is the latter’s sophomore album, Wolf. A founding member of alt-rap group Odd Future, Tyler, The Creator was the main star of the group, although fellow member Frank Ocean would go onto be the biggest star of the group.

Debut album, 2011’s Goblin, was instrumental to his rise, but 2013’s Wolf was my introduction to his solo music and Odd Future. Tyler’s music was known to be “edgy” and shocking, similarly to rapper Eminem from a decade prior, but the difference between both artists is that one of them grew up (hint: it wasn’t Eminem). It’s insane to see Tyler’s growth over the last decade, because he went from a 2edgy4u artist to being a jazz-rap maestro that’s deep, introspective, but still fun and lighthearted. As for Wolf, it’s a record that attempts to be both edgy and introspective, but I think people might only see it as the former, not the latter. Wolf has aged relatively well, but it still features shades of Tyler’s purposely offensive language, and while it doesn’t serve too much of a purpose other than to be shocking, it’s not his whole schtick, thankfully. The album is a little long, and the album isn’t super energetic a lot of the time, but Tyler’s flow is solid and the guest spots are great.

Wolf is a solid album, but A$AP Rocky’s label debut, Long.Live.A$AP, is an interesting case of an artist being “mainstream” that I really like. I really enjoyed this album when it came out, and despite having thought of him in years, I went back to this recently and this record holds up quite well. Rocky’s sound is really cool, because he takes a lot of different sounds in his repertoire, especially when rappers stuck to their regional sounds in the 00s. Rocky’s from New York, but he had a lot of southern (especially Texas), midwestern, and even some West Coast flair to his sound, including some New York and East Coast stuff, but he makes it work. His voice is smooth, his bars are funny and charismatic (despite not saying anything too interesting), and the production is solid, all the while being uneven.

Childish Gambino’s Because The Internet is another record that cemented my love for his music, especially for how different it was compared to Camp, and how much he had improved as a vocalist and lyricist in just a couple years (although I enjoyed his 2012 mixtape Royalty quite a lot, too), but going back to Because The Internet made for a very uneven experience. Some of that album has some of his best songs, whereas the rest is just boring and somewhat pretentious, but not half bad, either. It just leans into being too self-indulgent, but it was a solid alt-rap album, nonetheless, and people started to really pay attention to Donald Glover as a musician. Camp is still my favorite album from him, mainly for its nostalgia, but I do truly love a bunch of stuff from this album, too, especially “3005” and “Sweatpants.”

The last record I wanted to talk about is Chance The Rapper’s second mixtape, Acid Rap, and how that mixtape introduced me to jazz rap, as well as being a record that was quite positive and uplifting, despite having some heavy subject matter. I’m pretty sure I found this mixtape thanks to the Childish Gambino feature, and to this day, that song is still maybe my favorite track on the tape (hilariously ironic because that song is called “Favorite Song”). The mixtape is full of “vibey” jazz-rap that I really enjoy now, because of its laidback sound that meshes really well. While this wasn’t his first mixtape, it’s the one the blew him up, and despite his fall-off in 2019 with his proper debut album, Chance The Rapper had a big run between 2013 and 2018, but this is the first time that a lot of people heard this Chicago rapper.

Okay, now that I talked about these albums, I wanted to beg a couple of questions with all of them — firstly, have these albums aged well, but most importantly, are these albums ones that I’d recommend to someone just getting into the genre? That’s what happened for me, but everyone is different. A decade later, I would say all of these albums have aged well, even if some of the language hasn’t. Wolf is the biggest offender, but at the time, Tyler’s sound was based in shock value, and even elements of horrorcore, but his sound has matured and mellowed out over time.

All of these records have their moments, but I don’t know if I’d recommend these to a first time listener. Some of these albums are really long, and that can definitely turn people off, but these are all “alternative rap” albums, and they stray from the typical sounds, minus A$AP Rocky’s debut; I’d almost argue that’s the one to check out, but maybe even start with something like Camp. That seems like cheating, both because this is a piece about some 2013 albums that I got into at that time as a fresh-faced rap fan, and because I already talked about that in its own piece, but Camp worked really well for me, because it was a pop-rap album, so the hooks were there, but it was also hard-hitting, clever, funny, and catchy.

It had enough to pitch to a newcomer but also the hallmarks of the genre to get an understanding of what it’s about, especially if you’re not familiar with it. Hell, if you were like me, you were more of a rock and metal guy, so something like rap would be very foreign to you. This was still a fun deep dive to do, and all these records are still wonderful, so I’m glad I got back into them. I don’t listen to much rap these days, but I’ve been wanting that to change, so that’s why I spent some time getting into these records. 2013 was the year that I truly got into the genre, because so many formative albums for me came out, and it feels like yesterday that some of them came out.

[deadthehype]

The internet pretending that A$AP Rocky is washed musically and haven’t released any good songs or albums since his debut mixtape Live.Love.A$AP is hilarious. People will run with a narrative on social media, even when it doesn’t translate in real life.

[kodeinabbis]

LIVE.LOVE.A$AP - A$AP Rocky

[mintygal411]

Daily WordPress Post #15 ♡

Daily writing promptWhat’s your all-time favorite album?View all responses There is no way I can pick a favorite album, but I’ll drop a few: Paramore- RIOT! (2007) All of Eliza Doolittle’s Albums: Eliza Doolittle (2010) In Your Hands (2013) A Real Romantic (2018) Sublime: Sublime (1996) Griselda: WWCD (2019) Quavo: Rocket Power (2023) Mac Miller: Swimming (2018) A$AP Rocky: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP…

[justabumatthepark]

HIGHJACK (feat. Jessica Pratt) - SoundCloud

Listen to HIGHJACK (feat. Jessica Pratt) by A$AP Rocky feat. Jessica Pratt on #SoundCloud

🔥🔥🥶

[luckisgirlintheworld]

when i realized i had been a fool my whole life i was given the blessing of a new eye - the I AM

when i realized i was in love with failure my soul was freed

when i realized i lusted after death my heart was whole again

when i realized life was chaos i stopped trying to program the world around me

when i realized all the answers were within me i decided to birth them into creation

when i realized my life imitates my art i became the mother of all

when i realized i had birthed suffering into the world of my own shadows i become forgiveness

when i realized my own grace i became a servant to the cosmic order and realized the full wavelength of my akashic superpotential

when i became akasha i realized paradise can be hell and hell can be paradise and i chose!

i came back so we can dance together! and love each other and enjoy sex and food and service towards the earth and body that service us with the gift of being❤️ follow your heart and dreams FOREVER LIVE.LOVE.A$AP and let’s subvert the roman

welcome to the tribulations!!! you made it babey

🌍🫶🏼🎺🥰🧬

[theknightofsolitude]

Someone put “Kush and Orange Juice” up against “Live.Love.A$AP”…

I just wanna say this.. both of those tapes meant a lot to me growing up.. shiiit i went to both shows when the tapes were touring..

BUT

Kush and OJ was just different, man. To me it’s hard to explain but it felt like the end of an era there was such a big shift after Summer 2010.. when 2011 started things were different.

Kush and OJ was to me so much more than just mixtape it was truly a major moment. I still remember watching Wiz Khalifa’s “Day today” YouTube series like every time they came out. Then the roll out for it, wiz was everywhere.. Those types of things will never be replicated again IMO. Things are way too different than they used to be. I feel like an old head LOL.

So to me and remembering the feel, the music, and the era of rap from then.. Kush and OJ wins.

Favourite songs off Kush and OJ:

Glass house,

In the cut,

mesmerized,

never been, the

kid Frankie,

good dank,

the statement.

[somasoma23]

Live.Love.A$AP

[influencermagazineuk]

ASAP Rocky (A$AP Rocky): The Life and Career of the Hip-Hop Superstar

A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers in 1988, is a rapper, songwriter, and actor from Harlem, New York. He rose to prominence in the early 2010s with his unique blend of hip-hop, fashion, and art. Rocky has since become one of the most influential figures in contemporary rap, known for his fashion-forward style and genre-bending music. ASAP Rocky Early in his career, A$AP Rocky became known for his distinctive sound and fashion sense, drawing from various musical and cultural influences. His first mixtape, "Live.Love.A$AP," was released in 2011 and quickly garnered critical acclaim. His debut album, "Long.Live.A$AP," followed in 2013 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In addition to his music career, A$AP Rocky has become a style icon, known for his unique blend of high-end and streetwear fashion. He has collaborated with numerous fashion brands, including Guess, GUESS Originals, and Calvin Klein. In 2019, he launched his own clothing line, AWGE. Despite his success, A$AP Rocky has also faced legal troubles throughout his career. In 2019, he was arrested in Sweden on assault charges, leading to an international campaign to #FreeRocky. He was eventually found guilty but was not sentenced to additional jail time. Throughout his career, A$AP Rocky has also been known for his collaborations with other musicians, including Tyler, the Creator, Rihanna, and Lana Del Rey. He has also ventured into acting, appearing in films like "Dope" and "Monster." A$AP Rocky's most recent album, "Testing," was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. He has since released several singles and collaborations, including "Babushka Boi" and "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" with Skepta. Read the full article

[mendozas-lab]

Dedicate this to:

A$AP Rocky 

Albulm: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP 

Song: Bass

Written by:

Rakim Mayers 

Michael Volpe

Imogen Heap

Produced by:

Clams Casino

Mastering Engineer:

Dan Millice

Mixing Engineer: 

Pat Viala

Re-Mastering Engineer

Tatsuya Sato

[deadthehype]

undefined

Dre’s Favorite Verses: A$AP Rocky - Bass

[facebass]

Follow me for more bass for your face. Peso by A$AP Rocky https://ift.tt/tKhiebD

[markwithmwl]

"Sandman" by A$AP Rocky https://ift.tt/3mjAiYF

[soundchxck]

A$AP Rocky - LIVE.LOVE.A$AP