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New Tune Review: Long.Live.A$AP

It's been awhile since you've gotten a review from me! Are you excited?

The issue was there was nothing that piqued my interest in the music world lately.

I know, weird.

The only album I felt was worth listening to was the new +Alicia Keys 'Girl on Fire' and...I'm not going to review that. It made me very sad. It's as if she's forgotten her biggest draw: she's an amazing pianist. That's my favorite thing about Alicia, mainly because I play. She also wastes a perfectly good collabo with Maxwell on 'Fire We Make'. The song is...underwhelming.

So, I'm not giving it an official review. Haha, "official."

I AM however going to review the album from A$AP Rocky.

'Long.Live.A$AP'

I may have been one of the only people not-so-anxiously anticipating this one. I wasn't very impressed with Live.Love.A$AP, the mixtape. Assumptions aside, 'Long.Live.A$AP' is currently my favorite album.

A$AP Rocky has figured out the perfect beats for his flow, something some rappers never learn. And man, the beats on this ALBUM. Every cut requires a more than satisfactory verse and A$AP delivers, most of the time. His guest stars bring plenty ammo to the table, making for a well-rounded album you can play from start to finish again and again.

The guest stars, to me, are the best part. Santigold, Drake, Skrillex, and Florence Welch all appear. Kendrick Lamar shows up not once, but twice on two of my favorite tracks. As for A$AP himself, he glides smoothly between the issues that plague most rappers (women, cash, and drugs). Just like everyone else, he's figuring out this new fandangled fame thing while managing a consistent high and jumping from party to hook up and back.

A$AP never claims to be an introspective rapper, so his lyrics aren't anything to rave about in most cases. In fact, they're mostly disrespectful to women and multiple attempts to prove just how hard, famous and rich he is. You'll catch him getting a bit deep in 'Phoenix' and 'Suddenly' but then he gets back to the business at him faster than you can sulk.

Fave Tracks:

Yikes. I'm skipping 'F**king Problem' because I've already shared that track with you. Just know it's an understood fave.

'1Train' - the TALENT on this track! Yelawolf...where's your next album?

'Fashion Killa' - this may be the only female-friendly song on this album...and it's only because she's holding the gun.

'Long Live A$AP' - a great opening track, sets the mood just right for the rest of the album as A$AP declares his spot among today's hiphop artists.

'Hell' - how can you not love a song with Santigold on the hook?

'I Come Apart' - how can you not love a song with Florence Welch on the hook? This song feels so different than any other on the album (except 'Fashion Killa' perhaps).

There you have it, my first review of 2013! 'Long.Live.A$AP' is eccentric. It's put together in a way that, upon first listen, you can't expect what could be around the corner on the next song. I love surprises (when the surprise is great music).

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