A$AP Rocky – Long. Live. A$AP. (Bonus Edition) : Rising New York Rapper Drops Debut Album [Album Review]

A$AP Rocky has had a quick rise since his first hit Purple Swag that got him on most people’s maps back in 2011. Then he dropped the Live.Long.A$AP. mixtape and kept the momentum going strong. Then after playing around the country he locked himself away and worked hard on his impressive debut album Long. Live. A$AP. The first single to announce the project was his best track to date, the insanely catchy a “Goldie”. Watch the video here. (Rest of Review Below)

A$AP Rocky – Goldie (Music Video)

Then we were hit with  “F*ckin Problems” featuring the loaded lineup of 2 Chainz, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. Also surfacing was “1 Train” featuring an all star cast of upcoming talent featuring Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.

The collaborations didn’t just stick to the hip-hop world. A$AP brought out Santigold for an extra trippy off beat “Hell”. He even jumped on the electronic train and worked with electronic icon Skrillex bass heavy track “Wild For the Night”. On the bonus edition of the album he surprised everyone bringing out Florence Welch for “I Come Apart” (Listen Below).

The entire album really lets us see the different layers of A$AP as an artist. One of the deeper points and possibly my personal favorite track on the album was the suicidal “Phoenix”

After a throughout listen through Long.Live.A$AP, Rocky really managed to capture the raw smoked influence mixtape rapper and evolve him to a point that is underground yet ready for the masses. While still talking about the cliche girls, money, and drugs, he does manage to layer on a certain level of substance. Their was a lot of hype surround Rocky for this release, and the album most defintely did not dissapoint. Enjoy!

A$AP Rocky – Long. Live. A$AP. | Purchase Album iTunes

A$AP Rocky - PMW (Ft. Schoolboy Q)

A$AP Rocky – I Come Apart (Ft. Florence Welch)

A$AP Rocky – Phoenix

A$AP Rocky – Wild For the Night (ft. Skrillex)

A$AP Rocky – 1 Train ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T..

Big Boi – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (Album) : Incredible Hip-Hop Album Incorporating Many Genres and Artists

It is finally upon us, another contender for best hip-hop album of 2012. Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors is the latest album from Big Boi. I had no idea what to expect since his 2010 release, and he blew me away. He made some very smart moves and bringing in a fresh new indie influence. One example was bringing on New York based electronic indie duo Phantogram and Swedish based Little Dragon for a handful tracks, taking Big Boi in a completely new direction. He brought out Wavves for a beach friendly indie flavored “Shoes for Running” also featuring B.o.B.. The album also features the spacey weed induced “She Hates Me” featuring Kid Cudi we got to sample. Another favorite from the release is “Lines” recruting A$AP Rocky alongside Phantogram. AlsoHe has also brought on a full cast of big names including T.I. and Ludacris, Theophilus London, Big K.R.I.T., and few more. With this album Big Boi has progressed far past his days apart of Outkast and has really continued to establish himself as an artist. I would have loved at least a few tracks with Andre 3000, and Big Boi had even made efforts, but ”contractual obligations” kept it from becoming a reality. All in all, Big Boi took some risks with this album, and they left us with one of the best albums of the year. The entire thing is great defintely worth the purchase. You can listen to a few of the tracks below, and grab it through iTunes. Enjoy!

Big Boi – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (Album) | Purchase on iTunes

Big Boi – Lines – (Feat. Phantogram & A$AP Rocky)

Big Boi - CPU (Feat. Phantogram)

Big Boi - In The A (Feat. T.I. & Ludacris)

Big Boi – Shoes for Running (Feat. B.o.B. & Wavves)