Album Review: At.Long.Last.A$AP | A$AP Rocky

Our album review, at long last...

Between "PMW", "Fuckin' Problems", "Train", and "Phoenix" (our personal fav) - A$AP had pretty big shoes to fill. They're his own shoes, probably some Y3-Adidas or something, but Long.Live.A$AP was really good. Where L.L.A was full of upbeat party tracks, At.Long.Last.A$AP is considerably darker and more serious. Whether the sound was influenced by more experience and maturity, or the sudden passing of the influential A$AP Yams, A.L.L.A has really evolved Mr. Rocky's sound. We like it. We like it a lot. It's catchy, dark, and has the perfect balance of solo tracks and those featuring other artists.

A$AP brought heavyweights such as Kanye on "Jukebox Joints", Rod Stewart (LOL!) on "Everyday", and Lil Wayne on "M'$". While Kanye seems like a natural pairing, Rod Stewart and the aging Weezy are unexpected, yet work perfectly. Rod Stewart, Mark Ronson, and Miguel all pitch in on "Everyday", which is a nice cross-genre collaboration. You'll definitely find yourself adding this to your summer playlist, and no doubt catching yourself singing the ultra-catchy chorus. Ole' Rod can still bring it. On "Jukebox Joint" you can immediately hear Kanye's signature production 'formula' - the soulful synth-organ and big band sound that made him famous with Late Registration, College Dropout, and Graduation. We love it. Not to mention the change of pace that the song takes when Kanye drops his verse. Another notable that we couldn't not mention is "Wavybone" featuring Juicy J and UGK. An ode to the 3-6 Mafia inspired southern-rap sound, this tracks is bass heavy and absolutely bumpin'. Smooth chorus aside, the best parts are when each rapper takes his turn spitting his verse, that backbeat is just SO GOOD.

Overall, this album is just as much about the production and the sound as it is about the rapping. The beats are all absolutely flawless. Period. All whilst A$AP and Co. do not disappoint in the slightest. It's soulful, it's dark, and it really moves you. This album is by far A$AP's strongest, and that is saying a lot.

Also - If you haven't already - go check out A$AP's Instagram. For a few weeks leading up to At.Long.Last.A$AP's release he was totally revamping his profile. Some people were no doubt annoyed as he would upload upwards of 15-20 photos at a time (mostly of blank squares), when you look at the overview page it's not only artistic but a testament to the creativity within the A$AP empire.