A$AP Rocky takes Fox under his wing, continuing the spirit of mentorship he once had with A$AP Yams and giving credit to his legacy.Д®asily one of the more exciting moments on AT.$APВ is the hazy, trippy single вЂњL$DвЂќ which is carried by a smooth, electronic bass line sounding as if it had been drenched in hash oils or the synthetic drug the songвЂ™s title derives itвЂ™s inspiration. An unknown guitarist and singer who just so happened to approach the right hip-hop superstar on the streets of London and was subsequently offered a gig on the spot after a short audition. This opening track, titled вЂњHoly Ghost,вЂќ features one of AT.$APВ more fascinating collaborators: Joe Fox. вЂњChurch bells and choir sounds / Tell вЂem, вЂQuiet downвЂ™вЂќ begins A$AP Rocky, gliding on the theme of religion and spiritual redemption. Not only is the legacy of A$AP Yams present on the album cover, which shows a transparent photo of both Yams and Rocky melted into one, but you can hear the ambition and dedication Rocky applied to AT.$APВ to offer a suited farewell to a fallen comrade.ДЄT.$APВ kicks off with short speech, sounding intentionally similar to a reverend, praising our protagonist from keeping his soul from the devil before crashing into a guitar lick-heavy beat. A$AP, he digs deeper, opting for a journey down the rabbit hole in search of solace after the passing of his collaborator and mentor A$AP Yams from earlier this year. Instead of relying on the styles and themes found on his 2013 debut Love. to remain consistent with the religious references) and the payoff has been successful. But thatвЂ™s the approach to his sophomore record AT.$APВ (shortened to A.L.L.A. HeвЂ™s fully formed, a rapper who understands his talent in relation to that of his peers and that of his influences, unafraid of showing you his blueprint.Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky may be one of the only players in the game who refers to his spiritual influences as lit. In part, thatвЂ™s a red flag - Rocky isnвЂ™t yet the sort of full-fledged, bulletproof star who derives no benefit from sharing the stage with heavy hitters.Д«ut he doesnвЂ™t absorb and repurpose his guestsвЂ™ styles. There isnвЂ™t likely to be a more substantial and impressive array of guests on any hip-hop album this year. Dig deep in the credits and find that Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys plays guitar on one song, that Pablo Dylan (BobвЂ™s grandson) assisted on another, and so on. The album is laden with samples, from soul to Southern rock to indie rock. вЂњAt.вЂќ is also a deeply curated affair - there are guest verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Future, M.I.A., Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) and UGK, including Pimp C, who died in 2007. A hip-hop producer before moving into dull hand-holding for rock bands, heвЂ™s an orchestral-minded producer, and the pacing of this album takes advantage of his gifts without being saddled by his weaknesses. ItвЂ™s in moments like this that the guiding hand of Danger Mouse is evident. And вЂњExcuse MeвЂќ moves with spaghetti western jitters. ThereвЂ™s a nod to Baltimore club music on вЂњElectric Body.вЂќ вЂњFine WhineвЂќ has the syrupy affect of RockyвЂ™s early tracks, his vocals pitched down to a slur. вЂњLord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2)вЂќ has the maniacal tension of early Three 6 Mafia. ItвЂ™s fleet and sparkly, and also weighted with better adapted guests (Drake, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar). On those songs, too, he rapped slowly but deliberately, obscuring syllabic tricks underneath a narcotic haze.Д«ut ASAP RockyвЂ™s biggest hit - the profane title shortens to вЂњProblemsвЂќ - is also his least representative. His earliest breakthroughs, вЂњPurple SwagвЂќ and вЂњPeso,вЂќ celebrated both directly and indirectly the chopped-and-screwed sound of Houston rap, and its attendant culture around prescription-strength cough syrup. Rocky has always preferred life in the ooze, and drug music is what got him here. вЂњI look for ways to say, вЂI love you,вЂ™/But I ainвЂ™t into making love songs/Baby, IвЂ™m just rapping to this LSD,вЂќ Rocky sing-raps languidly, finding feelings inside the high but losing grip of them just as easily. The one true love song on the new ASAP Rocky album, вЂњAt.,вЂќ is called вЂњLSD.вЂќ A wobbly, slightly morbid affair, вЂњLSDвЂќ is about the drug and the love you make - or canвЂ™t make - on it.

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