Early last month, New York rapper Asap Rocky signed a $3 million deal with Sony/RCA Records, despite having produced no previous material besides two music videos. A few days later, he released his debut mixtape, “LiveLoveA$AP.”
Although Rocky hails from New York, he doesn’t sound like it. His delivery and rhyme style evokes the South, and Rocky repeatedly pays homage to Southern rap legends like Pimp C and UGK.
The Harlem-born rapper teamed up with some of hip-hop’s best up-and-coming producers, including Clams Casino, who has previously worked with artists like Lil B and The Olympicks. He makes the mixtape shine with his unique and inventive production methods, such as synthesizers and a “chopped and screwed” beat, a southern trademark that entails breaking up samples of the voice and beat to create a slow, heavy effect.
Although Rocky’s lyrics aren’t the best, they fit the beats well. His flow and rhyme style sound like almost every influential rapper rolled into one. On the track “Leaf,” Rocky raps, “They say I sound like Andre mixed with Kanye, a little bit of Mac, little bit of Wiz, little bit of that, little bit of this.”
Overall, “LiveLoveA$AP” lives up to its high expectations. The mixtape’s continual success has led to Rocky’s opening slot on Drake’s upcoming world tour, so expect to see the young rapper gaining even more fame in the near future.
