A$AP Rocky’s sophomore was always going to be different; the only question was the extent to which A$AP Mob’s star member would switch things up. The psychedelic production of Live.Love.A$AP and Long.Live.A$AP is still around but here it’s married to soulful sung hooks and flourishes of guitar and piano. In opener ‘Holy Ghost’, these complement Rocky’s Southern style; appearances on the record by Juicy J, UGK and Lil Wayne attest to the debt Rocky owes Southern hip-hop. Meanwhile, ‘Everyday’ features a 1970 vocal sample of Rod Stewart, while on ‘L$D’ he surprises by, well, singing.
Happily, Rocky’s irresistible flow remains, both lazy but compelling at once. Mid-album trio ‘JD’, ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2’ and ‘Electric Body’ offer trap beats that sound as if Rocky remembered to chuck in some run-of-the-mill gangsta rap as an afterthought – ‘LPFJ2’ has the most menacing beat you’ll hear in 2015 and ScHoolboy Q helps by killing his verse on ‘Electric Body’. As for features, M.I.A. and Future disappoint on ‘Fine Whine’, though Wayne, Kanye and Mos Def are proof, if any was still needed, that Rocky is well and truly part of hip-hop canon. Ultimately, A.L.L.A. offers a fulfilling balance of familiar A$AP Rocky and experimentation. Harlem’s Pretty Flacko has stepped it up and is heading for greatness.
