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Mar 03, 2016lukasevansherman rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
When A$AP Rocky made his debut in 2013 with "Long.Live.A$AP," he arrived on a wave of hype, which included a three million dollar record deal. So it was easy for more jaded listeners to recoil from all the buzz and perhaps view him as very stylish, but not especially talented. I still kinda feel that way after listening to his second album, "At.Long.Last.A@AP" (Maybe next time not use your name in the title?). It represents many of the things I find problematic about contemporary hip-hop albums, namely it's too long, there are too many songs, and it's overload with producers and guests (including Kanye, Lil Wayne, Mos Def, and M.I.A.). Though there are pictures in the booklet of him exhaling smoke, this album has more a lysergic feel to it, with slowed down beats and a woozy production haze, partly due to Danger Mouse. He could've called it "Acid Rap," but that title was taken. It's listenable, but forgettable. I can't really tell you much about A$AP, as he comes off like a cool, confident blank with a decent flow, but nothing to say. The last song is a somewhat disastrous collaboration with Rod Stewart, Miguel, and Mark Ronson, all of whom seem to have different ideas of what the song is. For better examples of contemporary hip-hop (for the aging fan), I'd suggest Kendrick, Chance the Rapper, Danny Brown, and Vince Staples.