asap rock: livelovea$ap

2011 has been called the year hip-hop was revived. Im a underground head so hip-hop to me never died except in the mainstream, but i can say the artist coming out now are alot better then the radio shit 5 years ago. Its not only artist getting more lyrical there getting more smart when it comes to the logics of the game. One of the forrunners is harlem based emcee a$ap rocky who just signed a 3 million dollar record deal to sony without signing his life over. He did it the smart way by asking for his own label to release the product off of and use his label for distrubution purpose only so he dont loose creative rights like most musicians fall into nowadays. WARNING: dont expect new york city gangsta hip-hop when you listen to this mixtape he may be from harlem but he has the heart of a texan his birthplace. This album is one big tribute styled track to dj screw with alot of songs hes spitting about that purple sizzurp. "god damn how real is this, i know the whole world gunna be feeling this" rocky opens the album up on the track palace. This isnt just a average bragadio this is the truth. His style can be liked by any style hip-hop fan. His internet smash hit peso has the heart of nyc and texas mixed in one. A slowed down trippy beat with slowed down sizzurp style bridge mixxed with a melodic hook reminisant of another harlem rapper max b. His rhymes are witty and original. "Couple abc's bad bitch dd's popping e i dont give a f n*gga im a g" Aespop brings a refreshing style to the mainstream radio market. On the track "bass" he shows his rhyme scheme is one of the most complex you've seen from a mainstream marketed artist in a while. "These other niggas so-so, they open off my mojo
Spanish sobe with a half a kilo by her cho-cho
Blow it out your culo, who got dough on the smoke though
My partner had cinco now we blowin' on that ocho
Bozos love my rose gold, purple got me slow-mo
Stuntin' like I'm Dorothy but my rubies in my dough tho
What you think this four for, these niggas must be loco
Steppin' on these bricks and for your fix so call me Toto" amd he keeps this multi scheme though the whole song. something you dont see much even from underground cats. asap is also insanley versitle on the tripped out "kissing pink" rocky just uses his slurred out vocals in his love song to codiene induced sizzurp. This album is amazing at all levels one of the best debutes in a while

rating

8.5 out of ten

stand out tracks

kissing the pink
bass
peso

j.r writer still standing 3

When it comes to the harlem based diplomats there has only been one emcee consistant with there lyrics and that is j.r writer. Ive been following him since the broken aarow mixtape he put out with papoose over 10 years ago. With his latest release still standing 3 j.r still proves hes the most underated and underaprciated emcee in his crew. The album shows nothing has changed when the beat for the opening track powerfullness kicks in. same diplomat format, hardkicking rock sampled beats with punchline filled bars. Unlike artist like cam'ron and jim jones j.r writer don't force any of his bars and flows clean without having to make shit up to keep his flow smooth. What jr's problem is orignality cus the punches he delivers in some are played out concepts. on powerfullness he makes this mistake alot, "i made it out the jungle with a couple snake bites" lil wayne has used this concept for. Wher jr lacks in punchline orininality his hard hitting delivery and amazing multi schemes make up for it. One thing i like about j.r is he switches his flow up alot one of the more impressess products of this is the speed up "thats all" Again with a impressive multi scheme j.rs rapid fire flow makes the delivery of this track perfect. Shockingly though my favriote song on this mixtape is a ode to women entitled "taliban." i thought orignality in a sex styled song was gone. Not only goes the beat have a east indian style he spits bout taliban law not showing the skinn on women talking about being defiant towards this concept. Tracks impressive wish the rest of the mixtape was. This is deffintly a good release for mainstream hip-hop standards but for j.r writers standards this unfortunatly falls short.

overall rating

7 out of ten

top tracks

taliban
get high
thats all

weak joints

drummer
don't convern me
powerfullness