Mathematically aware of a new decade, the first two years of the 2010s birthed the next decade of headliners. A$AP Rocky’s debut mixtape circulated around internet blogs and tastemakers, eventually perforating the stubborn New York scene with its idiosyncrasies. Hip-hop needed some attention after the cultural demise of the bling era and the sonically unfortunate return of a once-great Eminem. The arrival of A$AP’s first full-length work catapulted the genre through a rifle lined with shoegaze-y production and dreamy soundscapes. The writing is often inane and the flow is slackjaw, but ‘LIVE.LOVE.A$AP’ has an indelible knack for turning its imperfections into evidence of charisma and singularity.
25/30
A favourite: ‘Trilla’
100 words music reviews 