EP REVIEW: Low Pros- EP 1
Low Pros is a concept that is deliriously stupefying. “Let’s throw A-Trak and Lex Luger on an EP together.” someone said. The testosterone involved in making such an EP hurts to even think about, and it shows in how deliriously loud and explosive this short EP is. The hottest rising names (OK, just Young Thug, Travi$ Scott, and A$AP Ferg) are brought in to rap over some of the banging beats this year. The beats bang, but is there anything particularly interesting about them? Depends.
Each beat seems like it’s crafted to be played loudly at a club, and all of them are made with massive drops or drops big enough to bring a crowd to their knees. The results? A bit mixed. The buildup on Intro is fine, but the actual explosion of sound doesn’t really do a whole lot, creating an ultimately underwhelming introduction. The track Ohmygosh features several other producers, and dissolves into an utterly obnoxious bro-step breakdown towards its center. The best part of the track is actually the more subtle and effects-driven outro to the track, which creates a cool and spooky mood that makes up for the bland breakdown from earlier in the song. The track Muscle has an alright beat, but its kind ruined by an utterly bland hook that anchors even more bland verses from Juvenile.
The best tracks here are the ones that draw out blissful ignorance to their utter limits. Young Thugs’ goofy and always-at-his-max-energy delivery on Jack Tripper is delightful, making the best of the ominous and bassy beat (Peewee Longways’ appearance on this track and Frankie Lymon does nothing to make me want to care about who Peewee Longway is). Young Thug also delivers a worthwhile verse on Frankie Lymon, out-rapping the other two on the track with an energetic verse that’s made him one to watch.
The real greatness here comes from the original and remix versions of 100 Bottles. Travi$ Scott’s drowning delivery of the hook on the original version is incredibly enjoyable, creating an intense track that grows and shrinks into a brilliant focusing of energy and fury. The remix brings a gleefully goofy A$AP Ferg verse about pussy, including a weird sing-song verse. It’s as wonderful as it sounds. The original version works a bit better (Ferg’s verse, while enjoyable, does feel like it was just tacked onto the song), but it’s still a great example of how this duo can work.
Summary: EP 1 has a few bright moments that show how Lex Luger and A-Trak can create something special together; but some weaker tracks and the fact many of the best tracks are driven by the rappers rather than producers causes some concern as to whether it’ll even be worth it to hear future EPs.
Choice Cuts: 100 Bottles, Jack Tripper, 100 Bottles (Remix)
Leftovers: Intro
B-
You can download the mixtape here.
ALBUM REVIEW: A$AP Ferg- Trap Lord
Last year, A$AP Mob dropped a relatively mediocre mixtape. Unlike Odd Future (and, to a lesser degree, pro era), the A$AP mob doesn’t have a whole lot to offer outside of their anointed leader. On that tape, the one guy who stuck out was goofball A$AP Ferg. With a distinctive growl and voice, he made every track he was on at least worth hearing. Now we have his debut, and it’s basically like his verses on that mixtape: not groundbreaking, but damn entertaining.
The title here, Trap Lord, is one of the more perfect titles I’ve heard this year. Every single beat on this album manages to mix ethereal and spacious sounds with trap music flavorings. The opener Let It Go has trap snaps and cracks over ghostly voices that circulate around Ferg’s commanding delivery. Every track here sounds like a super messed up religious ceremony, as if cocaine was being snorted at a funeral. It’s basically the kind of stuff A$AP Rocky did on his last record, but more obvious.
Now, comparisons to A$AP Rocky are inevitable (Look at his name), and they’re pretty easy to draw out. Honestly, Trap Lord sounds like Rocky’s cloud rap with a heavier emphasis on percussion. Hell, I’ll give Trap Lord props for being way more cohesive than Long.Live.A$AP. And then I’ll immediately qualify those props. Sure, A$AP Rocky’s debut was kind of all over the place, but at least each song was interesting and (often) arresting. Trap Lord is really entertaining and full of some great tracks, but it does have points where it begins to lag. After Work drops, the rest of the album feels like it’s just kind of there.
But, as I said, Trap Lord is REALLY entertaining. A$AP Ferg has really mastered his persona and delivery. On several tracks, whether it be with rappers that are clearly more technically able (Schoolboy Q) or tracks where his guests are clearly more interesting personalities (Rocky, Waka Flocka Flame), Ferg surprisingly holds his own. He’s developed a distinctive bark and growl that kind of resembles a faster Trouble or a clear throated DMX. With that over these spacious creepy beats, it’s a winning formula.
While this is a pretty standard debut album, it does the “Debut Album Tropes” pretty well. Many of the guests bring something to the table other than “Hey look, we’re on this record”. I mean, even though Bones Thugs-N-Harmony sound like Looney Tunes on Lord (Which honestly, the whole time I listened to it, sounded like I was watching Space Jam), they manage to keep things entertaining. Most of the guest verses are, at least, serviceable. Even though I wanted a few more tracks sans guests (Where the heck is the original version of Work?), none of the tracks with guests feel like wasted opportunities. Oh yeah, and I like the hooks a lot.
Trap Lord isn’t some groundbreaking Hip-Hop album and it also isn’t a flashy debut. But that’s probably why I like it so much. Ferg made a really entertaining Hip-Hop album in a world where those are few and fare between. It’s not as great as A$AP’s major label debut, but it’s almost as entertaining. It also helps that it took the taste of that A$AP mixtape out of my mouth.
Summary: Trap Lord is really entertaining, with a cohesive and engaging production style that meshes well with Ferg’s distinctive voice and delivery. It’s kind of by-the-numbers, but it hits more than it misses.
Choice Cuts: Work, Hood Pope, Murda Something
Leftovers: Cocaine Castle
B- (3-3.5/5)
Stream the whole project here. Trap Lord is out 8/20 on A$AP Worldwide/ Polo Grounds Music
Vantage Point Music 