Still-buzzing rapper A$AP Rocky has taken his sweet time getting it to us, but on Tuesday (January 15), the rapper will finally drop his long-awaited major label debut, LongLiveA$AP. Or, to put it the way Rocky did in a recent Exclaim! interview: "I got a classic, baby!"
Although the MC, born Rakim Mayers, made a name for himself on the strength of syrupy favourites like "Peso" from his now two-year-old LiveLoveA$AP mixtape, he doesn't see the multiple delays of his release hindering its reception.
"The label didn't get involved in my creativity," asserts the 24-year-old, a DIY-er who extols the benefits of a big recording budget. "It really helped, man. I got to work with a bunch of people I never imagined working with."
Rocky says that the reason for his album delays was due to sample-clearance issues. "I produced a few tracks on the album, and me being a beginner, I used samples where I didn't know where I got the shits from and I didn't want to get sued," he explains.
LongLiveA$AP strikes the market at a wise time, as few major hip-hop albums see a post-holidays January release. Though the arecord features guest vocals from Drake, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, Santigold, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Big K.R.I.T., Joey Bada$$ and Schoolboy Q, the collaboration A$AP says he's most excited about is his work with Danger Mouse, who produced "Phoenix."
To read more about the collaboration, keep an eye out for Exclaim!'s February issue, in which an interview with the rapper features. In the meantime, LongLiveA$AP drops January 15, courtesy of RCA/Sony.
Although the MC, born Rakim Mayers, made a name for himself on the strength of syrupy favourites like "Peso" from his now two-year-old LiveLoveA$AP mixtape, he doesn't see the multiple delays of his release hindering its reception.
"The label didn't get involved in my creativity," asserts the 24-year-old, a DIY-er who extols the benefits of a big recording budget. "It really helped, man. I got to work with a bunch of people I never imagined working with."
Rocky says that the reason for his album delays was due to sample-clearance issues. "I produced a few tracks on the album, and me being a beginner, I used samples where I didn't know where I got the shits from and I didn't want to get sued," he explains.
LongLiveA$AP strikes the market at a wise time, as few major hip-hop albums see a post-holidays January release. Though the arecord features guest vocals from Drake, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, Santigold, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Big K.R.I.T., Joey Bada$$ and Schoolboy Q, the collaboration A$AP says he's most excited about is his work with Danger Mouse, who produced "Phoenix."
To read more about the collaboration, keep an eye out for Exclaim!'s February issue, in which an interview with the rapper features. In the meantime, LongLiveA$AP drops January 15, courtesy of RCA/Sony.
