Replay: A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky is another blog era hero that was able ultimately able to stretch the limits of what hip-hop can offer, blending regional influences and fashion to become one of the defining artists and personalities from the 2010s. One of the Internet’s inevitable influences on rap (for better or for worse) was dissolving the regional sound barriers, not being able to tell where a certain artist was from based on their voice, choice of slang, or production. A$AP Rocky was one of the first artist in my memory to blur the lines like this. A Harlem rapper using an impossible ignore Houston influence in his music was peculiar in context to hear, but fresh at the same time. Another reason to pay attention at the time was the emphasis on style and a return to the posse culture pioneered by A$AP Yams (R.I.P.).

Rocky started out around 2010 and in 2019 he was able to sell out the Anthem which has a capacity of 6,000. It’s always cool to see longevity in hip-hop, even when an artist decides to branch out to ventures. The show itself was a spectacle, carrying over the Testing album theme to the stage and using a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to add to the production aligned with the visual touch I’ve come to expect of him.

You can see my original thoughts on the show here.

Favorite Album : LiveLoveA$AP
Favorite Tracks : “Brand New Guy,” “Purple Swag,” “Purple Swag," “Sundress,” “Pretty Flacko,” “Praise The Lord (Da Shine) ,” “L$D,” “Peso”

The photos featured here taken at The Anthem (Washington, D.C. 2019) for Rocky’s TESTING tour.