MuchMusic.com

As you may or may not have heard A$AP Rocky’s debut album Long.Live.A$AP leaked early in December. Am I disappointed it leaked? Well let’s look at it from two angles.

In a way I am because when it’s an artist debut album you would hope that they could maximize off of every penny spent on their album. This is a collection of A$AP’s best hits from the year with at least 10 brand new tracks produced by some of the hottest (and not necessarily hip-hop) producers. So I do feel bad for his leak because he’s still a new artists, it’s not like the Carter 3 here, this is his only first joint.

On the other hand this leak will do nothing but help his album and tour sales. When you leak a bad album you’re screwed. When you leak a good album it is the best advertising scheme you can conjure. This album is tight. It’s not all raw-raw and it’s not too far indie; it’s a perfect balance of both which is what A$AP is all about. The grit of “Goldie” and “PMW” are balanced with the thoughtful soul searching songs like “Phoenix” and “Like I’m Apart.”

While “F**kin’ Problem” will be known as the anthem with the best features, it’s “1Train” that had my mouth watering. A vintage mid-’90s New York rap beat gets ripped apart by not just A$AP but Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Joey Badass, Big K.R.I.T., Danny Brown, and Action Bronson. The best part is that A$AP delivers the best verse with Yelawolf coming in at a close second.

Pick up the album, buy tix for his tour and enjoy the new king of Harlem.