Out of the A$AP Mob, Ferg was the only obvious lottery pick. His verse on “Kissin’ Pink” was probably the most memorable on LiveLoveA$AP, combining the flow of Freestyle Fellowship’s P.E.A.C.E. with body surfing lessons given by the lionized and lost Max B. On “40 Below,” he “borrows” the flow of B.I.G. and channels unremembered 90s nostalgia via boom-bap drums, gunshots, and black and white tint.
I’m mixed on the 90s revival sweeping New York City. On one hand, breaks and grimy textures will always appeal to my inherent teenage sympathies. On the other, rap is in danger of becoming like rock if it leans too hard on the past. I like bands that sound like the 60s, but I prefer progress. Not to lump Ferg into the New Era wave, I interviewed him last year (I should really publish that) and he’s a thoughtful intelligent dude who seemed uninterested in fetishizing the past. This seems more like an exercise in rapping ferociously in the form of a dead great. He is a shapeshifter. And like his debut single, this works.
Below the jump, Ferg and Rocky rapping over “Take It Easy,” the first leak from Rosenberg’s New York Renaissance tape.
Download:
MP3: A$AP Ferg & ASAP Rocky – “Take It Easy” (Left-Click)
