Art by Chris Brown for The Come Up Show
Thomas Johnson told mama,
“I’m thuggin’ outside, we don’t need cable.”
If his last 3 singles haven’t clued you in, A$AP Rocky’s sophomore album will be an “evolution.” The Houston-by-way-of-New York aesthetic of 2011 has given way to his newer sensibilities, which have been all over the place, namely in a London coffee shop that doubles as a gallery space. His latest, “L$D,” could be described as a spiritual sequel to Live.Love.A$AP’s codeine ode “Kissin Pink,” sans Ferg, plus Animal Collective vibes. It’s that kind of evolution.
While the melody and the colorful production hit their mark squarely, the rest of the song is simply an escalation to nothing. Rocky has never exactly been a lyrical wunderkind; still, “L$D” is lethargic. Rocky can hold an impressive tune, and his Miguel interpretation does the job just fine, but mumbling, “My tongue had a loss for words, because my feelings just said it all” doesn’t fly, unless you have a management position with the Toronto Raptors.
The single’s highest point comes between the melodramatic second verse and the self-involved narcissism in the snippet for an upcoming track called “Excuse Me.” The bridge melts and soars as Rocky’s falsetto drips into the beat, one psychedelic syllable at a time until all that remains is an amalgam of shimmering textures. To borrow a word from the album’s executive producer: trippy.
