The Mob, bearing the mantra "Always Strive and Prosper," recently released their highly anticipated collective tape Lord$ Never Worry. While most of the Harlem rappers' aren't everyone's "cup of tea," hip-hop fans can still appreciate the raw feel of the tape, something that often goes unappreciated.
I'll admit, after my first listen, I was feeling a little disappointed. Perhaps it was due to my affinity for Clams Casino's sound that made me neglect the gritty, gangster sound of Ty Beats' instrumentals, or the eerie yet hard-hitting production of P on the Boards. The tape, in full, is a thorough introduction to the talented clique.
A$AP Rocky, the group's stand-out persona to date, took his hands off the wheel for this release, giving his partners their well-deserved chance to shine; while "Thuggin' Noise" and "Purple Kisses" were two of my favorites on the tape, tracks such as "Persian Wine," "Black Mane" and "The Way It Go" were reputable representations of other mobsters. Previously released tracks "Told Ya" and "Bath Salt" are as trill as they come, "Gotham City" and "Full Metal Jacket" will be banging from traps and slabs across the nation, and "Freeze" and "Underground Killa$" are songs to kick back to with big-time features in Jim Jones (also hailing from Harlem) and Raekwon (O.G. Wu Tang don.) It's also appropriate that A$AP pays homage to Mobb Deep on their track "Jay Reed," as they often exhibit unmistakable Infamous influence in their music, being from New York City.
One of the most refreshing aspects of the tape as a whole is how well-rounded it is; though the crew can fill a variety of different roles in songs with completely different feels, they have a strong perception of their niche in the game today, as well as their own strengths. Screw-heads will appreciate the slowed feel (as well as some low-key chop action) throughout the whole tape, but that's customary with the Mob's music.
To me, the artists formerly known as DEEFERG and Two Twelve Mel stood out the most of all the A$AP boys on this free album, consecutive tracks "Work" and "Y.N.R.E." demonstrate Ferg and Twelvy's unique flows: Ferg with his Pac-esque voice, quirky emphasis on closing syllables, and awesome ad-libs, and Twelvy, with his consistent, yet casual attack and the hunger of an artist on the rise. The only thing really missing from this tape is a hook from A$AP Yams, but perhaps that is yet to come (many of the artists have solo albums to be released in the coming months.) To anyone who thinks there is contest between Odd Future and the A$AP Mob, in terms of covering all the bases of style and talent, the mob's introduction Lord$ Never Worry trumps the first Odd Future Tape all around.
A$AP Rocky took to twitter today to announce that August 28th the A$AP Mob will be dropping their group project Lords Never Worry. Then two weeks after that he'll be dropping his project LongLiveA$AP.
Also at Pitchfork this summer was ASAP Rocky as he brought out the Mob for his performance at Union Park. Our own Stan Perry & Invisual Media Pro were on hand to document the energetic rendition of "Goldie" with multi-angles and high quality audio/visuals. You can get really close with both Rocky & the Mob as they even venture into the rockin' Pitchfork crowd. Really dig the ending so stay tuned all the way through!
Yesterday afternoon DJ Clue bombarded the blogs with a handful of exclusive records by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Pusha-T, 2 Chainz, MGK, Young Jeezy and Lloyd Banks, and almost immediatly the internet went into a frenzy. Later that day, Clue unleashed 'Desert Storm Radio: The Takeover', a mixtape featuring all his newbies plus some of the hottest tracks that were released in the past few days.
Above yo can stream a loosie by the A$AP crew's head-honcho which won't be featured in his forthcoming album, but the Harlem representative still goes in overspaced-out synths as he talks about he three favorite things "Pussy Money Weed".
