LIVE.LOVE.A$AP

by A$AP Rocky

Released October 31, 2011

Reviewed November 8, 2021

Top tracks (based on community voting)

Peso (48%), Sandman (37%), Brand New Guy (31%)

For some artists, their first project is simultaneously blessed and cursed to always be their best. A$AP Rocky happens to be one of those artists, with his debut mixtape LIVE.LOVE.A$AP as the benchmark in both his discography and the scene he lived on the cutting edge with. Every A$AP Rocky project to follow LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is merely an impression of its greatness. The tape is every bit as atmospheric and speaker-knocking 10 years later, regardless of its beautifully adorned veil of nostalgia. Clams Casino, A$AP Yams, SpaceGhostPurrp, and company deliver hit after hit, and an unwavering soundscape; Rocky effortlessly sinks into the instrumentals themselves, leaving the listener soaked in such a raw experience. There was a confidence that resided within Rocky’s bars that we hadn’t seen from the East Coast in a long time. His flows, his presence, his subject matter: A$AP Rocky was purely and undeniably cool. The early 2010s was home to cloud rap juggernauts, Rocky along with Yung Lean and Lil B as some of the movement’s seminal pieces. LIVE.LOVE.A$AP feels like the first commercially-viable time capsule of that scene. A scene that would go on to change an entire generation’s perspective on what rap music could sound like. East Coast grit, West Coast swag, and a heart that was born in Houston. – Ben (Synth) (8.5/10)

In 2011, “that pretty muthafucka”––A$AP Rocky––put the world on notice with his debut mixtape, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP. In 2021, a new generation was reintroduced to his New York-influenced production and subtly charismatic flow. This is the rawest form of Rocky we have on the mic. He’s really just spittin bars on every track, from “Peso” to “Purple Swag.” He has made street anthem music since his inception, with flows and rhyme schemes casually repping Harlem and remaining true to himself. Rocky stands with his crew with features from A$AP Nast and A$AP Twelvy on “Trilla.” This whole project encapsulates an incredibly cool aesthetic and is unwavering in creative energy. And for the last 10 years, A$AP Rocky has continued to cement himself as a true artist. It’s always refreshing to listen to where those artists began and this mixtape sets the stage for the superstar that ensued. – Daniel (8/10)

LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, A$AP Rocky’s highly regarded debut mixtape, turns 10. The succulent mixture of hard-headed, braggadocious hip hop with dream-like, grandiose soundscapes proved to be a contagious concoction. Heavily influenced by the works of DJ Screw in the 90's and Lil B in the late 2000s, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is home to the tendencies of cloud rap and a chopped and screwed ethos. Vocals tend to be pitched down from time to time, heavily juxtaposing the often delicate headspace produced by the likes of Clams Casino and A$AP Ty Beats. The East Coast using somewhat of a Southern sound would become the blueprint for the decade ahead. Rocky's influence on this is well documented at this point, but the advent of cloud rap and 2010s hip hop in general really wouldn't have been as heralded without him. – Peter (7.5/10)

Jared: 9.5/10 | Ben (Synth): 8.5/10 | Hadley: 8.5/10 | Pablo: 8.5/10 | Dominick: 8.3/10