It’s not easy being talented and having to wait in the shadow of your group’s front man until it’s your time. This was the case of A$AP Ferg as he watched his teammate A$AP Rocky flourish on the hip-hop scene in the past year. This Harlem painter-turned-rapper helmed the standout track “Work” from the A$AP Mob’s 2012 summer tape “Lords Never Worry.” Once that song caught on, Ferg remixed it and created the biggest street anthem in a while. With a national tour, one hit single, and another hit single on the rise, the stars were aligned for Ferg to release his debut album “Trap Lord” and establish himself as a solo artist.
Ferg uses his characteristically rough lyrics and dark production on “Trap Lord” to create an ominous opera. Ferg’s perilous street life content stays pretty consistent throughout this album. “Let it Go”, “Dump Dump”, and “Fergivicious” display to a t.
“Trap Lord” does have some interesting and well-placed features though. Besides Rocky on “Shabba Ranks” and the hood starting lineup on “Work” remix, Ferg enlisted old school 90’s hip-hop legends for some huge features. On “Lord”, the Bone Thugs punched in and out on verses furiously with Ferg and its works really well. Legendary aggressive rap group Onyx and Cypress Hill member B-Real lend their talents to “F**k Out My Face”. This ode to personal space felt like an old school posse cut that should only be listened to in a dark basement party in the Bronx.
“Trap Lord” isn’t only scary street music. On songs like “Hood Pope” and “Cocaine Castle”, Ferg narrates the perils of the street life from a different point of view. “Hood Pope” is a precautionary tale of getting caught up in every day hood life. “Cocaine Castle” details a crack house and the effects it has on the community and the people in it.
Drawbacks on this album would be in the form of simple lyrics and sometimes repetitive beats. Honestly, if you thought this album was going to be any different from his previous work then Ferg isnt for you anyway.
Trap Lord doesn’t bring Ferg fans anything new. It just brings them more of what they already expect from him. Let’s see … dark beats? Yep. Aggressive lyrics? Absolutely. Enough talent to cement himself as a stand-alone act for the foreseeable future? I guess we’ll just have to see.
Must Listen: Shabba, Lord, Fergivicious, Work Remix, Murda Something, F**K Out My Face
by Malc (@MUSICisforLIFE)