Revisiting AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP

By Jennifer Romero
Music Journalist 

Nearly six years ago on May, 26th, 2015, A$AP Rocky released his second studio album titled AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP. This hour-long project showcased hit features from artists such as ScHoolboy Q, UGK and Kanye West. During the time of this release, Rocky was still riding on success from his first commercial album LONG.LIVE.A$AP and his beloved mixtape Live.Love.A$AP. As I finally revisited AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP years later, I remember exactly why this album gained so much traction upon its initial release.

Rocky was freshly 26 upon this release and was dealing with the tragic passing of A$AP Yams. A$AP Rocky and A$AP Yams were in a collective known as “A$AP Mob” a hip hop collective that Yams founded back in 2006. With only 4 months after Yams passing AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP was released and it’s safe to say Yams would have been proud.

This 18 track album just takes me back to high school. One of my closest friends was obsessed with “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2),” relistening to this song is what made me revisit the entire album. This is the perfect song to listen to when you’re amped up and makes me miss going to concerts and entering the pit. This album also features one of my favorite song runs. Track five to eight is the perfect set to get me very hyped up (“Excuse Me”, “JD”, “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2)”, and “Electric Body”.)

Beyond my favorite track runs, this album has other fan favorites such as “L$D” and “Everyday” with the iconic chorus from Rod Stewart and Miguel. The album creates new sounds for this point in the hip-hop community. When I think back to 2015, I think of Fetty Wap, K Camp, “Hotline Bling” by Drake, and Kendrick Lamar for the prestigious album To Pimp A Butterfly. However, AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP is an entirely different sound. While artists like Fetty Wap and K Camp focused on the pop/trap/rap genre, and Kendrick Lamar creating a very serious album about institutionalized racism. AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP touches on themes of Rockys experiences with drugs, then showcasing his true personality on many tracks of the album.

Overall, if you haven’t checked out Rocky’s music or just want to relisten as I did, you will not be disappointed. In my experience, it’s also refreshing to revisit albums and think about the sound at that time period and remember any memories you have associated with the music. AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP. is an excellent start to get into Rocky’s discography and interesting to see his range especially after his latest release Testing.

Featured Image by A$AP Rocky and formatted by Jennifer Romero