Album Review: The Interlude By A$AP ANT

Maria Navarro

Music Journalist

With the sad news that midterms were around the corner and the constant state of stress that comes with it, I needed to find music to give me a bit of a pick-up and revived me rather than worrying about what my grades would be. Luckily I ended up stumbling upon A$AP ANT’s The Interlude. A$AP ANT is mostly known for being part of the musical group, A$AP Mob. Formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York, A$AP Mob consisted of 22 members which range from rappers, fashion designers and music producers. This musical group has paved the way for many rappers including A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, and the late A$AP Yams. Released in 2018, The Interlude, is ANT’s third studio album and it is sure to make you feel fresh and unstoppable. It’s as if nothing can keep you down and you can get past anything that gets in your way.

A$AP ANT is known for his distinctive melodic beats and psychedelic sounding mixes and this album is filled with multiple tracks that follow this and are constantly filled with raging energy. The track that elevated my feelings and senses was track four, “Quantum Physics”. The atmospheric and almost psychedelic beat that starts at the beginning and goes throughout the whole song, puts you into a trance and sounds like a video game loading scene. It is relaxing while A$AP ANT’s lyrics have a streetwise edge, and his lyrics don’t overshadow the ongoing rhythm.

The production of this album stands out to me because I feel immersed in these unique sounds, and it creates many fun and hazy mental visuals. I catch myself imagining these songs in movies with high-speed futuristic cars. This album’s creative sound is like a mind’s wonderland.

The intro to “White Vs. Green Ranger” gets me amped up and ANT’s flow leaves me wanting more of this great and out of this world energy. Some of the lyrics in this song sound very comedic to me but I consider them top tier bars. An example of this would be “Boomerang b*****s coming back again. I got an Ethiopian and she African. I knock her down, strike, like a bowling pin. Times getting bad, I scraped the bowl again. You know I got to slime, Nickelodeon.” I would’ve never expected to hear this while going into the album but I’m glad I’ve heard it, and it is surely unforgettable. As I kept listening, many lyrics on this album are greatly overlooked. A$AP ANT is constantly setting the bar higher for crazy and well flowing verses.

Another track that keeps replaying in my head is “Bri Bri Keep That Strap.” Once again the intro captivates me and makes me interested to hear what A$AP ANT has to say. The vivid storytelling about street life and the personal experience of ANT gives me insight into him as a person as I had no knowledge of his past. Ant’s consistent flow, playful and lively beats, and clever wordplay in his songs are intriguing. While there are many songs that I consider great, there are some that I believe miss the mark. I couldn’t really get into “Kiwi Strawberry” and “Mac n’ Cheese.” I thought that “Kiwi Strawberry” was very flat compared to the upbeat productions in the other songs. “Mac n Cheese 6” just wasn’t to my taste but I considered the beat to be very interesting but once again just lacked the kind of ethereal sound of the album.

Besides that, “The Interlude” offers a fascinating view into A$AP ANT’s creative vision, musical talents, and openness to exploring unique sounds. This album is innovative and criminally underrated and makes me believe that A$AP ANT doesn’t entirely get the recognition he deserves compared to other notable members from A$AP Mob.