A$AP Rocky: "Long.Live.A$AP"

Never mind the delays, Long.Live.A$AP was worth the wait. Like his brilliant 2011 mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP, A$AP Rocky's major-label debut comes smudged in heavy purple-haze druggy production, like the syrupy-slow beat Clams Casino provides for "Lvl." But elsewhere, on the jubilant "Fuckin' Problems," featuring Drake and 2 Chainz, the urgency and energy pick up considerably. Regardless of the tempo, Rocky's flow is adaptable enough that he never sounds exasperated. Even on the star-studded "1 Train," on which Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. all sound hungry as hell, Rocky manages to stand out.