Album review: ASAP Ferg – Trap Lord
Hip-hop in the U.S. (in particularly New York) has seen a significant resurgence over the past 2-3 years – a renaissance you could say. Whether or not this shift has been totally embraced with open arms, there are two main factors that can be considered as the key catalysts for change. They include the ever-present Southern and West Coast influence on the current trending sound, as well as the emergence of the youthful, new-wave of recording artists.
Emerging from the shadows of fellow ASAP Mob member ASAP Rocky, we have one such artist, ASAP Ferg. We were first introduced to the one time fashion designer-turned rapper on ASAP Rocky’s ‘Get High’ back in 2010, with his performance on their subsequent collaborations ‘Kissin Pink’ and ‘Ghetto Symphony’ only serving to rouse further interest. After getting his chance to shine on ASAP Mob’s 2012 collaborative album ‘Lords Never Worry’, it was only a matter of time before Ferg began crafting solo material. The Harlem-bred rapper boldly announces his arrival with Trap Lord – a project revealed earlier this year to be released as a mixtape but now delicately rebranded as his 13-track RCA Records debut.
Trap Lord kicks off with ASAP Yams lending his voice to the intro of ‘Let It Go’ as Ferg showcases his flow to good effect. Yams appears again on the outro proudly boasting the group’s achievements to date, as if to christen the project with his own touch of excellence. The album gives a rich insight into the ASAP Mob’s flamboyant lifestyle, detailing, in equal measure, the glamorous and gritty aspects of being a Trap Lord. A story of a revenge plot on ‘Didn’t Wanna Do That’ and the aggression-fuelled yelling on ‘Dump Dump’ are examples of the latter.
One track which certainly personifies the album’s title infectious anthem ‘Work’ released around this time last year on Lords Never Worry mixtape. The official remix appears on Trap Lord as ASAP Ferg is assisted by ASAP Rocky, French Montana, Trinidad James and TDE’s Schoolboy Q who each bring their own energy to this amped-up posse-cut.
Other features on the LP include Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Onyx & Aston Matthews who feature on ‘F*ck Out My Face’, the flaming contribution from Bone Thugz N Harmony on ‘Lord’ and Waka Flocka declaring ‘Disrespect the Mob or Squad then you’ll get shot!’ on ‘Murda Something’. Such collaborations suggest an effort from ASAP Ferg to find that balance of paying homage to his influences whilst sticking with the times, which is commendable.
ASAP Ferg also manages to get melodic, lending his own gruff singing voice to some tracks. An example is on the albums certified ‘Trap Lord Anthem’ as Ferg confidently asserts his title as the ‘Hood Pope’. Lord Ferg II re-introduces himself again as Fergenstein on the laidback ‘Fergivicous’ where he combines a melancholic hook with a verse full of super-fast flowing lyrics.
Ferg continues to experiment, tapping into some reggae influence on the album’s standout track ‘Shabba’ which features ASAP Rocky. This one is sure to be popular in the clubs with its catchy, sing-a-long hook. The presence of such clear Reggae, old-school New York and Southern Hip-hop styles throughout the album is a clear indication of just what level influence the genre as a whole is today under.
Contrary to what the title suggests, it would be wrong to pigeon hole this project as conventional trap music. As you press play and turn the volume up what you can expect is a collection of introspective thoughts, narrative and braggadocio laid over a unique soundscape of bass-heavy beats. The production is, although wincingly minimalistic in places, like nothing else out there already. There also is a noticeable amount of repetition throughout the album, in terms of ASAP Ferg’s style of rapping; this may be off-putting to some listeners, especially as you reach towards the project’s tail-end.
It was at HOT 97’s Summer Jam back in June that Ferg was quoted as saying he felt as though this album could “make history” – whether this particular body of work could in truth fulfill that prophecy remains to be seen. What you do get is a sincere body of work that is equally as honest as it is in daring to push the existing boundaries of Hip-hop.
Trap Lord is available now through RCA Records.
– Benjamin ‘Renny’ Effiong
