A$AP Mob – Lord$ Never Worry [Review]

A$AP Mob

Lord$ Never Worry

5.5

• August 28, 2012

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A$AP Rocky always shares his spotlight with his crew, A$AP Mob, which anyone can see from the featured tracks on his dope breakthrough EP LiveLoveA$AP.  Lord$ Never Worry, the Mob’s highly anticipated collaboration tape, is no different in that sense. Last week, the release came with Rocky’s announcement of his solo debut’s push back to Halloween. Perhaps this was an apology from "Pretty Flacko"? If so, it wasn’t too effective – as Rocky himself is only on 6 of the 18 tracks. Don’t get me wrong, the tape thoroughly introduces each member of the Mob, featuring one member on a majority of 18 tracks – but this made listening straight through the entire project pretty difficult. With the majority of the tape’s content referencing drugs, girls and money, the lack of originality becomes painstakingly clear (which you can tell by the titles of "Coke and White Bitches: Chapter 2" and "Dope, Money, Hoes").

Bottom line, Lord$ Never Worry definitely falls short.

Production-wise, the tape showcases 13 different producers and lacks consistency. With the Mob and Raider Klan still feuding, it’s no surprise that SpaceGhostPurrp is nowhere to be found. Clams Casino’s hazy, atmospheric sounds that A$AP aficionados became accustomed to are only found on the Jim Jones-assisted "Freeze", which leaves listeners wanting more.  Although the tape lacks cohesiveness, records like "The Way It Go", "Bangin On Waxx" "Black Mane", and "Y.N.R.E." adequately show off the other A$AP members’ flows, possibly even solidifying A$AP Twelvyy’s stance as the next up from the Mob. Standout records list as the Flatbush Zombies-assisted "Bath Salt", "Thuggin’ Noise", "Purple Kisses", along with trap anthems "Full Metal Jacket" and "Gotham City", which features A$AP Ty Beats’ dark and gritty production. The Mob rightfully enlists Wu-Tang heavyweight Raekwon for "Underground Killa$" and pays its respects to Queens’ legendary duo Mobb Deep on "Jay Reed", reminding us the fact that even though A$AP isn’t everyone’s musical taste, one has to appreciate the authenticity and raw feel of the collaborative effort. Lord$ Never Worry does succeed at officially introducing the Mob’s other members, but disappoints in the sense that the Harlem crew is probably capable of putting together a more memorable, original, cohesive project than this.