Ever since 2011, it seemed like the only way for the A$AP Mob to go was up. With their front runner, A$AP Rocky turning so many heads with the release of his critically acclaimed mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP, and then the rest of the A$AP Mob showing they are just as talented with their group project Lords Never Worry in 2012, who didn't predict a bright future for these young artists? Fast forward to 2015 when the group lost their co-founder and spiritual leader A$AP Yams, it would seem that the group was as hungry as ever.
As of 2016, A$AP Rocky has made it known that he is one of the best rappers in the world right now. His slick flows on top of his great lyricism is the perfect package needed to be successful in the rap game. But now, Rocky is not the only member of the Mob creating a buzz. A$AP Ferg, who dropped his debut album in 2013 with titled, Trap Lord, it seemed that the Mob was starting to get some of the recognition they deserve.
Now is what seemed like the perfect time to really try to get the rest of the Mob into the spotlight beside Rocky and Ferg. On Halloween of 2016, the group would go on to release their second group project, A$AP Mob: Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends-. This tape has been rumored to be dropping for quite sometime now but then a couple of tweets from the members of the Mob saying it was finished and boom, a short time later it is here. The anticipation was high for the album since they have gained more fans over the years from the success of both Rocky and Ferg and it was finally time to see what some of the other members are capable of.
From the very beginning, the project starts off by paying honor to the late A$AP Yams with "Yamborghini High". Members A$AP Nast, A$AP Twelvyy, and A$AP Ant prove that they are no slouches on the mic while Rocky and Ferg deliver stellar verses as usual.
Much of the rest of the album really relies on the wide array of features, including major names such as Tyler The Creator, Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, and Wiz Khalifa. It has been very well known that Tyler is a great friend of Rocky so it was not surprising to see him on the album. But, new-comers like Yachty and Uzi are two names that would never be thought to have been a Mob album, and they both turned out to be sort of let downs as they did not seem to fit with the theme of the album. Tyler would go on to steal the spotlight with his verse on "Telephone Calls" where he absolutely flexes about his accomplishments.
The most notable part of the album was the song, "Nasty's World" where A$AP Nast really stepped up to the plate alongside ONYX and put together this old school 90's New York hip hop sound that meshed so perfectly. This track is what truly signifies the Mob and what they grew up on. Nast delivered and did the feature justice, proving himself to be a true underdog within the crew aiming on a come-up:
"Check it out, yo, yo, yo, numero uno/ I'm big dog, Cujo/ Flaming rappers like a sumo."
After this and the previous A$AP Mob single "Trillmatic" that was released in 2013, it seems like Nast is gearing up for an explosive debut album.
This album feels like it was meant to try to bring some more attention to the other members of the group. They assembled some of the hottest names in hip hop and pick some trap influenced beats to try to make this album as fun as possible. If this is only Vol. 1 of what seems to be a multiple part series it will be interesting to see what will be doing next.
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