There’s a long history of hip-hop tracks made just for fun, and A$AP Mob’s new tape is a project filled with them.
The new project from rap’s most recognizable gang of rascals hearkens back to when Odd Future released the video of their nine-minute opus posse cut “Oldie” back in 2012.
The video features the motley crew of rappers taking turns lip-syncing their verses at a Terry Richardson photoshoot. It’s a performance that is haphazard in the most endearing of ways.
“Oldie” is a simple song at heart, but what made it so special was how it used collaboration to create what felt like an open invitation to the listener to make them feel like they were just another of the Odd Future gang.
Bon Iver’s new album converts raw emotions into auditory form
Now, with similar aspirations in mind, A$AP Mob have released their sophomore tape Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends. Just as “Oldie” was an invitation to the public to hang with Odd Future, Cozy Tapes is an invitation to kick it at the club with both the A$AP mob and a handful of new school talent.
Cozy Tapes is less of an album than it is a compilation. It’s the A$AP Mob paying homage to the deceased A$AP Yams (whose baby picture is featured on the cover of the album) in the only way the collective knows how, by throwing an insane party with a guess list specially curated by A$AP Rocky.
On his last two solo projects Rocky has struggled to carry entire songs by himself. His bombastic verses of self-indulgence had difficulty standing on their own — there are only so many ways to talk about how pretty you, your clothes and your women are before it starts getting stale.
The strongest songs from his last two albums AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP and LONG.LIVE.A$AP were those that had an extensive feature list like “F**kin’ Problems” and “1Train.” Both of these tracks set a new standard for new school posse cuts and found Rocky excelling as an organizer rather than an MC.
Cozy Tapes acts as further testament to Rocky’s talent as a collaboration guru. There are a number of unlikely pairings on this album that, without Rocky’s intervention, would otherwise be nonsensical.
On “Way Hii,” Wiz Khalifa and Rocky trade intoxicated bars backed by a soulfully smooth BJ the Chicago Kid hook. On “Bachelor,” Lil Yachty delivers a dreamlike melodic flow that drops right into a hyper focused cutting verse from madeinTY. And finally, on “Telephone Call” Tyler, The Creator’s off-the-walls stream of consciousness rap blends with a screaming hook from Playboy Carti.
And it all works.
There are very few moments on this project where a feature feels overshadowed or out of place, which makes for a raging collection of party songs. The production is nothing special, with most of the tracks featuring generic club beats, but they do enough to provide a platform for the wide array of personalities that serve as the focal point of the record.
Cozy Tapes isn’t a revolutionary rap record by any means, but A$AP mob isn’t trying to make a revolutionary rap record — they’re just trying to have a good time and whoever wants to is welcome to join.
