AT LONG LAST ASAP ORIGINAL COVER REGISTRATION
While Ye’s debut album The College Dropout is generally built on soul samples and quirky lyrics, Late Registration was the starting point of his rise as a holistic musician. I think I died in an accident cause this must be heaven – “ Touch the Sky,” Kanye West West and Rocky knew their albums were nothing like what was being released at that time, and that’s the reason they would last. These albums don’t ask politely for attention if anything, they don’t care if you like it. If sophomore albums are tests, A$AP and Kanye put them in the shredder. They’re so different in their composition that comparing them has to turn to the metaphorical.
While Late Registration is clean and carefully constructed, A.L.L.A is muddy and slurred, and when A.L.L.A is minimalist and introspective, Late Registration is maximalist, casting lesser rappers aside. But, this is central to understanding how these sophomore albums marked the way in which these artists would proceed with the rest of their careers. At this point, it might be difficult to separate our current perceptions of these artists from what they were like when these albums were released. In A$AP’s, it was turning away from commercial influence in modern music. In Kanye’s case, it was to expand how hip-hop is approached and produced. What’s consistent in both AT.$AP and Late Registration is an insistence on giving the middle finger to what rappers should do. Not only am I sure that both Rocky and West envisioned the amount of success they would achieve when constructing their sophomore projects, but it was most likely seen as a necessity. Approaching the creative process focused on art, rather than sales, leads to more interesting and inventive music, and this comes as naturally to Kanye and A$AP as being creative in the first place. They are curative in their practice as well as in their output, and how they view the process of making their art is as important as the final product.
Much of their careers has been about legitimatizing themselves as artists, and the spectacle of their fashion side-ventures outshine entire rap careers.
How they project their confidence seems to grow further apart every year, but both would rather spread their excellence over more art forms than just hip-hop.
AT LONG LAST ASAP ORIGINAL COVER SERIES
The Sophomore Series begins with a look at two seminal rap albums, released ten years apart.Ī$AP Rocky and Kanye West have two things in common: Confidence, and doing what no one else is doing. A$AP Rocky and Kanye West have two things in common: Confidence, and doing what no one else is doing. Guest writer Leo Culp’s The Sophomore Series column looks at 21st century albums that prove the phrase “sophomore slump” is outdated. Some of the best music from the past 20 years has come from artists coming off debut success, hungry for more.
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