"It has been eight years since A$AP Rocky, once and future king of New York rap, released an album. In the world of hip-hop, where even A-list stars such as Rocky's friend and collaborator Tyler, the Creator are prone to releasing multiple albums a year, this is a lifetime. In the time since Rocky released his third album, 2018's Testing, Kanye West has rebranded as a born-again Christian, swerved to the right and released five albums."
"Rocky hasn't been sitting around: he's been a press mainstay, thanks to his relationship with pop superstar Rihanna, with whom he now has three children, and last year was acquitted of firing a gun at a former friend, dodging up to 24 years in prison. He has also found acclaim as an actor, starring opposite Rose Byrne in the lauded dark comedy If I Had Legs I'd Kick You and Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest."
"Aside from a few one-off singles, such as the Tame Impala collaboration Sundress, Rocky has released music in fits and starts in recent years. (In terms of mainstream stars, perhaps only Rocky's romantic partner outpaces him when it comes to leaving fans waiting: it has been a decade since Rihanna's last record.) Testing yielded the Skepta-featuring hit Praise the Lord (Da Shine), but otherwise fell flat with mainstream audiences and critics alike, lacking the dynamism and potent charisma of his breakout albums."
A$AP Rocky has not released a full album in eight years, a long absence in a hip-hop landscape where peers release frequently. Rocky's public life has been prominent: a relationship with Rihanna, three children, an acquittal in a gun case and growing acting acclaim. Releases since 2018 have been sporadic, including collaborations and singles. The 2018 album Testing failed to match earlier dynamism, leaving Rocky at a crossroads between experimentation and the more direct sound that built his fame. Don't Be Dumb runs about an hour and moves away from Testing's avant-garde samples toward a brisker, more confrontational rap tone.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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