Black Thought Says A$AP Rocky Ushered In New Era For New York Hip-Hop
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Black Thought has commended A$AP Rocky for spearheading a “new era” for New York Hip-Hop upon his rise to stardom.
The Roots member recently spoke with Pitchfork about rap albums that left a lasting impression on him over the past 50 years, handpicking albums by Big Daddy Kane, Lauryn Hill, and Outkast among his favorite releases to date. At one point, the Philly-bred lyricist chooses A$AP’s debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP as a longplayer that helped shift the landscape of rap in the five boroughs and beyond.
“This album ushered in a new era of New York Hip-Hop,” the rapper, born Tariq Trotter, said of LONG.LIVE.A$AP. “It’s so braggadocious, it’s so macho, it’s so Harlem. But it’s also genre-transcendent. He was able to blur the line between the New York Hip-Hop aesthetic — which was trending less at the time — and the aesthetic that was beginning to trend more: classic UGK, 8Ball, and MJG. He was the bridge between dope and trill in a way that was very necessary.”
He also noted that the release marked a changing of the guard in terms of the sound of the city and helped influence others who may have been slow to evolve with the times. “New Yorkers who had creative blinders on and weren’t able to see beyond two feet in front of them began to adopt a different perspective in their process,” he added. “Rocky represents the beginning of that for me.”
The 49-year-old also expressed his love for not only Rocky, but the A$AP collective as a whole. “[The] A$AP crew were just good dudes,” Black Thought recalled of his early interactions with Rocky and company. “I really rocked with their movement.”
He then noted the similarities between himself and Rocky, adding, “I see elements of myself in A$AP Rocky. And later on I’d find out we share a birthday. He’s named after Rakim, who’s a huge influence of mine. He’s mellow. But he’s also one of those people I admire for his ability to continue to innovate.”
LONG.LIVE.A$AP was released in January 2013 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album produced the hit singles “Goldie,” “Fuckin’ Problems,” and “Wild for the Night,” while “Fashion Killa” was even certified double-platinum.
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