A version of this review has been published by the blog Pretty Much Amazing, which you can read here.
Not all musical ambition is the same; it even comes in many shapes and sizes. It can be a different approach on your sophomore album or a complete makeover of your sound and image. In further opposition to the supposed sophomore album curse, Harlem’s A$AP Ferg looks to avoid disappointment with Always Strive and Prosper. For one, the shift in overall tone and sonic palette between Trap Lord, his debut album from over three years ago, and ASAP is immediately noticeable. Trap Lord kicked out the jams with “Let It Go,” setting up the debut as one of the year’s penultimate summer soundtracks; ASAP opening cut “Rebirth” smacks you with a notice of obvious change from Ferg as both a burgeoning artist and maturing individual. Music fans aren’t usually very accepting of an artist changing their sound or image, which Ferg is certainly aware of, but on this new album he essentially forces them to realize that a rapper can express different aspects of themselves at different moments.