A$AP Mob Premiers New Tracks on East Village Radio

By Drew Millard

| Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012 | Updated 5:50 PM EDT

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A$AP Mob Premiers New Tracks on East Village Radio

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"A$AP Mob is coming out in two weeks. We don't have a date yet, we don't have a title yet."

This is how A$AP Yams, New York rap mogul in the making, introduced the new songs from the upcoming A$AP Mob project earlier Tuesday on Das Racist's East Village Radio show entitled "Chillin' Island."

Confident yet rudderless, like someone taking a car for a spin, knowing the destination isn't as important as the journey, Yams and hosts Heems and Dap of Das Racist discussed the aforementioned A$AP Mob material, his favorite trains in New York (he's never been on the F, but he likes the 1 a lot), and fielded calls from friends and fans. Citing "label difficulties," Yams was unable to premiere new tracks from A$AP Mob main attraction A$AP Rocky, but rolled out stellar material from the rest of the crew. Here's NonStop Sound's take on the new tracks:

A$AP Nast: "Black Man"

Arguably A$AP Mob's second-most impressive member after the astoundingly popular Rocky, A$AP Nast's got a penchant for harsh-voiced, off-kilter braggadocio (peep his verse on "Purple Swag, Part II," where he starts off his verse by claiming to be Satan). "Black Man" is a bouncy, ethereal cut with a touch of the southern yell-rap of Waka Flocka but laced with a cold, menacing sheen.

ASAP Ferg: "Work" and "Choppers on Deck"

Perhaps more than the other two cuts introduced today, A$AP Ferg's "Work" shows the A$AP Mob's deep, deep southern influence, with Ferg making expert use of a reference to No Limit Records' unsung hero Soulja Slim.

Ferg is an acquired taste, whose sing-raps show the direct influence of idiosyncratic Houston legend Big Moe, but whose non-sing-raps come across as rough around the edges. "Choppers on Deck" ended the set, and seemed like another fairly straightforward southern-inflected cut. Perhaps with repeated listens, these songs will show more life than they did today on EVR.

But upon first blush, "Black Man," "Work" and "Choppers on Deck" gave the distinct impression that while they're a cohesive, talented group, in the foreseeable future they still require an anchor, and that anchor is Rocky.

Related Topics Albums, A$AP Mob, Das Racist

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