With A$AP Rocky debuting the new track "M's" just hours ago, excitement for his upcoming album has never been higher. A few weeks ago, we got a title, A.L.L.A. (At. Long.La$t.A$AP), and then a potential release date, so we're in the full-swing of what was once called the "album release cycle," before Beyoncé upended that shit in December 2013.
Outside of the other two songs we've heard thus far, "Multiply" and "Pretty Flacko 2," details on the project are still pretty scarce, but we've managed to dig up some substantial info. Read on to catch up with everything we know about A.L.L.A. thus far.
Apart from the collabs with Juicy J, Curtis Heron, Nez & Rio and Honorable C-Note that we've already heard, Rocky's spilled the beans on some other guests in two interviews. Speaking with Billboard, Rocky said Clams Casino, Lykke Li and FKA Twigs would appear on A.L.L.A., and while being interviewed for his Complex cover story, he played the writer songs that featured Miguel, Bun B and Juicy J.
Previously-unreleased Pimp C vocals will also appear
Another detail noted in the Complex story is that Rocky somehow acquired never-before-heard vocals from "one of his musical heroes," Pimp C. Those will appear on the aforementioned track that also features Bun B and Juicy J (this sounds like it could really turn out to be some alternate-history version of "Int'l Players Anthem").
The title is Rakim-inspired
As Rocky's real name is Rakim, and his mom named him after the rap legend, this makes perfect sense. In his recent GQ profile, Rocky explained why A.L.L.A.'s title was partially inspired by Rakim:
"I'm claiming ownership of my legacy. Look at it: At.Long.Last.A$AP. A-L-L-A. Like slang for 'Allah.' It's the return of the god MC.I'm named after Rakim, and I'm finally facing what it means: I was born to do this shit," he says. "And I hope I get to do it for a very long time."
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Michèle Lamy and psychedelic drugs inspired Rocky while recording
In the Complex piece, Rocky discussed the importance of having muses while making art. For this album, he said, his main ones were:
"Michèle Lamy, my relationship status, my social status, Danger Mouse, just my life, my current situation with A$AP. And [psychedelic] drugs."
Who's Lamy? The wife of fashion designer Rick Owens, who you'll remember Rocky has shouted out numerous times in his music. She's formed a bond with the rapper, which she elaborated on in an interview with Yahoo:
"He has been around the fashion world, so I imagine he was in New York and went to the [Rick Owens] store, with Rick and Raf Simons, and said he wanted to meet me. It was a year ago that we started hanging out. I imagine it’s the [gold] teeth [we both have], or something. Lately, I’ve been doing something for a movie he’s doing, and we’ve been recording a few words together, and working on a performance for an art fair. He’s a poet, he’s someone very extraordinary, and he’s so sweet. And we can talk to each other — he’s 26 and he’s from another world, but we are in the same world at the same time."
When asked to elaborate on his use of psychedelics, Rocky said:
"Before it was all about the slowdown. Promethazine. Codeine flow. Now it’s like that, but on another level to the max."
Juicy J, A$AP Yams & Danger Mouse are the executive producers
There was a time when seeing a Three 6 Mafia member, a Dipset intern and the dude behind The Grey Album in a sentence together would've been very weird, but that time has passed. This motley crew, which includes the now-deceased Yams, were all involved in sculpting A.L.L.A.
It'll contain Rocky's most politically-charged songs to date
We know one song begins with the attention-grabbing line “Gentrification split the nation I was raised in”-- which makes even more sense coming from Rocky, who's seen Harlem go through a ton of gentrification in the past decade. Another, according to Complex, is called "Holy Ghost" and is "ostensibly a searing indictment about rappers being slaves to their titles," which isn't necessarily political, but it's a heftier sentiment than, say, "Fuckin' Problems."
It'll probably be out in May
Another L taken by Amazon! This weekend, they let slip that Rocky's album might be out on May 26th. We'll see...
Oh yeah, there's a Rod Stewart sample on there too
Gotta give props to Rod da Gawd. Complex says it's "In A Broken Dream" that's getting sampled, which makes sense, because it sounds identical to something Danger Mouse might make himself.