In 2009 the free-spirited, oddball rapper Lil B released the epic track I’m God, produced by a new name, Clams Casino, who was then studying physiotherapy. One such experiment paved the way for $AP.

But by the late ‘00s, traditional NYC hip-hop was experiencing a dry patch, and Atlanta trap was surging towards mainstream domination, and so New York was eagerly looking for a local star to embrace.Īround this time, the internet was a fruitful place for open-minded musicians, with an influential blogosphere bypassing traditional media gatekeepers, MySpace encouraging music discovery and file sharing software like MegaUpload helping budding producers and vocalists to confer and experiment without ever having to meet face-to-face. With the bulk of the hip-hop industry being based in New York City, the East Coast had a cultural stronghold on the genre from its inception. The self-proclaimed ‘pretty motherfuckers’ braggadociousness matched with a hedonistic approach to moral decay, a considered respect for fashion, and a new kind of inclusivity that, aided by the far reaching climbs of the internet, blew apart of hip-hop tribalism and favoured experimentation – towing the line of appreciation over appropriation.Įxplaining the success of the mixtape requires looking at the years leading up to its release.

The discovery of Rocky, (previously, he was “self-employed, a street pharmacist” – a wink and a nod to his drug-dealing past) provided a vessel in which a generation of kids could find their own unique form of expression.

In parts it’s gauche and luxurious too, as Rocky name checks high-end and up and coming fashion brands with a flamboyance of New York greats like Dipset and Dapper Dan. Released on 31 st October 2011, it embraced post-geographical internet culture, pulling different sounds and styles to create a new innovative one Southern rap subgenres, entwined with a grittiness that harkened back to Rocky’s Harlem heroes, including his namesake Rakim. $AP, the debut mixtape from then unknown 23-year-old Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, was the product of a mini musical revolution.

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