Trap Lord, as the name suggests, is an ode to 'trap' music, a relatively new genre that has seen a boom in popularity in the last
year, instrumentally characterised by heavy bass drums beats and fast twiddly
hi-hats, a famous example being Baauer’s 'Harlem Shake' (love it or hate it).
The lyrics on this album meanwhile are influenced by life in the 'trap' (a type of ghetto in which lots of drug-dealing gangsters hang out). A$AP Ferg - rapper and member of the hip hop collective, A$AP Mob –
plays the character of a drug-dealing kingpin. Subject matter consists mainly of how much
money and bitches he has, the length of his gold chain and the length of his
dick.
Personally, I have the same problem with this album I had
with Jay-z's “Magna Carta … Holy Grail”
and Kanye West's “Yeezus”. I dig the
beats, but I can’t stand the rapping itself – and no, I'm not some old man who
think all rap is crap with a silent c.
This just isn't my lyrical cup of tea. I thought hip hop was past the braggadocio
and genitalia-size boasting. I understand that Ferg may have been aiming for a
tongue-in-cheek image but I feel he could have dealt with it in a more
lyrically diverse way with more varied imagery than just dicks, chains and
hoes.
★★☆☆☆
TRACK TASTER: