Update (October 29, 2021): The wait is finally over, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP has landed on all major streaming platforms. What's your favorite track?
Original Story: A$AP Rocky fans, rejoice. A decade since it was first released, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is finally coming to all major streaming platforms.
It's hard to remember a time when A$AP Rocky wasn't a global household name. In the past decade, the self-confessed "Fashion Killa" has had three major albums under his belt, given fashion enthusiasts the world over 'fit envy time and time again, made Vans hot again, and become one half of everyone's favorite power couple alongside Rihanna.
For many, the Rocky fanfare started in 2011 with the launch of his debut mixtape, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP. Lead with the unforgettable singles "Peso" and "Purple Swag," the project blended stylistic and production elements of New York and Southern hip hop to create a sound that would go on to propel the artist into the mainstream.
I was 14 and heavily into Tumblr when the mixtape dropped, and remember the soundscape being like nothing I'd ever heard being from the UK. Before then, chopped-and-screwed sounds were completely alien to me, so this project kicked open the doors to a whole new genre of music. It was also my first exposure to Schoolboy Q, which naturally led to discovering others like Danny Brown and Joey Badass. In that respect, it really changed the landscape of music for a generation.
There is still so much music from the mixtape era that has gone undiscovered by younger fans due to major streaming platforms being the norm. Huge parts of artists' catalogs are stilled locked away on sites like Datpiff or in the depths of Soundcloud, creating a real sense of excitement and discovery when they finally reach Spotify and Apple Music.
The mixtapes rerelease follows Drake's So Far Gone coming to streaming earlier this year, marking a trend in seminal projects from the last decade being reintroduced to a new generation of fans. It's worth noting that Drake's rerelease came ahead of Certified Lover Boy, leaving many to believe this could be a part of Rocky's rollout for All Smiles which is expected to drop before the end of 2021.
LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is due to reach streaming platforms on October 29th, in celebrating of its 10th anniverary. In the meantime, let's keep our fingers crossed that Travis Scott's Days Before Rodeo and Owl Pharaoh will be next.
