Trap Lord | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 20, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012–13 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:08 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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ASAP Ferg chronology | ||||
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Singles from Trap Lord | ||||
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Trap Lord is the debut studio album by American rapper ASAP Ferg. The album was released on August 20, 2013, by ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from ASAP Rocky, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, French Montana, Trinidad James, Schoolboy Q, Waka Flocka Flame, Aston Matthews, B-Real and Onyx.
The album was supported by three singles; the remix to "Work" which featured ASAP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Trinidad James and French Montana, the album's most commercially successful single "Shabba" featuring ASAP Rocky, and "Hood Pope". It was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, and debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200.
The album was originally slated to be released as a mixtape in February 2013. [1] In January 2013, during an interview with XXL , ASAP Ferg explained the significance of the album title, saying: "I feel like it’s not just me that represents Trap Lord. I feel like A$AP Rocky is a Trap Lord. I feel like Nast is a Trap Lord. Wale just posted a picture on his Instagram wearing a Trap Lord sweatshirt. DJ Enuff be sending me pictures of his sons wearing Trap Lord stuff. You gonna see a lot of different new faces that represent the brand—not only the brand, but where we come from. A Trap Lord is basically the struggle to do better. It’s almost like the theme of Always Strive And Prosper (A$AP). Trap don’t necessarily mean you selling drugs. You could be selling clothes, watches, fake watches, gold teeth, hats—anything. You just trapping. And you a Lord of it." [1] He also explained when he would be releasing the album, saying: "I’m looking at the end of February, early March. This is my first demo I’m ever putting out. I never even put out a demo for the labels to hear. This is the first shit I’m even putting together with numbers, with songs. So I wanna make sure it’s something special, I’m giving it my all. That’s why it’s kind of taking long. But trust me, when it comes out, it’s gonna be well worth it." [1]
He also explained what it was like working on the album, saying: "It’s fun, because I’ve been piecing together a team that I think I’m gonna be with for a long time as far as mixing, recording, young producers that you probably never even heard of. Sonically, it’s gonna be a monster. Straight movie shit. You ain’t hearing this shit nowhere—nobody has this sound. After this mixtape drop, you gonna hear everybody sound change. They gonna wanna know who’s working on my project ’cause it’s gonna sound that crazy. The best part is teaming up with these young rocket scientists that know what they doing. They rebels against anything that’s in cycle; they wanna go against the grain and make history. That’s all I’m about, is making history. I’m tired of the same hip-hop shit. It’s getting corny. All of this jumping around, looking stupid. I hate the term “real hip-hop,” but it's real. Nobody can say my shit ain’t hip-hop, because I’m being innovative and I’m bringing something new to the table." [1]
On June 3, 2013, while performing at Summer Jam, ASAP Ferg announced Trap Lord would be released as an album on August 20, 2013. [2] In June 2013, during an interview with HipHopDX, ASAP Ferg described the album, saying: "It’s going to be all digital…all Internet-based, and I’m definitely excited. This is the first piece of work I’ve ever put together, like ever. I never attempted to put a mixtape together; I never attempted to put an album together; I never thought I was going to be a rapper. This is the first project I’ve worked on. I kind of went extra out of my way to make sure it’s the best, because I don’t know…all I know is go hard, and all I know is how to win. I don’t want to be considered weak or a loser. I think it’s going to make history." [3] In July 2013, during an interview with MTV, ASAP Ferg spoke about the features on the album, saying: "I got some of the best of the best on there. It just got serious and more serious because my features are like Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. I got Onyx on the same song as B-Real, It's a kind of legendary piece of work, it's like art. You can't really give good art away for nothing." [4] On July 25, 2013, the album cover was released. [5] On July 28, 2013, the final track listing was revealed, revealing 13 tracks and guest appearances on the album from ASAP Rocky, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Maad Moiselle, French Montana, Trinidad James, Schoolboy Q, Waka Flocka Flame, B-Real, Onyx and Aston Matthews. [6]
On August 20, 2012, Ferg released his commercial debut single "Work". [7] On January 14, 2013, the music video for "Work" was released. [8] "Work" had peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Work" was officially remixed, featuring guest verses from fellow American rappers French Montana, Trinidad James, Schoolboy Q and ASAP Rocky; it was later released on May 14, 2013, the remix was released as the album's first official single. [9] On May 14, 2013, the music video for the "Work" (Remix), was also released. [10] On July 16, 2013, the album's second single "Shabba", featuring ASAP Rocky was released. [11] On July 15, 2013, the music video for "Shabba" featuring ASAP Rocky was released. [12] On July 30, 2013, the third single "Hood Pope" was released along with the pre-order of the album. [13] On November 22, 2013, the "Shabba" (Remix) featuring Shabba Ranks, Migos and Busta Rhymes was released. [14] On December 31, 2013, the music video was released for "Hood Pope". [15] On March 7, 2014, the music video was released for "Let It Go". [16]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 [17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
Consequence of Sound | [19] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [20] |
Fact | [21] |
Now | [22] |
Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [23] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [24] |
Rolling Stone | [25] |
Spin | 7/10 [26] |
XXL | (L) [27] |
Trap Lord was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 72, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews. [17] Lauren Martin of Fact gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Whilst Earl may have the lyrical indie corner down with Doris, Trap Lord posits Ferg as the more ambiguous of the two, once again shifting the goal-posts of what rap can achieve in 2013 with its endearing, street-rap-goes-weird mindset." [21] Dan Buyanovsky of XXL gave the album an L, saying "There are a few shining moments on Trap Lord, like the swaying “Hood Pope,” which finds Ferg crooning about finding his purpose in bleak surroundings, and “Cocaine Castle,” a ruminating, meandering ode to the dark side of drug excess. For a guy who's able to craft such challenging songs, it's a shame to see him waste his talent on a batch of hood anthems, but maybe that's all it takes to become a Trap Lord. On the album's intro, A$AP Mob's leader A$AP Yams proclaims, “The limbs never been so relaxed, ever.” You can’t help but wonder if Ferg hadn’t been so relaxed making Trap Lord, it might’ve come out a much stronger work." [27] Anthony Asencio of HipHopDX gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Overall, A$AP Ferg’s Trap Lord, is a solid, if an sometimes-uninspired effort. It occupies that zone between the mindless “turn up” music and projects that have gotten a praise for being entertaining enough to at least partially negate a desire for more depth. Ferg is at his best on the handful of songs that reach for something more than male bravado and flossing. But, in the end, listeners don’t get enough of those or his agile rhyme cadences to push this into the realm of an upper-echelon album." [28]
David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying "With the deep, dark, and delicious Trap Lord, A$AP Ferg enters the A$AP Mob's immersive murder music hall of fame, having crafted an album as out there and attractive as A$AP Rocky's official debut Long.Live.A$AP . Big difference here is that while Rocky fits in perfectly with kinetic and weird folks like Danny Brown, Ferg comes off as a tough, cold Bun B or even Notorious B.I.G.-type character, making music that should only be listened to once night falls and cooking up stern, infectious thug anthems like the posse cut "Work." [18] Phillip Mlynar of Spin gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "There's nothing on Trap Lord to suggest Ferg will follow A$AP Rocky onto the pop charts, but it's a rewardingly dark and grounded listen. With its rugged, ribald appeal, it's the sort of album that you'd imagine Big himself happily enjoying. Just don't tell Puff." [26] Julia LeConte of Now gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Trap Lord’s production is unrelenting in its gothic intensity. The woozy party-gone-wrong aesthetic of Rocky is back, but Ferg’s sound is distinctly his, and, yes, trappy. His deep, smooth singing voice serves him well on Future-like rap-singing hybrids, but he lacks any of that artist’s levity." [22]
Mike Powell of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, saying "This Harlem-bred MC is more an interior designer than a master carpenter, a rapper whose real gift isn't rapping but curating sound. No surprise coming from a member of the A$AP Mob crew, whose fashion choices get as much attention as their music. Slow, silky and menacing, with twists of eccentricity, his debut is a finely constructed mood piece – say it ties the room together." [25] Francesca D'Arcy-Orga of PopMatters gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "Trap Lord won’t be for everyone, but it’s worth more than one listen, because beneath the trap beats and somewhat cliché storyline is a debut album that’s exciting, different, and worth a spot on the shelf." [24] Aaron Matthews of Exclaim! gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "In contrast to comrade Rocky's music, Trap Lord succeeds largely despite its production, fuelled by Ferg's oddball enthusiasm and sincerity. You don't have to accept the Trap Lord as your saviour, but you'll have more fun if you do." [20] Paul Cantor Vibe gave the album a positive review, saying "Trap Lord is an underground rap album for listeners reared on a decade of 808s and melodic variations of John Carpenter’s “Halloween” melody. It's the sound of old New York gracefully mixing with the new New York. And it's really good, basically." [29]
Trap Lord was named the eighth best album of 2013 by Complex . They commented saying, "it's not the lyrics that make Ferg worth listening to. It's his delivery that keeps you enthralled. That and his beats. A dark morass of sticky, nasty smoke-out funk." [30] Pitchfork placed Trap Lord on their Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention list. [31] Trap Lord was named the ninth best hip hop album of 2013 by Rolling Stone . They elaborated saying, "The Mob wingman delivered two of New York's biggest street heaters this year with "Work" and "Shabba"; the rest of Trap Lord expanded the crew's sonic reference points, landing somewhere between Bone Thugs for the Tumblr sect (check his mournful croning on "Hood Pope") and an SNL parody of a Nineties-era Bad Boy compilation." [32]
The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 32,000 copies in the United States. [33] In its second week, the album sold 9,000 more copies. [34] In its third week, the album sold 9,000 more copies bringing its total album sales to 46,000 in the United States. [35] On November 8, 2019, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 units in the United States. [36] [37]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let It Go" |
|
| 4:42 |
2. | "Shabba" (featuring ASAP Rocky) |
| Snugsworth | 4:35 |
3. | "Lord" (featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony) |
|
| 5:17 |
4. | "Hood Pope" |
| VERYRVRE | 3:30 |
5. | "Fergivicious" |
| Versa Beatz | 3:50 |
6. | "4:02" |
| Frankie P | 3:35 |
7. | "Dump Dump" |
|
| 3:34 |
8. | "Work REMIX" (featuring ASAP Rocky, French Montana, Trinidad James & Schoolboy Q) |
| Chinza//Fly | 4:43 |
9. | "Didn't Wanna Do That" |
| Frankie P | 2:44 |
10. | "Murda Something" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame) |
| 3:19 | |
11. | "Make a Scene" (featuring Maad Moiselle) |
| Frankie P | 2:57 |
12. | "Fuck Out My Face" (featuring B-Real, Onyx & Aston Matthews) | Frankie P | 3:56 | |
13. | "Cocaine Castle" |
|
| 4:26 |
Total length: | 51:08 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [44] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [36] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Polo Grounds Music is a hip hop and R&B record label, distributed by Sony Music's RCA Records. Founded in 2006 by Bryan Leach, Polo Grounds Music is a full-service entertainment company with a focus in publishing, management, marketing and promotions.
Rakim Athelaston Mayers, known professionally as ASAP Rocky, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. In August 2011, Mayers' single "Peso" was leaked online, and within weeks, began receiving radio airplay. He signed with Polo Grounds Music, an imprint of RCA Records in October of that year, and shortly after, released his debut mixtape, Live. Love. A$AP (2011) to widespread critical acclaim.
Live. Love. ASAP is the debut mixtape by American rapper ASAP Rocky, who released it as a free digital download on October 31, 2011. It features production by Clams Casino, ASAP Ty Beats, DJ Burn One, and SpaceGhostPurrp, among others. The mixtape also features guest rappers Schoolboy Q and Fat Tony, as well as members of ASAP Mob, ASAP Rocky's hip hop collective.
Long. Live. ASAP is the debut studio album by American rapper ASAP Rocky. It was released on January 15, 2013, by ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, Drake, Big K.R.I.T., Santigold, Overdoz, Yelawolf, Florence Welch, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Joey Badass, Gunplay, and ASAP Ferg. The album's production was handled by Rocky himself, Hector Delgado, Hit-Boy, Clams Casino, Jim Jonsin, T-Minus, Danger Mouse, 40, Skrillex, and Emile Haynie, among other high-profile producers.
The discography of American rapper ASAP Rocky consists of three studio albums, one mixtape, 42 singles, eight promotional singles and 31 music videos.
ASAP Mob is an American hip hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers, record producers, music video directors and fashion designers.
"1 Train" is a song by American hip hop recording artist ASAP Rocky from his debut studio album, Long. Live. ASAP (2013). The song was produced by Hit-Boy, and features additional verses from fellow American rappers Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. The song is a posse cut created to feel like an "original '90s underground track." Upon the release of the album, high downloads resulted in the song peaking at number three on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr., known professionally as FERG, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York City. He is a lead member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker and signed a recording contract with Polo Grounds and RCA Records—the same labels that helped launch ASAP Worldwide—in January 2013. Two years prior, the group's cohorts, ASAP Rocky and the late ASAP Yams, effectively negotiated their own contract with the label.
"Fashion Killa" is a song by American hip hop recording artist A$AP Rocky. The song was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United States in November 2013, as the fourth single from his debut studio album Long. Live. A$AP. The song was produced by both Hector Delgado and Rocky himself under the pseudonym LORD FLACKO and Friendzone as the co-producer.
American rapper ASAP Ferg has released two studio albums, three mixtapes, one extended play and forty eight singles.
"Work" is a song by American rapper ASAP Ferg, released on August 20, 2012 as his debut solo single. It was the third single released from hip hop collective ASAP Mob's debut studio album Lords Never Worry (2012). The official remix of the song, featuring American rappers ASAP Rocky, French Montana, Trinidad James and Schoolboy Q, was released on May 14, 2013. The remix served as the lead single from ASAP Ferg's debut studio album Trap Lord (2013).
Tariq Amar Devega, known professionally as ASAP Nast, is an American rapper, songwriter and model from Harlem, New York. Nast is best known as a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob. As part of A$AP Mob, they released their first project as a group, a mixtape titled Lord$ Never Worry in 2012. His breakout song, "Trillmatic" featuring Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man was released on December 4, 2013.
Jamel Da'Shawn Phillips, known professionally as ASAP Twelvyy, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York City. He is a member of the hip hop group ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. In 2014, he released the song "Xscape", the second single to the ASAP Mob's debut album L.O.R.D. The album was supposed to be released in 2014, but it was officially scrapped. On August 4, 2017, ASAP Twelvyy released his debut album, titled 12.
Shabba" is a song by American hip hop recording artist ASAP Ferg. It was released on July 16, 2013, as the second single from his debut studio album Trap Lord (2013). The song, produced by Snugsworth, features a guest appearance from Ferg's ASAP Mob cohort ASAP Rocky. The song's title refers to Jamaican dancehall musician Shabba Ranks, who makes a cameo appearance in the song's music video and appears on the remix. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
#WakeDaFucUp is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on March 18, 2014 by Goon MuSick. The album is entirely produced by Snowgoons. The album features guest appearances from Sean Price, Makem Pay, Papoose, Cormega, Dope D.O.D., Reks, Snak the Ripper and ASAP Ferg.
"Trillmatic" is a song by American rapper ASAP Nast from the hip hop collective ASAP Mob. It was released on December 4, 2013. It was originally intended to be a first single from ASAP Mob's debut studio album L.O.R.D., which was originally scheduled to be released around 2014, but the album, however, was scrapped. The song, produced by ASAP Mob's ASAP Ty Beats features East Coast rapper Method Man. The song has since peaked at number 29 on the UK R&B Chart.
"Multiply" is a hip hop song recorded by American rapper ASAP Rocky, which was made available for online streaming on October 3, 2014. Four days later, it was released as a digital single by RCA Records. The song features Juicy J and was produced by Curtis Heron. A music video for the track was co-directed by ASAP Rocky and Shomi Patwary. The single serves as a promotional single for Rocky's second studio album At. Long. Last. ASAP (2015).
Matthew Lopez, known professionally as Aston Matthews, is a Guatemalan-American rapper from Los Angeles, California. In 2014, he began to gain recognition following the release of his second mixtape, A$ton 3:16. Matthews is also a part of the Los Angeles hip-hop trio Cutthroat Boyz alongside fellow Californian rappers Vince Staples and Joey Fatts.
Milton Delano Martin III, better known by his stage name Marty Baller, is an American rapper, songwriter, and dancer from the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo career, he was a member of the hip-hop group A$AP Mob and the official tour hype man to RCA Records rapper ASAP Ferg. Marty Baller is often referred to as "Ferg's protégé" and the "Face of Traplord".
"Plain Jane" is a song by American rapper ASAP Ferg. The song was released on June 13, 2017, as the lead single from his third studio album, Still Striving (2017). It was produced by Kirk Knight, and it is a hip hop song. The official remix featuring fellow New York City-based rapper Nicki Minaj was released on December 15, 2017. This version peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his second highest-charting single until "Move Ya Hips" in 2020—which also featured Minaj.
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