A$AP Mob - Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends-

Pitchfork 71

A$AP Mob’s proper debut album begins with a two-and-a-half-minute skit that takes place in a New York bodega. Pushing lead single “Yamborghini High” over seven minutes, it’s the kind of move that could easily be frustrating. Instead, it’s pretty funny: It’s a group of men trying to out-cozy each other, arguing about who has the most comfortable outfit. A$AP Rocky arrives with tall tales of a ridiculous getup that he boasts was inspired by global warming. It feels natural, which is a welcomed evolution for Rocky, aka That Pretty Motherfucker, who has for the longest time been far more concerned with designer credibility than wearability. The skit is a signal for what’s to come—an infectious sense of camaraderie and a marked return to A$AP’s core sound and strengths.

In practice, Cozy Tapes is an A$AP Rocky album, as he appears on all but three songs. (For comparison, Ferg is on only two tracks, and Ant is at second-most with just four features.) Whether intentionally or not, the rest of the Mob readily acknowledge that it’s Rocky’s show. In one skit, they’re convinced to go somewhere only after verifying Rocky won’t join them. In another (there are a lot of skits here), someone’s pursuing a woman, and his greatest attribute is his association with Rocky and the perks that come with it. Taking the record for what it is, Cozy Tapes is Rocky’s most cohesive project since his debut.

Beyond being the face of the group, Rocky proves that he remains, by far, the most talented rapper in the Mob–including Ferg. Each track on Cozy Tapes finds him successfully using a new flow: “Crazy Brazy” is an impressive display of agility; “Money Man” is all measured and melodic repetition; and “London Town” is his best, with bars that spill over and build on themselves. It’s the first time since LIVE.LOVE.A$AP where Rocky’s pure rapping ability is the focal point. He’s long been lauded as an expert stylist and curator, but that too often has been a distraction from his skill. Though the highs of LONG.LIVE.A$AP are very high (“Goldie,” “Long Live A$AP,” “1Train”), the entire album is bogged down by an obsession with high-profile collaborators and manufactured swagger, like an oversized Rick Owens outfit. Rocky, for his part, never rapped about much more than material goods, but that aspiration felt important when he was doing so over beats that he could command and felt specific to him–not overpriced ones that would go to the highest bidder. Cozy Tapes has a very modest roster of producers, which allows him to set the tone and vibe. None of these songs would stand out on their own (à la “Wild for the Night”) if not for Rocky and the Mob’s efforts on top of them.

No matter how much Rocky excels, Cozy Tapes is still billed as an A$AP Mob album. As such, it is eons beyond Lord$ Never Worry, their debut mixtape, which is nothing more than a bloated victory lap that feels laughable four years later. On Lord$, there was a concerted effort to showcase the lesser known members of the collective, hoping to turn them from secret weapons into superstars. The tape succeeded in shining a light on Ferg, but no one else has popped off as intended. Instead of trying to showcase individuals, Cozy Tapes has a great cohesion, with Ant, Nast, and Twelvyy playing bit roles. The exception is “Nasty’s World,” a track very much set up to be Nast’s “Method Man.” He’s a capable rapper, but that’s not enough, especially when younger rappers (like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and MadeinTYO–all showcased here) are succeeding and amassing followings with more experimental styles. Further, Nast sounds better on the subsequent track, “Money Man,” where he apes Rocky’s flow.

Cozy Tapes’ emphasis on Rocky brings into question why it was ever turned into a group effort. Even the guests–most notably Tyler, the Creator, Wiz Khalifa, Skepta, and BJ the Chicago Kid–highlight Rocky, rather than upstage him. The most obvious answer is that the album is a tribute to the late Mob co-founder A$AP Yams, who would have wanted to see all of his friends excel. Yams was the architect of the A$AP sound, which has always been defined more by coolness than sonic markers: When Rocky made the big-budget shift from LIVE.LOVE to LONG.LIVE, a forward-thinking attitude remained consistent. Yams posthumously executive produced Rocky’s AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, but that record felt more like what Yams would’ve wanted Rocky to make (that is, follow his heart) than what he, himself, would produce (a detritus-free swag rap album). Despite admirable verses, Cozy Tapes proves that A$AP Mob does not need to be Wu-Tang or Odd Future to succeed as a collective. It’s acceptable to have a star and a backup, with a few talented MCs to round things out and play straightman to the others’ flashy ways.

Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends- is a very good hip-hop record even if it arrives at a time where the A$AP Mob are not at the center of the hip-hop zeitgeist. Rocky consistently entertains without delivering any one-liners, and the album is sequenced to mask some of the lesser members’ weaknesses. Cozy Tapes stays true to its name. The Mob grew immensely and then lost its spiritual guide, just as it needed someone to give them direction. In Yams’ memory, they turned inward looked at what they did best. It may not be the most ostentatious effort. But it is comfortable.