Ferg is a strange guy. He started his career as the off-key singer in some of the least appealing tracks from A$AP Rocky's first mixtape, but soon became his own thing with the release of his first mixtape- turned album, Trap Lord. An album I admittedly hated upon first listen, but has steadily grown on me and is now something I can say is well worth the listen; though suspending artistic license is a requirement.
Now we have the long awaited follow-up, and the added pressure of Rocky's last LP being... passable. So, does Ferg rise above not only his own past material, but also the expectations of his crew? Yes, yes he does. In fact, Always Strive And Prosper may just be the finest thing that the A$AP crew has ever produced.
This comes from multiple facets; first, there's the excellent beats and production that almost seamlessly slides from banger beats on tracks like "Hungry Ham" and "Let It Bang", to more soulful cuts like "Strive" and "Beautiful People". And the latter two tracks lead into this album's biggest surprise; there's a lot of positive messages on this album, something I wasn't expecting at all considering the last album had track titles like "Murder Something". But Ferg is quick to state that he isn't the same guy who made Trap Lord and is instead trying to be some kind of guide to the street hustler, encouraging them to be more than drug dealers and gang bangers. This message is most exemplified on "Strive" and the sentiment is sprinkled throughout the album.
Another change that this album makes is just how much of it is personal. Trap Lord was all but devoid of anything that wasn't gangster posturing, but this LP sees Ferg talking about the people who inspire him the most. The track "Psycho" details the character of his uncle, who seems like a slightly destructive character, but Ferg goes on to explain that this was do to a hard life, and the track actually inspires one of the most fiery performances Ferg has ever produced. The closer "Grandma" is about just that, though I'd be lying if I said it was a strong closer to the album.
There are a couple of low points here, all of which find their home in the middle of the album, but these moments don't bring the project down enough to make me want to skip them. Also, the features here a incredibly solid (heck, he made Big Sean bearable!) and they all contribute in a meaningful way to the overall concept of the album.
Overall, an incredibly solid effort from my favorite member of the A$AP crew.
8.6/10
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