“My mixtape is better than a lot of people’s albums,” A$AP Rocky boasted just days after the release of his 2011 debut set, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP. The Harlem rapper wasn’t wrong: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP would become became synonymous with 2010s hip-hop and pop culture, while simultaneously skyrocketing the east coast artist’s career (not to mention the profile of his A$AP Mob collective). The roll-out for LIVE.LOVE.A$AP commenced with “Purple Swag”, Rocky’s first-ever single. The late A$AP Yams, who co-founded A$AP Mob—and who played a major role in strategising Rocky’s marketing—leaned heavily into the then-popular social media site Tumblr to promote the track. The plan worked: Thanks to “Purple Swag”, a bidding war over A$SAP Rocky ensued, with the rapper eventually scoring a $3 million deal with Polo Grounds Music, an imprint of RCA. Shortly after, he released LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, a syrupy sweet and slow pour of no-nonsense New York rap, intermixed with an unmistakably southern sound. The mixtape exemplified Rocky and the A$AP Mob’s understanding of rap’s landscape from coast to coast, captured by the project’s cross-regional sound: In cuts like “Get Lit” and “Purple Swag: Chapter 2”, the chopped-and-screwed Houston sound dominates, while Los Angeles rapper Schoolboy Q guests on “Brand New Guy”. Still, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is unequivocally a product of Harlem, with Rocky and his producers—including Clams Casino and A$AP Ty Beats—channelling New York’s intensity and boom-bap sound on tracks like “Trilla”. And though Rocky was rarely hailed as a top lyricist, his attitude and style was unmatched. A trailblazing, star-making bit of 2010s hip-hop, LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is a testament to the braggadocious rapper’s charming arrogance, one that’s evident in his self-bestowed nickname: “Pretty motherfucker”.