‘Still Striving’ is A$AP Ferg’s most defiantly ambitious work to date, finding the rapper making a play for A$AP Rocky’s crown.
An immersive record, it’s intelligently produced and traverses trap, 808 beats and strip club feels, showcasing Ferg at his most imaginative and creative.
We open with Trap and a Dream, which sees Meek Mill channelling a more aggressive flow than usual. Following his split from Nicki Minaj and public head to head with Drake, it’s a loaded statement packed with intent.
Explaining that his list of collabs here played out ‘like an open door policy’, Ferg has created this latest material organically, using those who happened to be in his company at the time alongside a sense of freedom.
The result is a lighter collection more focused on having fun. Appearances from Migos, Cam’ron and Playboi Carti represent a display of unity and a sign of Ferg’s growing industry support.
Still, there remains room for the intense, introspective sound that characterised his sophomore album ‘Always Strive and Prosper’. That remains tangible on the closing tracks here: Tango and Nandos.
East Coast Remix, meanwhile, brings together Busta Rhymes, A$AP Rocky, Dave East, French Montana, Rick Ross and Snoop Dogg to sculpt an outrageous standout. While each rapper’s sinister, provocative verses build and build over a simple instrumental, Ross’s relaxed, smooth delivery delivers a brilliantly unexpected calm.
‘Still Striving’ is defined in part by Ferg’s marshalling of hip hop influencers past and present, but the lasting impression is left by the strength of his material.
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