ASAP Rocky: "Purple Swag"

ASAP Rocky is sort of a perfect rapper. Not because of his music or anything. ASAP is perfect because he peddles his persona perfectly. You will find blogs raving about the video for “Purple Swag,” even though it’s just him sitting in his living room getting high, with a white girl mouthing his lyrics every fifteen seconds or so. Arguably his most popular track is called “Purple Swag,” but he wears t-shirts that say “Fuck Swag.” He works with Clams Casino, but unlike Lil’ B his music is more thoroughly tethered to everyday stuff: weed, syrup, girls, hustling. He’s boring enough for people who like obvious stuff; he’s vaguely weird enough to be interesting. Which sounds like faint praise. And it sort of is because I don’t care about any of it. But holy fuck do other people. So, right now, ASAP Rocky is basking in fickle blog fame. He’s as good a rapper as any, I guess; at least he didn’t release an album called I’m Gay then append it with the copout parenthetical (I’m Happy).

My cynicism can’t squash my enjoyment of “Purple Swag” despite the fact that “Purple Swag” is a title composed of two rap memes. The song itself is pretty unassailable, a tight two minutes of shit-talking over an undulating creep that resonates beautifully as the alternately murmured and chopped-and-screwed hooks drops: “Everything is purple / Everything is purple / (Swag!).” ASAP Rocky’s flow is strong, firmly in the pocket of the beat without being subsumed by it. There are few other things to note about the track, as its composed of about twelve bars and a few scant hooks. It might work well as the intro to a tape one would pray contained more substantive material. But it’s cool; it would probably sound great blaring out of a trunk. And we know its been blaring out of laptop speakers at a prodigious rate, as curious as that phenomenon may seem.