The hipsters' rappers of choice in 2012, when they burst onto the scene with A$ap Rocky's 'Purple Swag', A$ap Mob remain one of the most formidable names in rap. Operating like a glam Wu-Tang Clan, the New York collective have already put out a couple of hit solo albums, and their first group effort is on the way. Not bad for a crew whose average age barely reaches 25.
Rocky is the star of the show. The ex-drug dealer revels in hip hop tropes: his video for 'Goldie' (which he directed) is a roll call of naked chicks, pimped-up rides and gold chains. Yet there's something wholly unconventionalin his short, staccato flow, sustained by Ty Beats's signature murky production. Live, they're a formidable proposition, punkish and exuberant – sometimes excessively so (c.f. their abortive appearance at 2012's SXSW Festival, where Rocky leaped into the crowd to duke it out with a punter who'd pelted him with beer). Not one to miss.
