A$AP Mob’s Cozy Tapes Vol. 2 oversaturated and lacking fluidity?

After the undeniable collaborative success of Cozy Tapes Vol. 1,  A$AP Mob are back again with their highly anticipated successor Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy. The crew has masterminded a jam packed album consisting of 17 songs, 3 skits and 24 artists in total. Hip Hop heavyweights such as Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yatchy and Playboi Carti featured in the prior album make a reoccurrence. In addition to the introduction of some noticeable names on the album: Gucci Mane, Frank Ocean and Jaden Smith.

The album begins with a two-minute skit titled ‘Skool Bus’. Mimicking its predecessor, the opening skit in Volume 2 is a fashion critique voiced by the comedic Instagram sensation donteriohundon. This title sets the scene for a ‘back to school’ theme that is expressed within the album, thus perpetuating a natural camaraderie between the artists, such that is reflective of old school days. There are two more skits which follow the same fashion, ‘Principle Daryl Choad’ and ‘Last Day of Skool.’

A$AP Mob embody creativity, art and style, components all synonymous to Hip Hop culture

Majority of the songs on the album contain effortlessly cool and stylish beats which permits one from just standing still. Songs like ‘Walk On Water’, ‘Bahamas’ and ‘What Happens’ achieve this sound with ease.  ‘Walk On Water’ is a personal favourite mainly because of the beat, the song mainly focuses on and reinforces the crew’s lavish lifestyle. ‘What Happens’ is an ensemble that truly represents the East Coast with artists like Joey Bada$$, Meechy Darko and Juice all featured in the track and to top it off the legendary RZA, cofounder of the Wu-Tang Clan produced the track.

Another notable reoccurring theme is the collectives’ continuous glorification and adornment of the ‘high life.’ ‘Perry Aye’ has an incredibly infectious beat and epitomises this theme, with continuous reference in the catchy chorus by an almost unrecognisable Jaden Smith to “Sippin Dom Perignon” and “rolling with ‘Cartier”. ‘Black Card’ simply celebrates the amount of money A$AP Rocky can spend using an American Express Black Card, which immediately conjures images of unlimited wealth. Rocky’s lyrically mastery and play of words in verse two of ‘Black Card’ cannot be overlooked, especially when coupled with a trippy beat.

Fashion is a major attribute to the Mob, ‘RAF,’ a top hit, is a testament to this statement. This star studded hit is most definitely party appropriate especially with the catchy hook “Please don’t touch my RAF”. A$AP Mob embody creativity, art and style, components all synonymous to Hip Hop culture. Hailing from Harlem, a location significant for its contributions to Hip Hop, the Mob are no strangers to music being a reflection of style.

Filling the shoes of Cozy Tapes Vol. 1 is admittedly an elusive task to achieve. Although it has some concrete tracks and sheds more light on the other members, it lacks the fluidity noticeable in Volume 1. Perhaps this issue can be attributed to the fact that there is an overwhelming number of artists on some tracks resulting in a disjointed and confused sound. Overall the Mob’s efforts are not in vain and Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2 is a nice continuation to the original.