A$AP FERG – FLOOR SEATS REVIEW

A$AP Ferg is back, y’all. The Fergenstein has just dropped his first project since 2017 when he dropped the hard as hell Still Striving. If there is one thing that Ferg has always been excellent at, it is getting the energy of his listeners going. In that regard, Floor Seats no different than a lot of A$AP Ferg’s previous projects. The way that this record is different, though, is the way in which Ferg tries to achieve that energy. This album has some of the most unique and funky sounding instrumentals that he has rapped on to date. Floor Seats has quite a few super distorted and strange instrumentals with old school beats that sound like original 90s style 808 joints, as well as some in your face and bass-heavy trap bangers that will definitely get any party or club raging. Hell, there is even a sweet r&b ballad on the album that features Ty Dolla Sign. I appreciate how A$AP Ferg does not just stick to what he knows has worked, and is constantly trying to do something new. I also really dig the fact that he has two up and coming female rapper features on this album; in a hip hop world that is still so dominated by men, it is great to see such a high profile artist showcase some of the excellent women that make rap music as well. Although it is not my favorite album to come out this year, Floor Seats is full of humdingers that I am sure I will be bumping for a long time.

This record really gets out to a hot and intense start with the title track; ‘Floor Seats’ is one of the hardest and most intense tracks on this album, and that is really saying something. After a weird ringing yell and Ferg’s signature “coo-coo” song tag, ‘Floor Seats’ gets right up in your grill with a simple yet intense trap beat with bass that will shake the floor every time you blast it. Lyrically, there is nothing too complicated or sophisticated about this track, as Ferg basically tells his rags to riches story that we have heard before. His flow on this song, although low key, is super infectious, and will get your head bobbing for sure. The chorus explains the sentiment of this track pretty well:

We all grinded for the floor seats. Now all the pretty girls, they know me. I‘m on the jumbotron, you can’t ignore me. Just look at my seats, I’m sitting cozy…

‘Wam,’ which is the first single off of this project and features MdeinTYO, is a strange southern style trap banger that sounds a lot like ‘Faucet Failure’ by Ski Mask. A$AP Ferg and MdeinTYO’S chemistry on this track are so palpable and great, just as it was on the MdeinTYO song ‘Ned Flanders.’ I really would love to hear so much more music from this duo, as they have such nice chemistry. The next track is one of two songs on the album that features an up and coming female rap superstar. ‘Wigs,’ is an old school banger with a classic 808 beat and heavy ass bass. It features Asian Doll, who delivers a fire ass verse that should not be overlooked by anyone. This track gives me major Uncle Luke/2 Live Crew vibes, and I love that. The other song on the record with an Uncle Luke style energy is ‘Butt Naked,’ which also features a female rapper. Although Ferg’s performance on this track is great( that chorus of him yelling “Butt Naked” is legendary and I can not wait to hear it at the club), Rico Nasty really steals the show on this joint. She delivers one of her typically hard as a rock verses, and her flow is crazily infectious on this one. She might have the best verse on this whole record.

“Where my dawgs at?” “Right here, dawg!”

The song ‘Pups’ is a shout out to another one of Ferg’s biggest influences, DMX. I think it would pretty obvious to figure out that DMX is a huge influence for A$AP Ferg even if he had never said it; Ferg has an energy and gruffness about him that he only could have learned from the Top Dawg himself. This banger features A$AP Rocky, and it is another song on the record with an old school instrumental that focuses on a classic 808 beat. This song kind of has a similar sound to ‘Uproar’ by Lil Wayne, and I could see it end up being a fan favorite because it has such and easy and fun sound. Another joint that I think will be a fan favorite is ‘Ride,’ which features Ty Dolla Sign. This track is an old school R&B joint that is obviously not within the realm of what Ferg usually makes, but the collaboration with Ty really makes this one work. This song is a love song that is not very typical of Ferg, which is obvious by this line from the chorus:

I just wanna ride with you. What are we gonna do?

Although not every song and idea on this project is a hit, in my opinion, I have always appreciated how Ferg thinks outside of the box and tries new sounds that he may not be comfortable with. Ferg wears a lot of his influences on his sleeve with this project, with obvious stylistic similarities on this record to rappers like Uncle Luke and Juicy J. I really do love all of the songs I think are dope on this album; there are definitely multiple songs from Floor Seats that I know I will be listening to a lot in the future. If you want to check out A$AP Ferg’s latest project for yourself, click the Spotify link below!