The Harlem-based collective is best known for pushing the envelope within hip-hop fashion, but that could never take away from their ceaseless expansion as a label and set of musicians. A$AP TyY’s new track, “1990,” is hypnotic, moody and, most of all, timely. Rapping about COVID is bound to become a cliché in countless rappers’ punchlines, but it’s hard to blame them as long as it’s well-executed.
Speaking about the song, the artist said “Like a lot of people, I struggled at times emotionally through the pandemic. And the thing that really saved me was leaning into music. I took it back to the basics — making songs and writing music every day… I knew when writing it that 2020 was going to be one of those years where we’re going to look back and be like, ‘man, we got through that’ and we did.” The thought of going a little stir-crazy over the past year is nothing we haven’t heard before, but it’s affirming to see how he goes about it in the same fashion we all should.
TyY’s last album, Project Rockstar, released back in 2019, and with this new single there is clearly new material in store. Are you looking forward to hearing more?
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Got that K in the window like I’m Malcolm X
Might be hard for me to say, get it off my chest
I had this down ass bitch, she was from the X
Plugged in with the pop, she was the connect