Why ‘Jukebox Joints’ is A$AP Rocky’s greatest song
The rollout of ASAP Rocky’s highly anticipated fourth album; ‘Don’t Be Dumb!’ has once again been pushed further into the supposed near future. While some fans may be disappointed or dejected at this news, this probably means that Rocky’s working on a masterpiece. Before doubts pour in at the mere idea that Rocky can produce a masterpiece, please direct your attention to the ninth tack on ‘At.Long.Last.ASAP’, ‘Jukebox Joints’.
Following the success of Rocky’s first studio album Long.Live.ASAP. he followed it up with another blockbuster of an album, his best to date, At.Long.Last.ASAP. Rocky matured both inside and outside the studio while making this album. Midway through the production of the record A$AP Yams, a founder of A$AP Mob, a creative influence on and best friend of Rocky passed away. This had a profound effect on Rocky’s music, he had to take the reins on his own, and in doing so he left part of his street-rapping youth behind and embarked on a music exploration.
The obvious indicators of Rocky’s musical growth can be seen in tracks like ‘LSD’, which has a lucid humming guitar backing and almost sung lyrics, or ‘Everyday’, with a feature by rock legend Rod Stuart that feels like a rock opera-inspired song. The greatest indication of Rocky’s maturity lies in the sheet music and in between every lyric of ‘Jukebox Joints’, his greatest song ever.
The production value of Jukebox Joints is like no other song within the realm of rap or hip-hop. The first third of the track is backed by a soothing choir, sampled from an Indonesian song, and tracks a slow beat. The second part of the song is signified by a beat change, which sees Rocky increase the tempo of his lyrics, and the choir becomes less choir and more R&B influenced. All the praise has gone to Kendrick for championing the beat change in his recent rap beef with Drake, Rocky was doing this back in 2015.
The third section is the real kicker, as the backing fades and comes back to life, enter Kanye at his prime. ‘Ye’s distinct voice begins singing and then transitions into his typical lyrical wordplay, finishing with a couple of lines that leave you wondering how he came up with them, knowing only he could. Two artists at the peak of their popularity combined to create a lyrical and compositional masterpiece.
‘Jukebox Joints’ is a song of three parts, separated by the beat changes, and more than any of Rocky’s prior music, offers an insight into his mentality. It feels like the first truly expressive piece of art that he produces. The first part is Rocky reflecting on his actions, development and future without Yams, truly signified by the line, “I’m all alone though, mood music make me bop slower”. The second sees him succumbing to the celebrity lifestyle, referencing relationships with other celebrities, “did Azalea’s from Australia, trips to Venezuela Cinderella’s under my umbrella for different weather”. Finally, Kanye closes it for him as an outside voice, filling the role that Yams left vacant as a fashion-forward role model. At least, he was in 2015.
Rocky has gone on to make much more experimental music, the entirety of 2018’s Testing is probably more intimate, more expressive and more experimental than ‘Jukebox Joints’, what ‘Jukebox Joints’ is, is a journey. The unpredictability of grief and an individual’s reaction is portrayed in the dynamic difference in the temperance of Rocky’s lyrics in each section, along with the sharp cuts and beat changes. Even so, it also carries its weight as an extremely fun and enjoyable song with fantastically clever bars. ‘Jukebox Joints’ is a masterpiece.