Always Strive and Prosper

Always Strive and Prosper
Studio album by ASAP Ferg
Released	April 22, 2016
Recorded	2015–16
Genre	Hip hop
Length	47:28 (standard edition) 54:02 (Best Buy deluxe editon)
Label	A$AP Worldwide Polo Grounds RCA
Producer	ASAP Ferg (also exec.) Bryan Leach (exec.) Geno Sims (exec.) DJ Khalil Clams Casino Skrillex DJ Mustard Stelios Phili Todd Bee Lex Luger Honorable C.N.O.T.E. Lido Cashmere Cat VERYRVRE Burd & Keyz TM88 The Mekanics StarGate No I.D. Jordan Lewis Danny Wolf Soldado
ASAP Ferg chronology
Ferg Forever (2014) Always Strive and Prosper (2016)
Singles from Always Strive and Prosper
"New Level" Released: December 18, 2015 "Back Hurt" Released: June 28, 2016

Always Strive and Prosper is the second studio album by American rapper ASAP Ferg. It was released on April 22, 2016, by A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records.^[1][2] The album was supported by two singles: "New Level" featuring Future, and "Back Hurt" featuring Migos.

Singles

On December 18, 2015, ASAP Ferg released the album's first single, titled "New Level". The song features a guest verse from southern hip hop recording artist Future, with the production that was handled by Honorable C.N.O.T.E.^[3] On January 19, 2016, the music video was released for "New Level" featuring Future.^[4]

On June 28, 2016, the bonus track "Back Hurt" featuring Migos, was sent to urban radio as the album's second single^[5] The following day, the music video was released.^[6]

Promotional singles

"Let It Bang" featuring Schoolboy Q, was released as the album's promotional single on March 24, 2016.^[7] The following day, the music video premiered for "Let It Bang" featuring Schoolboy Q.^[8] The audio for "Hungry Ham" featuring Skrillex and Crystal Caines, was released as the album's second promotional single on April 7, 2016.^[9] The audio for "Strive" featuring Missy Elliot, was released as the album's third promotional single on April 14, 2016.^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The A.V. Club	B+[13]
Consequence of Sound	C[14]
Exclaim	8/10[15]
The Guardian	[16]
NME	3/5[17]
Pitchfork Media	7.3/10[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]
Spin	5/10[20]
XXL	(XL)[21]

Always Strive and Prosper has received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received a score of 74 based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[11]

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, selling 35,000 units in its first week.^[22]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Rebirth"	Darold Brown Khalil Abdul-Rahman Michael Volpe Jeff Gitelman Sam Barsh Daniel Tannenbaum Daniel Seeff	DJ Khalil Clams Casino	2:15
2.	"Hungry Ham" (featuring Skrillex and Crystal Caines)	D. Brown Sonny Moore Crystal Caines	Skrillex	3:35
3.	"Strive" (featuring Missy Elliott)	D. Brown Stelios Phili Dijon McFarlane Melissa Elliott	Phili DJ Mustard	2:50
4.	"Meet My Crazy Uncle (Skit)"		Todd Bee	0:22
5.	"Psycho"	D. Brown Abdul-Rahman Volpe Tannenbaum Barsh Seeff Gitelman	DJ Khalil Clams Casino	2:58
6.	"Let It Bang" (featuring Schoolboy Q)	D. Brown Lexus Lewis Quincey Hanley	Lex Luger	2:31
7.	"New Level" (featuring Future)	D. Brown Carlton Mays, Jr. Nayvadius Wilburn	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	4:24
8.	"Yammy Gang" (featuring ASAP Mob and Tatianna Paulino)	D. Brown Tatianna Paulino Peder Losnegård Magnus Høiberg Rakim Mayers Jamal Phillips Tariq Devega	Lido Cashmere Cat	2:33
9.	"Swipe Life" (featuring Rick Ross)	D. Brown Jeff Washington Tashfiqur Patwary Chris Basham William Roberts II	VERYRVRE	3:13
10.	"Uzi Gang" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Marty Baller)	D. Brown Milton Martin Symere Woods Bryan Simmons	TM88	3:32
11.	"Beautiful People" (featuring Chuck D and Mama Ferg)	D. Brown Abdul-Rahman Volpe Barsh Carlton Ridenhour Marvin Gay Jr.	DJ Khalil Clams Casino	3:15
12.	"Damn Not Again (Skit)"		Todd Bee	0:21
13.	"Let You Go"	D. Brown Mikkel Eriksen Tor Hermansen	StarGate	3:16
14.	"World Is Mine" (featuring Big Sean)	D. Brown Ernest Wilson Sean Anderson	No I.D.	3:45
15.	"Phone Call With Breezy (Skit)"		Todd Bee	0:41
16.	"I Love You" (featuring Chris Brown and Ty Dolla Sign)	D. Brown M. Thomas J. Lewis Christopher Brown Tyrone Griffin, Jr.	Hagler Jordan Lewis	3:47
17.	"Grandma (Skit)"		Todd Bee	0:20
18.	"Grandma"	D. Brown Abdul-Rahman Barsh Siddharth Sriram	DJ Khalil	3:50
Total length:				47:28

Best Buy deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[23]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"Don't Mind" (featuring French Montana and Fabolous)	D. Brown Michael Hernandez Richard Duran Andrew Liburd Karim Kharbouch John Jackson	The Mekanics Burd & Keyz	3:00
20.	"Back Hurt" (featuring Migos)	D. Brown Miguel Curtidor Danyal Ahmed Kiari Cephus Quavious Marshall Kirsnick Ball	Danny Wolf Soldado	3:34
Total length:				54:02

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24]	16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25]	102
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26]	11
French Albums (SNEP)[27]	142
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28]	77
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29]	35
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30]	34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31]	38
UK Albums (OCC)[32]	67
US Billboard 200[33]	8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[34]	2

References

1. "Always Strive and Prosper by A$AP Ferg on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
2. Adelle Platon (2016-03-22). "A$AP Ferg Announces 'Always Strive and Prosper'". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
3. "New Music: A$AP Ferg feat. Future – 'New Level'". Rap-Up. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
4. "Video: A$AP Ferg feat. Future – 'New Level'". Rap-Up. 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
5. http://fmqb.com/Article.asp?. Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsMBvyI6saY
7. "New Music: A$AP Ferg feat. ScHoolboy Q – 'Let It Bang'". Rap-Up. March 24, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
8. "A$AP Ferg & ScHoolboy Q Bring A$AP Mob & TDE Together for 'Let It Bang' Video". Billbaord. March 25, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
9. "A$AP Ferg - Hungry Ham (Audio) ft. Skrillex, Crystal Caines". YouTube. 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
10. "A$AP Ferg - Strive (Audio) ft. Missy Elliott". YouTube. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
11. "Reviews for Always Strive and Prosper by A$AP Ferg". Metacritic. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
12. David Jeffries (2016-04-22). "Always Strive and Prosper - A$AP Ferg | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
13. Rytlewski, Evan (2016-04-22). "Always Strive And Prosper · A$AP Ferg · Music Review A$AP Ferg raps from the heart on Always Strive And Prosper". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
14. Madden, Michael (2016-04-22). "ASAP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
15. "ASAP Ferg: Always Strive and Prosper". Exclaim. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
16. Alexis Petridis. "A$AP Ferg: Always Strive and Prosper review – more than just Rocky's supporting man". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
17. "NME Reviews - A$AP Ferg - 'Always Strive And Prosper' Review". Nme.Com. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
18. Kathy Iandoli (2016-04-26). "A$AP Ferg: Always Strive and Prosper Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
19. Spanos, Brittany (2016-04-22). "ASAP Ferg's New Album: Always Strive And Prosper". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
20. "Review: A$AP Ferg, 'Always Strive and Prosper'". SPIN. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
21. "ASAP Ferg Rises to New Levels on 'Always Strive and Prosper'". Xxlmag.com. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
22. Keith Caulfield (2016-01-05). "Beyonce Earns Sixth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Lemonade'". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
23. "A$AP Ferg - Always Strive and Prosper [PA] (Only @ Best Buy) - CD". Best Buy. 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
24. "Australiancharts.com – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
25. "Ultratop.be – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
26. "A$AP Ferg – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for A$AP Ferg. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
27. "Lescharts.com – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
28. "Offiziellecharts.de – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
29. "Charts.org.nz – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
30. [{{{url}}} "{{{title}}}"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved April 30, 2016.
31. "Swisscharts.com – A$AP Ferg – Always Strive and Prosper". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
32. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
33. "A$AP Ferg – Chart history" Billboard 200 for A$AP Ferg. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
34. "A$AP Ferg – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for A$AP Ferg. Retrieved May 3, 2016.