A step up to major label for A$AP Rocky for new album LongLiveA$AP doesn’t look to have halted his direction among the sometimes sniffy music critics at all.

Indeed, with his second full-length out this week, it looks like the pundits are willing him to ride gloriously into the charts this coming weekend. “His major-label debut proves he's more than a magnetic hedonist” wrote Entertainment Weekly in their superlative review whilst, in the UK, The Guardian wrote “Long Live A$AP's is frequently thrilling, a dense splurge of woozy electronics and samples, packed with lovely production touches.” Even the occasionally difficult Pitchfork were suitably impressed enough to give it an 8.5 out of 10 and a much-coveted ‘Best New Music’ tag. “LongLiveA$AP delivers on and even exceeds the promise of LiveLoveA$AP” they commented, adding “Like that mixtape, the album is a triumph of craft and curation, preserving Rocky's immaculate taste while smartly upgrading his sound.”

With Kendrick Lamar stepping up into the big leagues last year with his album good kid, m.A.A.d city, Rocky’ll be hoping to join his one-time touring partner in changing the face of rap in 2013. Alongside these two, the likes of Azealia Banks and Angel Haze have also been touted for big things, the US rap scene finally coming out of the doldrums after years of stagnation. 

Watch the video for A$AP Rocky's 'F**kin' Problems'