But even without Rocky's indelible hook, it feels whole. The beat for A$AP Rocky's 'Palace' is pretty glorious by itself, with a natural arc that moves from collapsing drums to a coda of soaring, disembodied vocals. Now that he's making beats for songs with more memorable hooks and verses, do Clams' productions work as well on their own? The short answer is yes, and you don't have to look further than the opening cut for proof.
And while the beats on the first tape were unquestionably strong, many of them supported stream-of-consciousness Lil B raps which, no disrespect to the Based God, most people didn't mind leaving behind. We're familiar with his style now, and that initial 'wow' factor has worn off some.
Clams faces a little more of a challenge with Instrumental Mixtape 2.
