It doesn’t seem that long ago that “hip hop is dead” was a frequently tossed around catchphrase and rap was going through a real dark age, bereft of originality. Fortunately rap fans can thank their deity of choice for the brilliant new school of rappers that have come up over the past two years.

Stepping up first to represent them in 2013 is Harlem’s A$AP Rocky, riding his positive reviews straight into the new year with his debut album “Long. Live. A$AP.”

Stylistically, Rocky seems cut from the same cloth as Jay-Z, with a lot of swagger and arrogance, plus the common rap trope of rapping about money, cars, and women. That can seem clichéd on the first listen, but his flow and great wordplay eventually wins you over, especially with lines like the one that kicks off the album: “I thought I’d die in prison, expensive taste in women/Ain’t had no pot to piss in, at my kitchen full of dishes.”

Plus, “Long. Live. A$AP.” is an ambitious piece of work, and you may come for Rocky’s skill, but you stay for the varied list of collaborators, which includes fellow new schoolers Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T. and Danny Brown, and interestingly enough, Skrillex, Florence Welch and Santigold.

Surprisingly though, the rest of Rocky’s A$AP crew only features a few times on the album.

“Long. Live. A$AP” is a great start to 2013, and to another year of quality hip hop. As for Rocky, the album will hopefully live up to its title and keep him around for the future.