“LVL” – Clams Casino
“LVL,” produced by Clams Casino, is the fourth track of A$AP Rocky‘s debut studio album Long.Live.A$AP; released on January 15, 2013. “LVL” currently sits at Rocky’s fifth most popular track on Spotify, grossing over 205 million streams since its release. Although Long.Live.A$AP isn’t Rocky’s most critically acclaimed album; songs like “Long Live A$AP”, “LVL”, Hell, Phoenix, Fashion Killa, and Suddenly resonate with fans of cloud rap for reasons such as ethereal melodies/samples with introspective and descriptive lyrics. Songs like PMW, F**kin Problems, Wild for the Night, and 1Train helped draw in new listeners because of notable features on Long.LiveA$AP that helped cement Rocky’s credit as a rapper are Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Skrillex, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, and Schoolboy Q. Still, fans were also looking for Clams Casino’s involvement and influence since he is prominent on Live.Love.A$AP, Rocky’s first mixtape, and they got it: “LVL” and “Hell” are the two tracks on the album produced by Clams Casino. After releasing ” LVL, “shock waves were sent throughout the Cloud Rap community and quickly became a staple. To this day, users on apps like TikTok, Instagram, X, and more use “LVL’s” instrumental to provoke emotion in the audience. Many of these newer fans aren’t aware of Cloud Rap and its influence.
How was “LVL” made?
Very few videos explaining “LVL” exist. In fact, I was only able to find one. The Sample Stop 2 published a video titled “How A$AP Rocky (Clams Casino) – Level Was Made” on YouTube. The sample used in “LVL” is “Amazing Thailand – Sounds of Thailand” by Discovery Sound, published on June 28, 2008. Six different samples make up the main loop throughout the song: timestamps 0:58, 0:56, 0:44, and 0:46 in the original sampled video. In the comment section of the song breakdown, there was insight from a fan explaining that Rocky had the band HAIM come in to sing “All I need is love (x4)”, the outro section of the song. I confirmed this theory after researching and found that Genius credited the band’s uncredited vocals in the outro.
“LVL” is very minimal in terms of components. It contains Rocky’s vocals and ad-libs, the main loop, a bass, and a simple boom-bap kick and snare pattern with different effects, like reverb, distortion, and echo. Distortion is a recurring sound throughout the whole song; it essentially makes the song what it is. It is mainly used for the sample loop and bass.
One Last Thing
Clams Casino spoke about his process of creating new instrumentals in a rare interview with Redbull in 2011. He mentioned that he’d usually pick out a sample and try to flip it as many times as possible, including the ‘Amazing Thailand’ sample. Three official songs have been released using it: A$AP Rocky – “LVL,” Mac Miller’s – “One Last Thing,” and Lil B’s – Motivation.
The first of these tracks, Lil B’s “Motivation,” was released on January 18, 2011, marking the official debut of the “Amazing Thailand” instrumental. As one of Lil B’s earliest collaborations with Clams Casino, the track exemplifies the genre’s dreamlike aesthetic, with its lush, atmospheric production providing the perfect backdrop for Lil B’s introspective and motivational lyrics. “Motivation“ quickly became a fan favorite, solidifying Lil B’s status as a cloud rap innovator and showcasing Clams Casino’s ability to create beats that felt both otherworldly and deeply personal.
Nearly a year later, on November 8, 2011, Mac Miller released “One Last Thing,” the second track to feature the “Amazing Thailand” sample. Unlike Lil B’s version, Mac Miller’s take on the instrumental leaned into a more reflective vibe, aligning with the introspective tone of his I Love Life, Thank You mixtape. The track demonstrated the versatility of Clams Casino’s production, as the same sample could be reimagined to suit different artists’ styles while maintaining its core emotional resonance. Mac Miller’s use of the beat further cemented Clams Casino’s reputation as a go-to producer for artists looking to capture cloud rap’s signature sound.
Finally, A$AP Rocky’s “LVL,” released on January 15, 2013, became the third and most widely recognized iteration of the “Amazing Thailand” sample. Featured on Rocky’s critically acclaimed debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP, the track elevated Clams Casino’s production to new heights, blending the sample’s ethereal qualities with Rocky’s sharp, confident delivery. “LVL” not only became a standout moment on the album but also introduced Clams Casino’s work to a broader audience, solidifying his influence on the mainstream hip-hop landscape.
© Instrumental Relics