Potato Salad

"Potato Salad" is a celebratory and boastful freestyle that showcases the lyrical prowess, creative synergy, and unique personas of Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. The song's meaning is not rooted in a deep narrative but in the expression of their success, wealth, and influence in both the music and fashion industries. It's a playful yet potent declaration of their status. The core themes revolve around luxury and high fashion, with both artists detailing their expensive and curated tastes, from COMME des GARÇONS blouses to Chanel bags, distinguishing themselves from mainstream rapper clichés. Another key theme is creative confidence and lyrical dexterity. The song is a platform for them to deliver intricate wordplay, clever metaphors (like Tyler's PlayStation controller scheme), and witty punchlines. The freestyle format emphasizes their skill and spontaneity. Furthermore, A$AP Rocky introduces a commentary on the state of hip-hop, defending the new generation of artists from older critics and positioning himself as a discerning but open-minded figure in the genre. Ultimately, the song is about the joy of collaboration between two friends who are at the top of their game, clowning around in Paris and effortlessly asserting their dominance and influence. The random title "Potato Salad" itself is a classic example of Tyler's absurdist humor, suggesting the song is a casual, fun creation not meant to be taken with excessive seriousness.

The song unfolds as a dynamic and playful lyrical sparring session between two prominent figures in modern hip-hop, Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. It's a freestyle, delivered with palpable energy and confidence over a borrowed, soulful instrumental. The narrative isn't a linear story but rather a collection of boasts, witty observations, and declarations of their status in the music and fashion worlds. The setting, both in the accompanying video and in the lyrical imagery, is international and luxurious, specifically Paris, which serves as a backdrop for their success.

Tyler, The Creator kicks off the track with a barrage of clever, multi-layered punchlines. He immediately establishes a tone of playful aggression and intricate wordplay. He frames his threats and boasts through the metaphor of a video game, referencing a PlayStation controller's buttons (X, O, triangle, square) to describe how he can metaphorically 'end' his rivals. This section highlights his cleverness and technical skill as a lyricist. He then transitions to themes of wealth and high fashion, dismissing common rapper tropes like flashy jewelry from Ben Baller in favor of more unique, high-fashion items like COMME des GARÇONS blouses. He emphasizes the scale of his success by mentioning he buys entire houses, not just consumer goods, and populates them with A-list celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cole Sprouse. His verse is a testament to his unique brand of luxury—less about generic bling and more about cultivated taste and significant financial power. He paints himself as an outsider, an 'alien', who has nonetheless achieved massive success, a recurring theme in his career.

A$AP Rocky seamlessly picks up where Tyler leaves off, maintaining the song's high energy while injecting his own distinct style and perspective. His verse also heavily revolves around fashion, a cornerstone of his public persona. He famously and repeatedly insists that his designer bag is 'not a purse, it's a satchel,' a line that became one of the song's most memorable and quoted moments. This highlights his confidence in bending traditional gender norms in fashion. Rocky pays homage to his influences, giving a shout-out to Lil B and The Pack's influential song "Vans." He then broadens his scope to comment on the state of the hip-hop industry. He defends the newer generation of artists often labeled as 'mumble rappers' from the criticism of older generations, positioning himself as a bridge between the old and new schools. He criticizes the 'super seniors'—the older artists who are out of touch—for their blanket dismissal of new styles, while simultaneously asserting his own superior talent and lyrical complexity. He references his own album 'Testing' and a collaboration with Kodak Black, grounding his commentary in his own work. Rocky's verse is a blend of high-fashion flexing, cultural commentary, and a display of his effortless, charismatic flow, solidifying the track's theme of two artists at the peak of their creative and commercial powers enjoying their success.

"Potato Salad" was born out of a freestyle session between Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. It was first released to the public on July 23, 2018, as part of A$AP Mob's creative collective AWGE's video compilation, "AWGE DVD Vol. 3". The accompanying music video was filmed in Paris, France, and features the duo rapping and joking around in front of landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. The track is not an original composition but a freestyle over the instrumental of Monica's 2003 R&B hit "Knock Knock." This beat was produced by hip-hop legends Missy Elliott and Kanye West, and it samples The Masqueraders' song "It's a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love". Tyler, The Creator revealed on Twitter that he had been wanting to rap over that specific beat for ten years, making the release a long-held creative desire fulfilled. The freestyle became an instant fan favorite upon its informal release. Due to its popularity, the song was later officially released on all streaming services on September 28, 2018, indicating that the necessary sample clearances had been obtained. The music video and song also famously teased a potential collaborative project between the two artists titled "WANG$AP" (a portmanteau of Tyler's Golf Wang and A$AP), although a full album has yet to materialize.

The rhyme and rhythm of "Potato Salad" are characteristic of a freestyle, prioritizing a confident, conversational flow over a rigid, predictable structure. The song is performed over a smooth, mid-tempo beat sampled from Monica's "Knock Knock," which has a soulful, relaxed groove. Both Tyler and Rocky adopt a loose, free-verse rhyme scheme, relying heavily on internal rhymes, assonance, and consonance to create a sense of lyrical density and cohesion. For example, Tyler's line "I whip clean and they all white, I whip cream and cop cribs / I got more space than big jeans, y'all sleepin' on me, explain why they got shit dreams" demonstrates this internal rhyming. Their flows are dynamic and conversational, speeding up and slowing down to emphasize certain punchlines. The rhythm of their delivery often plays against the beat's steady pulse, creating a syncopated and engaging listening experience. This interplay between the laid-back instrumental and the energetic, complex vocal rhythms is central to the track's appeal, making it feel both effortless and technically impressive.

"Potato Salad" is rich with stylistic techniques that highlight the distinct artistic identities of both rappers while creating a cohesive and energetic track.

• Literary Techniques: The song is a showcase of intricate wordplay and puns, such as Tyler's line "we really with the beef like closeted gay fathers," a crude but clever double entendre. Both artists employ vivid imagery related to wealth and high fashion ("double C my luggage and fill 'em with Comme blouses"). A$AP Rocky uses allusion frequently, referencing Lil B, The Pack, Shabazz Palaces, and the movie The Hangover. His verse also contains a direct commentary on the state of rap, addressing the 'mumble rap' debate.
• Musical Techniques: The song's foundation is a prominent sample of Monica's "Knock Knock," produced by Missy Elliott and Kanye West. This gives the track a soulful, early-2000s R&B feel, which contrasts with the modern rap flows. The vocal delivery is conversational and energetic, emulating a live freestyle. The production is relatively minimalist, allowing the lyrical performance and the chemistry between Tyler and Rocky to be the central focus. The music video employs a distinct DIY, cut-and-paste visual aesthetic, with animated text and simple CGI that complements the song's playful and spontaneous nature.

"Potato Salad" made a significant cultural splash despite its origins as a freestyle on a DVD compilation. Its primary impact was in solidifying the public's desire for a collaborative project between Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky, marketed as "WANG$AP". The tease at the end of the video generated immense hype and discussion within the hip-hop community. A$AP Rocky's line, "it's not a purse, it's a satchel," became an instant viral moment and a widely used meme, reflecting and influencing conversations around contemporary masculinity and fashion in streetwear culture. The song was a fan-favorite, praised for the palpable chemistry between the two artists. While not a major chart hit, its official release on streaming platforms was a direct result of its organic popularity. The track is often cited as a highlight in both artists' loose-track discographies and stands as a testament to their influence as cultural tastemakers in music and fashion. The music video's DIY, collage-style editing also influenced a wave of similar visuals in the hip-hop space.

While "Potato Salad" is largely a straightforward freestyle, it contains several clever metaphors and symbolic references that enrich the lyrics:

• The PlayStation Controller Metaphor: In his opening verse, Tyler, The Creator uses the buttons of a PlayStation controller as a metaphor for violence and control. He raps, "I ain't playing games but I got some little niggas who would do it / So I pass 'em the controller... You get pressed and X'd out / Triangle your nose, pause your life if you squares try to mess with my O's." Each button represents an action: 'pressed' for being attacked, 'X'd out' for being eliminated, a 'triangle' for a bloody nose, 'pause' for stopping a life, and 'squares' for uncool people trying to interfere with his 'O's' (circle of friends or money). This extended metaphor is a creative way to deliver threats while showcasing his witty, nerdy persona.
• "Not a purse, it's a satchel": A$AP Rocky's repeated insistence that his designer bag is a 'satchel' functions as a symbol of his confident and progressive approach to fashion. It directly confronts traditional notions of masculinity by proudly embracing an accessory often associated with women. This line became a cultural touchstone, symbolizing the blurring of gender lines in streetwear and high fashion.
• "Super Seniors": Rocky uses the term "super seniors"—typically high school students who take longer than four years to graduate—as a metaphor for older, established rappers who are critical of the younger generation ('freshmen'). He accuses them of "mumbling and rambling," suggesting their critiques are out of touch and lack substance, effectively symbolizing a generational divide and a resistance to the evolution of the hip-hop genre.

The most prominent recurring phrase in "Potato Salad" is A$AP Rocky's declaration: "This ain't a purse, it's a satchel." He repeats this line twice in his verse for emphasis. This phrase functions as a central motif for his part of the song, encapsulating his flamboyant fashion sense and his defiance of traditional masculine norms. It quickly became the song's most iconic and quoted line, serving as a memorable hook and a statement piece. Another recurring motif throughout the track is the theme of luxury and high fashion. Both artists continuously reference designer brands (COMME des GARÇONS, Chanel, Vans) and extravagant lifestyles (buying houses, hanging with celebrities), creating a consistent backdrop of success and wealth. Finally, the video ends with the text "WANG$AP Coming Soon," a recurring teaser for the rumored collaborative project between Tyler's Golf Wang and A$AP Mob, which, while not a lyrical motif, was a significant recurring element in their collaborations during that period.