Artist Profile: A$AP Rocky

    Rakim Mayers, also known as A$AP Rocky, is an American rapper and songwriter. Besides making music, A$AP also has collaborated with clothing companies and Fenty Skin. He was born on October 3rd, 1988 in Harlem New York, NY. Rocky comes from a hard past, he grew in a very violent environment. His father, Adrian Meyers, was sent to jail for selling drugs when Rocky was just 12 years old and his older brother, Ricky Meyers, was killed due to a drug rivalry. His tragic losses inspired the rapper to continue and work hard in making music in order for him to have a better life.

    Rocky is part of A$AP Mob and is said to be the most successful member of the group. This group is full of rappers, producers, music directors, and fashion designers. A$AP YAMS, along with A$AP Bari, A$AP Kham, and A$AP Illz are known to be the original creators and founders of this group, but now have more than 22 members. Their famous acronym, A$AP, has many meanings within the group but it’s more commonly known to stand for “Always $trive and Prosper.” In 2007, at age 19, Rocky joined A$AP Mob and released his first mixtape.

     The mixtape he released was titled, LIVE. LAUGH. A$AP. This mixtape changed A$AP’s life since it quickly grew and was nominated for an award on BET Hip Hop Award for Best Mixtapes. After his quick rise to fame, Rocky released his first studio album titled LONG. LIVE. A$AP (2013). Rocky’s album was the first debut album to hit No.1 on Billboards 200 since the singer 2 Chainz did in 2012. A$AP released 2 more albums after that; AT. LONG. LAST. A$AP (2015) and Testing (2018). He has a total of about 20 singles (not including the ones in his albums) and more than 30 music collaborations with artists such as Tyler The Creator, Kid Cudi, Drake, A$AP Ferg, Playboi Carti, and so many more. 

     In addition to music, Rocky is also known to have a great sense of fashion. He is usually spotted wearing designer clothes. The artist has collaborated with luxury brands such as Guess, Dior, Under Armour, JW Anderson, Calvin Klein, and Gucci. He has recently had a photoshoot with his friends, Tyler the Creator and Iggy Pop for a Gucci campaign and can be found on Gucci’s YouTube channel. Tyler and A$AP are known to have a great friendship, but someone else who is very close to the rapper is Robyn Rihana Fenty, known as just Rihana. When she released Fenty Skin, A$AP Rocky, with Lil Nas X where the two males featured on her youtube ad.

      On July 3rd, 2019, A$AP Rocky was involved in a dispute in the streets of Sweden. This whole commotion started when officials accused A$AP of assaulting a 19-year-old man who had been severely beaten. Rocky spent about a month in Sweden’s custody while they resolved the case. On July 25th, he was formally charged in the country of Europe and was later sent home on August 2nd. Once he arrived in the US, he was extremely grateful and he expressed his gratitude on Instagram where he thanked all his followers for their support. About two weeks later, on August 14th, he was found guilty of aggravated assault in the United States. He didn’t receive any further jail sentence because he had previously served time in Sweden. This case caused many fans and public figures to be enraged since the rapper himself had proof that he and his friends were provoked by these men. In the video, his bodyguard was being pushed and yelled at which caused the rapper to defend himself, but authorities didn’t see it that way.

      Even though A$AP Rocky has been convicted of a crime, that doesn’t fade the fact that he’s a great rapper and songwriter. Coming from a troubled past, and now having a bright future, is very inspiring for many young children who are fighting for a better life and overall can inspire anyone to grow from their past. A$AP has had many accomplishments throughout his life and will continue to shock and impress the world in upcoming years.