A$AP Rocky: Personal Life
A$AP Rocky was arrested in 2012 after assaulting a man in a New York clothing store, as well as two paparazzi who were filming the incident. He was charged with assault and robbery after attempting to steal the photographers’ cameras. His charges were later reduced to attempted grand larceny and the assault charge was dropped.’
In 2011 and 2012, Rocky dated Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Rocky began dating model Chanel Iman in early 2013. They split up in 2014. Rocky first collaborated with Rihanna in 2013, when he opened for the Grammy winner on her Diamonds World Tour. Rocky announced his relationship with singer Rihanna in early 2021, calling her “the love of my life” in an interview with GQ.
Rocky ate only fish. After learning about the horrors of the poultry industry, he transitioned to a vegetarian diet with the help of his vegan manager in 2012. Rocky announced his vegan status in his 2019 single “Babushka Boi.”
Rocky’s alleged sex tape was leaked in December 2019.
Rocky has stated that, despite being raised in a Christian home, he prefers not to attend organized churches and instead has “[his] own relationship with God… I pray every day before I go to sleep.” On his 2015 album At. Long, he addresses these concerns in the song “Holy Ghost.” Last but not least. Rocky prayed to keep himself occupied while imprisoned in Sweden in 2019.
A$AP Rocky: Musical career
In 2007, A$AP Rocky was a member of the A$AP Mob, a hip hop collective. The acronym means “Always Strive and Prosper,” “Assassinating Snitches and Police,” and “Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose.”
A Parisian fan released ‘Deep Purple,’ a compilation of his YouTube hits, in 2011. Soon after, his single ‘Peso’ was leaked and went on to chart on the Hot 97 New York radio station as well as the US R&B chart.
After releasing a music video for his song ‘Purple Swag,’ he was approached by several record labels and soon released his debut mixtape ‘Live. Love. ASAP’, which landed him contracts with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music.
“Live Love ASAP,” his upcoming debut mixtape, is placeless and universal, sounding as if it has absorbed the last 20 years of hip-hop travels and would be at home anywhere. There are chewy, slowed-down homages to Houston, flow patterns reminiscent of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from Cleveland, nods to New Orleans, Atlanta, the Bay Area, and everywhere else hip-hop is made. Almost everywhere except New York, it appears.
That is, the old New York. New York has a new role on “Live Love ASAP.” It was once the universal donor, but now it is the universal recipient.
Other cities have served in this capacity for many years. While the New York classicists held their ground, the rest of hip-hop looked on, amused, and continued to work, absorbing outside influences and creating their own sounds. Atlanta, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta all took turns as hip-center, hop’s proving that debating hip-center hop’s was becoming increasingly anachronistic.
“Live Love ASAP” would be understandable in all of those locations. ASAP Rocky shows off a well-honed style on this deeply assured and heavily narcotic album, with straight-talking boasts, heavy intake of drugs and women, and a deceptive intricacy that reveals itself in bursts of short phrases, rhymed in their entirety. It’s a knowing and confident album, with two slick, fully formed singles, “Purple Swag” and “Peso,” that are among the best hip-hop songs of the year.
He was nominated for the BBC’s annual ‘Sound of 2012’ poll in December of that year.
In February 2012, he opened for Kendrick Lamar on Drake’s Club Paradise tour, solidifying his position as a prominent hip-hop rising star. He later appeared at the Pitchfork Music Festival. “LongLiveA$AP,” his highly anticipated Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records debut album, was released in January 2013.
In that same year, his A$AP Mob associate A$AP Twelvyy was accused by Rocky’s former collaborator SpaceGhostPurrp (of Raider Klan) of assaulting Raider Klan’s Matt Stoops, prompting Space to post a YouTube video announcing his separation from the A$AP collective. Later, he claimed that they were imitating Raider’s style and stealing some of their lyrics.
He was arrested for fighting a 21-year-old in Manhattan just before his scheduled appearance on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,’ and he didn’t appear on the show until a month later.
He made a cameo appearance at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards during Rihanna’s song “Cockiness (Love It)” in September. Despite not making an official debut, the rapper finished the year with a nomination for BBC Radio’s Sound of 2012 poll, a role as Lana Del Rey’s husband in the singer’s “National Anthem” video, and a spot in a television commercial for the popular videogame FIFA Soccer 13. LongliveASAP was released in 2013 and featured the single “Goldie.” His guests included Santigold, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, and Yelawolf, with production from Clams Casino, Danger Mouse, and Jim Jonsin.
In 2013, he released his debut album ‘Long. Live. ASAP,’ which included the UK charting single ‘Goldie.’ The album debuted at number one on the US Album chart, as well as the R&B, Rap, and UK R&B charts.
His other works include the free mixtape ‘Lord$ Never Worry,’ which he collaborated on with A$AP Mob.
Rocky revealed in an interview with Wild 94.9 radio station on April 12, 2013 that he was working on an instrumental album that he planned to release without notice. He also talked about his favorite music videos and his desire to work with veteran rapper André 3000. On June 21, Rocky revealed to MTV News that he had finished his debut instrumental album, titled Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions (Chapter 1), which would be available for free download this summer.
A$AP Rocky: Childhood
A$AP Rocky was born in Harlem, New York City and brought up around Manhattan, including living in a shelter with his mother, before moving to Elmwood Park, New Jersey. His father was jailed for drug offences when he was 12.
His brother was killed near his apartment when he was 13. This experience and his growing up made him want to go into rapping as a career.
He started rapping at 8-years-old, inspired by the likes of The Diplomats, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
A$AP Rocky: Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dope | Dom | |
| Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | Himself | |
| Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | Himself | ||
| 2018 | Monster | William King | |
| 2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics | Himself | Documentary |
| 2021 | Stockholm Syndrome | Himself | Documentary |
| 2021 | A Man Named Scott | Himself | Documentary |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: “A$AP Rocky Wears a Black Button Up Jacket and Black Sneakers” |
| 2016 | Animals. | Bodega Cat 2 (voice) | Episode: “Flies.” |
| 2016 | The Eric Andre Show | Himself | Episode: “Stacey Dash; Jack McBrayer” |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Marvel Avengers Academy | Falcon | Voice |
| 2022 | Need for Speed Unbound | Voice and likeness |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | “National Anthem“ | Lana Del Rey | John F. Kennedy | Lead role |
| 2013 | “Hold On, We’re Going Home“ | Drake | Guest Star | |
| “White Walls” (featuring Schoolboy Q and Hollis) | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | Guest Star | ||
| 2015 | “Picture Me Rollin’“ | Chris Brown | Guest Star | |
| 2016 | “Reminder“ | The Weeknd | Guest Star | |
| “What The Fuck Right Now” | Tyler, the Creator | Guest Star | Featured on remix | |
| “Surfin’“ | Kid Cudi | Guest Star | ||
| “Nikes“ | Frank Ocean | Guest Star | ||
| 2017 | “See You Again“ | Tyler, the Creator | Guest Star | |
| “Who Dat Boy/911“ | Guest Star | Featured on song | ||
| 2019 | “Issues/Hold On“ | Teyana Taylor | Guest Star |
A$AP Rocky: Legal Issues
A$AP Rocky spent two weeks in Rikers Island in 2006 for drug dealing, sharing a cell with future rapper Casanova.
On July 19, 2012, he was arrested for his alleged involvement in a brawl in downtown Manhattan involving a 21-year-old artist named iRome.
He was sued in July 2012 for allegedly violently attacking an innocent man after being caught doing illegal drugs in a New York clothing store. Later, he was arrested for assaulting two amateur photographers who were photographing the incident. That incident resulted in a plea bargain in which he admitted to grand larceny for attempting to steal their cameras.
A$AP Rocky allegedly slapped a woman on August 31, 2013 at the Budweiser Made in America Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “Misdemeanor simple assault, a class two misdemeanor,” he was charged. After a witness failed to appear in court, the case was dismissed. In July 2014, the woman filed a lawsuit, claiming that she was still suffering from the effects of the alleged assault. A$AP Rocky claims he never touched the woman in question and that she “should have known there could be trouble in place with so many people.” In April 2015, the two reached an agreement in their lawsuit.
Rocky was sued by his former manager, Geno Sims, for alleged breach of contract in late September 2015, prompting him to countersue. Damages of $300,000 were sought in the lawsuit. Rocky and Sims reached a legal settlement four years later, in 2019, dropping both suits against each other.
