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Rakim Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, record producer, actor, model and music video director. He is a member of the hip hop group A$AP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker.
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
The rapper, whose real name is Rakim Myers, was born in October 1988. Life in one of the most criminal areas of New York left its mark on the artist's biography. His father was a drug dealer, which eventually landed him in jail. After that, she and her mother, brother and sister lived in shelters because there was not enough money.
To escape from the difficult reality, the boy was helped by rap, which he began to engage in, imitating his older brother. But that soon did not happen. In order to somehow help the family, Rakim started selling drugs and also ended up behind bars. He spent 2 weeks in detention sharing a cell with rapper Casanova. After his release, the young man realized that it was time to change his life, and seriously took up music.
MUSIC
At first, the artist's style was close to trillwave or cloud, but over time he developed his own, easily recognizable, somewhat lyrical sound, combining Kid Cudi's melody and Mason Beta's Harlem brilliance. ASAP Rocky himself said that he could, of course, write something funny, but in music, as well as in clothes, he prefers gloomy tones.
In 2007, the rapper joined the ASAP Mob collective, the first part of the name of which is an abbreviation of Always Strive And Prosper - “Always strive and prosper.” In the team, Rakim became especially close to ASAP Yams, who became his close friend and mentor.
The first wave of popularity came to the star after 4 years. His single Peso hit the Net and then aired on Hot 97 New York radio. Shortly after that, the artist presented a video for the Purple Swag track, which attracted the attention of recording studios.
October 2011 marked the release of the debut mixtape Live. love. A$AP, which brought the rapper not only critical acclaim, but also contracts with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. Some time later, the artist and ASAP Yams created their own label called A$AP Worldwide.
A significant moment in the career of ASAP Rocky was the opening act for Drake. Later, guests of the Pitchfork festival and the audience of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon could enjoy his work. The collaboration with Rihanna, with whom Rakim performed Cockiness (Love It) at the MTV Video Music Awards, was also successful.
The artist completed work on his first studio album in 2013, it was called Long. live. ASAP. Shortly before the release, the star's father died, which was a difficult moment for him. But he still found the strength to tour in support of the record.
Exit A.L.L.A. (from At. Long. Last. ASAP) was also not cloudless. A few days before the presentation, ASAP Yams passed away. Some time later, Rakim released the track Cozy Tapes, Vol. 1, dedicated to the memory of a friend.
As for the release, it was again successful and climbed to the top of the charts in the US and Canada. The highlight of the track list was the single Everyday, recorded together with Rob Stewart, Mark Ronson and Miguel.
In the same 2015, the performer presented a collaboration with the popular singer Selena Gomez. The composition was called Good For You, it hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and also received gold and platinum certifications.
Fans were looking forward to new records from the idol, but he decided to take a break. During this period, ASAP Rocky founded the creative agency AWGE with the team, doing business, producing music and directing videos.
News about the next release appeared in the summer of 2017. The album itself was presented only the following year and was called Testing. Part of the 17 songs featured Lenny Kravitz, Frank Ocean, British singer FKA twigs and Schoolboy Q. The track list included Fukk Sleep and Praise the Lord, which the listeners loved, but in general the disc was less successful than the previous ones.
2019 was marked by the arrival of the star in Moscow, where he gave a concert. This caused a lot of discussion, as did Rakim's acquaintance with Yegor Creed. Later, a screen of correspondence was published on the Web, in which ASAP Rocky allegedly tells a fan that he was paid for a photo with a Russian. Creed called her a fake.
In the same year, the hit Babushka Boi was released. The idea for the track came about after the rapper fell off his scooter and was forced to wear a headscarf to hide a scar on his face. Then the star's colleague, Frank Ocean, shared a photo of himself in a headscarf, under which ASAP Rocky left a comment that became the title of the single.
Although the song was released in August, it was recorded before the artist was arrested in Sweden in July. He was accused of gang beating, the evidence of the crime was a video published on the Web. But the rapper refused to admit guilt and shared his version of events. He posted on his Instagram account (the social network is banned in the Russian Federation, it belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation) a series of videos where it was seen how the victim was chasing Rakim and molesting girls.
Many celebrities have sided with the performer, including President Donald Trump. They demanded that the star be released immediately, but the Swedish authorities refused to go forward. After an investigation, ASAP Rocky's guilt was nevertheless proven, and he paid the fine.
During the time the artist was in custody, his colleague Alan Walker presented their joint track Live Fast. It was recorded as an anthem for the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, in the style of which the music video was filmed.
FASHION
A singer with a bright appearance is often invited for fashion shoots. So, he became a representative of Dior and a model for Calvin Klein, for which he starred in a "barn" photo shoot in the company of the rest of the A $ AP Mob group. For his impeccable sense of style, Rakim was awarded 2nd place in the list of The Most Influential Person - 2017, compiled by the portal Highsnobiety. He even surpassed the well-known fashionista Kanye West.
In 2013, the musician himself became interested in design, founded the ASAP Rocky fashion brand in collaboration with Raf Simons. In addition, the rapper participated in the creation of collections for Guess Jeans and Under Armor. The star is proud of the results, saying that he is not into fashion, he is fashion.
In addition to clothing, the performer personally thinks over the design of the beds that are in his house. He even planned to sell them, but the price for the box, to which Rakim had a hand, reaches $100,000. The artist is sure that few people want to buy an interior item at the cost of a car.
PERSONAL LIFE
The novels of the star have always been vigorously discussed in the press, because he does not hide information about his personal life. Rakim once said that he likes girls who are not inferior to men, like Rihanna. He called her the ideal of femininity.
Over the years, the artist had a relationship with Chanel Iman and Iggy Azalea. The latter even got the name of the Live mixtape stamped into her skin. love. A$AP, but deleted the last part after breaking up.
The rapper was also credited with romances with other star colleagues, including Lana Del Rey. And after he was noticed in the company of model Kendall Jenner, many publications immediately wrote that they were a couple. But in an interview with ASAP, Rocky continued to say that he is a loner and is unlikely to be able to connect his life with someone forever.
In 2020, the media were full of rumors that the artist was in a relationship with Rihanna. Fans reacted to the information incredulously, as the performers were longtime friends and often appeared together in public. But in May of the following year, the rapper gave an interview to GQ magazine, in which he revealed the details of an affair with an industry colleague. He called her the love of his life and admitted that from the first meeting he had tender feelings for her. Soon the information was confirmed.
And in January 2022, it became known that Rihanna was pregnant with ASAP Rocky. In April, the media spread the news about the betrayal of the rapper with designer Amina Muaddi. However, despite this, Rakim and Rihanna went on vacation to Barbados together. And on their return, the couple was in for an unpleasant surprise - the police were waiting for them at the airport, who arrested ASAP Rocky for suspicion of attacking people with shooting.
In May, Rihanna gave the rapper a son.
INTERSTING FACTS
- The weight of the star is 74 kg with a height of 179 cm. In the past, Rakim adhered to the principles of pescatarianism, then switched to vegetarianism, and already in 2019 he called himself a vegan.
- According to the performer, when composing music, he looks for inspiration in psychedelic drugs.
- The artist admires the work of Michael Jackson, The Diplomats, Three Six Mafia.
- Rakim managed to try himself as an actor, starred in the films "Drug" and "Model Male - 2".
