Rakim Mayers, professionally known as A$AP Rocky, is an American multi-talented entertainer from Harlem, New York City. He is best known as a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and model. His close confidants refer to him as Pretty Flacko and Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye. Rocky’s success and notoriety have been a result of his inventive remix style of rap, juxtaposition of words, and warbling ad-libs. He is part of broader hip-hop movement known as the A$AP Mob.
Rocky was born on October 3rd, North American Time Zones. He spent his childhood in Harlem and was raised in poverty by his mother. Rocky was exposed to hip-hop at an early age as his brother was already rapping and producing music. As he grew up, he observed the difficulties of his family’s life and began to rap with his brother and friends as an escape. His older brother also served a major role model in his mind, thus his brother's death at the age of thirteen was a very difficult time for Rocky. Despite the circumstances, Rocky continued to take every experience as a lesson and use it to grow musically.
In 2010, Rocky's career got off to an impetuous start when he released his debut mixtape ‘LiveLoveA$AP’. The reception was overwhlemingly positive and he eventually signed a $2.7 million deal with Sony/RCA Records. People took notice of his unique crossover of rock, electronic and rap, thus inadvertently causing a vital shift in the United States' music industry.
The following year, A$AP released his debut solo studio album ‘Long.Live.A$AP.’ His single "Wild for the Night" was a top 10 hit on the R&B/Hip-Hop Billboard chart, and the album reached number one on the rap board. The album surpassed expectations and received both critical and commercial success. This attention allowed Rocky to tour and perform across North America, Europe, and Asia. Alongside this success, Rocky has been featured in a variety of outlets such as Complex magazine and XXL Magazine.
As his career continued to evolve and blossom, he released his second studio album at the end of 2015. The album was titled 'At.Long.Last.A$AP.' and featured artists like Musician and composer Alan Braxe, US Rapper Kid Cudi, multi-instrumentalist Miguel, British Dialect MC Devlin, and UK Dance duo Disclosure. Earning a perfect 5-star rating from music magazine Rolling Stone, the album further cemented Rocky's name as one of the forefronts of modern-day rap.
Apart from music, Rocky has made appearances in a few films. His first feature-length film was Dope which was released in 2015. He was also featured in ‘Zoolander 2’ released the following year. He has had endorsements from Puma, a clothing line he created called “AWGEâ€, and Under Armour.
Today, A$AP Ferg and Rocky are continuing to take on the world. With Rocky always making sure to come back to his roots in Harlem, he is constantly pushing everyone to get out their comfort zones. Much of his discography has taken on much darker overtones and has shed more light into the darker corners of his life. Nonetheless, his lyrical prowess gets the point across perfectly.
In a couple years Rocky has taken music industry by storm and it is just the beginning. His unique style and imprint on the music industry is evident and there is no sign of him slowing down. He has overcome tremendous odds and continues to take over the rap game, millions of fans worldwide will continue to watch what he does next and stand by him every step of the way.