ASAP Rocky
ASAP Rocky | |
---|---|
Birth name | Rakim Mayers |
Born | October 3, 1988 |
Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, music video director |
Years active | 2010–present |
Labels | A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds |
Website | asapmob |
Rakim Mayers (born October 3, 1988), better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an African American rapper and director. Born and raised in the New York City neighborhood, Harlem, he released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in 2011. On December 5, 2011, the BBC announced that he had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll.[1] He is working on the A$AP Mob album, as well as his debut album, LongLiveA$AP, scheduled to be released in July 2012.
Biography
Early life and career beginnings (1988-2010)
Born in 1988, Mayers was named after the hip hop star Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo.[2][3] When he was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs. A year later an older brother was killed near his apartment, which inspired him to take rapping seriously.[4] Mayers had started rapping at age 8,[5] grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats, and also lists among his influences Three 6 Mafia, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, UGK, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[6][7] After living in a shelter with his mother, and elsewhere around Manhattan, Mayers moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey.[2]
LiveLoveA$AP and LongLiveA$AP he is currently in a marraige with abby lee cunningham<3 (2011–present)
The "Peso" single was leaked onto the internet in August 2011 and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station. Music videos for "Peso" and "Purple Swag" generated further buzz and resulted in ASAP Rocky signing a reported two $3 million record deal with Sony, RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. ASAP Rocky released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in October to generally positive reviews from critics.[8][9][10][11] ASAP Rocky was one of the artists, along with rapper Kendrick Lamar featured on Drake's 'Club Paradise Tour' in 2012. In an interview with Fuse TV in Austin at the SXSW music festival, ASAP Rocky revealed the title of his debut studio album to be LongLiveA$AP, with hopes to release it on July 4, 2012. He also announced the ASAP Mob album is due in May.
Discography
Studio albums
- LongLiveA$AP (2012)
Mixtapes
- LiveLoveA$AP (2011)
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B |
US Rap | ||||
"Goldie" | 2012 | TBR | TBR | TBR | LongLiveA$AP | |
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. |
Promotional singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US R&B [12] | |||
"Peso"[13] | 2011 | 75 | LiveLoveA$AP |
"Purple Swag"[14] | — | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|
"Get High" | 2010 | – | A$AP Ferg |
"Take 1" | 2011 | 808s & Dark Grapes II | Main Attrakionz |
"Make It Stack" | Cold Corner 2 | Lloyd Banks | |
"Real Hustlers Don't Sleep" | Blue Dream & Lean | Juicy J | |
"4 Loko" | Rolling Stoned | Smoke DZA | |
"4 Loko" (Remix) | Sweet Baby Kushed God | Smoke DZA, A$AP Twelvy, Danny Brown, Killa Kyleon, Freeway | |
"Grippin Woodgrain" | – | Seth Narley | |
"Hands on the Wheel" | 2012 | Habits & Contradictions | Schoolboy Q |
"Street Knock" | Limitless | Swizz Beatz | |
"Yao Ming" | MTA3: The Trinity Movement | David Banner, 2 Chainz | |
"Big Spender" | Lovers Holiday 2: Rose Island | Theophilus London |
Music videos
Song | Year | Artist | Director |
---|---|---|---|
"Get High"[15] | 2010 | ASAP Rocky (featuring ASAP Ferg) | King Zulu |
"Purple Swag"[16] | 2011 | ASAP Rocky | Jason Ano and Rakim Mayers |
"Peso"[17] | Abteen Bagheri and Rakim Mayers | ||
"4 Loko"[18] | Smoke DZA (featuring ASAP Rocky) | Cristopher Schafer and Kory Smith | |
"Demons"[19] | ASAP Rocky | Donjai | |
"Wassup"[20] | 2012 | Rakim Mayers | |
"Hands on the Wheel"[21] | Schoolboy Q (featuring ASAP Rocky) | Jerome D | |
"Goldie" | ASAP Rocky | Rakim Mayers | |
"Street Knock" | Swizz Beatz (featuring ASAP Rocky) | Taj |
Awards and nominations
Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | BBC Sound of 2012 | Sound of 2012[1] | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/soundof/2012/artists/asaprocky/
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (2011-10-12). "Thinking Globally, Rapping Locally". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Battan, Carrie (2011-10-28). "A$AP Rocky Talks $3 Million Record Deal, Mainstream Acceptance". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Zeichner, Naomi (2011-10-14). "Gen F: ASAP Rocky". The Fader. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
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(help) - ^ Markman, Rob (2011-10-20). "Drake Has 'Good Taste,' A$AP Rocky Says After Co-Sign". MTV. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Murphy, K. (2011-11-02). "A$AP Rocky Talks Debut Album, Musical Influences, and Accepting Gay Fans". Vibe. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "ASAP Rocky - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Weiss, Jeff (2011-11-10). "Album Reviews: A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveA$AP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Barshad, Amos (2011-11-06). "Veggie-Friendly Weirdo Rap". New York. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Madden, Mike (2011-11-07). "Album Review: ASAP Rocky – LiveLoveA$AP". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Markman, Rob (2011-11-07). "A$AP Rocky Having A 'Good Time' On Debut Mixtape". MTV. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of January 28, 2012 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ A$AP Rocky > "Peso" - Single iTunes, Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- ^ A$AP Rocky > "Purple Swag" - Single iTunes, Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ^ ASAP Rocky > "Get High" Youtube, Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^ ASAP Rocky > "Purple Swag" > Directed by Jason Ano + ASAP Rocky Youtube, Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ^ ASAP Rocky > "Peso" > Directed by Abteen Bagheri + ASAP Rocky Youtube, Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ^ Smoke DZA featuring A$AP Rocky > "4 Loko" > Directed by Cristopher Schafer + Kory Smith Youtube, Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ^ ASAP Rocky > "Demons" Youtube, Retrieved 2012-1-30.
- ^ AllHipHop.com Interview Youtube, Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ ScHoolboy Q featuring A$AP Rocky > "Hands on the Wheel" > Directed by Jerome D Youtube, Retrieved 2012-01-21.