Rakim Mayers , better known by his stage name, ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. Rocky released his debut mixtape Live. Love. ASAP in 2011 to critical acclaim. His debut album Long. Live. ASAP was later released on January 15, 2013, and was also well received by critics, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Background
Rakim Mayers was born in the crime-infested Harlem neighborhood. His father was from Barbados. He also has a younger sister.
Mayers was named after the hip hop legend Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo.
Mayers started rapping at age eight. He learned how to rap from his older brother, who also wore the French braids hairdo that Mayers later adopted. When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs; he died in 2012. When Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Rocky to take rapping more seriously. Mayers grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats. He was also influenced by UGK, Three 6 Mafia, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
Mayers sold drugs while moving around homeless shelters with his mother. By age 15, he had been selling crack cocaine in the Bronx. After living for a period in a shelter with his mother and elsewhere around Manhattan, he moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
Career
2007–11: Beginnings and mixtape
In 2007, Rocky joined the ASAP Mob crew, a Harlem-based collective of rappers, producers, music video directors, fashion designers, and bikers who shared similar interests in music, fashion, style, and art. It had been formed by ASAP Yams, ASAP Bari and ASAP Illz. ASAP was an acronym for "Always Strive and Prosper". On July 8, 2011, an unofficial compilation titled Deep Purple was released, which according to Rocky, was a compilation of his YouTube hits compiled by a fan in Paris.
In August, Rocky's first single "Peso" was leaked onto the Internet and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station. After he released a music video for his song "Purple Swag", he received attention from several record labels. In October, he released the mixtape Live. Love. ASAP to critical acclaim and signed a two-year, $3 million record deal with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. Upon his record deal, Rocky started a label, ASAP Worldwide, with ASAP Yams. On December 5, he was nominated for BBC's Sound of 2012 poll.
2012–present: Touring and debut album
Beginning in February 2012, Rocky joined Kendrick Lamar as the opening act for Drake's Club Paradise Tour.
In July, Rocky performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival. He was scheduled to make his network television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on July 20, but was arrested the night before after an alleged involvement in a brawl with 21 year old artist iRome. The scuffle took place in downtown Manhattan and the performance was canceled.
After it was rescheduled for August 21, Rocky performed "Goldie" on the show. On September 6, he also performed a guest rap on Rihanna's "Cockiness (Love It)" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.
Rocky produced his debut studio album Long. Live. ASAP with Clams Casino, Hit-Boy, ASAP Ty Beats, Soufein3000, and Joey Fat Beats. "Goldie" was released as its lead single on April 27.During September through November, Rocky promoted the album with a 40-date national tour, the Long Live ASAP Tour, with opening acts Schoolboy Q, Danny Brown, and ASAP Mob.The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 139,000 copies in the United States. As of March 13, 2013, it has sold 284,000 copies.
In April 12, 2013 during an interview at Wild 94.9 radio station, Rocky revealed he was working on an instrumental album which he plans to release without notice.
On June 21, Rocky told MTV News he had completed his debut instrumental album, which mostly consists of ambient oriented instrumental tracks, titled Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions (Chapter 1) and set to release during the summer for free download.