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Rakim Athelaston Mayers aka A$AP Rocky was born on October 3, 1988, in Harlem, New York City. Rocky has an older brother who is now deceased and an older sister named Erika. A$AP Rocky's name, Rakim, and his older sister's name, Erika, are taken from the Eric B. & Rakim duo, showcasing his family's Hip Hop influence. He would begin his music journey in 2007, joining A$AP Mob, a Harlem-based collective of rappers, producers, music video directors, fashion designers, and bikers who shared similar interests in music, fashion, style, and art. In 2011 he began releasing music with his debut single, Purple Swag. This single was received really well and would be followed by another single and later his debut mixtape, Live. Love. A$AP. Rocky's career would only flourish from here on with later releases, Long. Live. A$AP, At. Long. Last. A$AP, and Testing. A$AP Rocky is now perceived as more than just a rapper, he's a fashion icon, often incorporating it into his music, and has also been Rihanna's partner since 2020, with them now having two kids. A$AP Rocky's last album was in 2018 and fans have been patiently waiting for his next release. He's dropped some singles and teased his upcoming album since late 2022 yet no actual release seems close. It's unclear what A$AP Rocky's music career looks like moving forward with such a long drought since his last album but fans can expect more.

#Bio #A$AP #HipHop #History #Harlem

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I chose A$AP Rocky because I'm a big fan of what he does. I really enjoy most of his music and he's a really creative person. He goes beyond music and expands into other lanes. I really like his sense of fashion and it's something that he's well known for now. A$AP Rocky always seems to stay true to himself and does what he wants. He has a cool personality and it shows in his music, which is a big reason why I like him. #Mystory #A$AP #Personal #Music #Real

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A$AP Rocky's lyrics often get overshadowed by other aspects of his music. However, he has a lot of great lyrics, especially on more personal songs like Pharsyde or Demons. For example he says the following on Demons,

"I smoked away my brain, I think I'm goin' dumb

Cocaine up on my gums, I think they're goin' numb

I'm havin' stomach pains, now I'm throwin' up

'Cause I'm a microphone fiend, give me the bass

Give me the beat, and let me lean, tap the vein, let it stream"

These lines showcase A$AP Rocky's struggle with drugs, talking about weed and cocaine. He also references Eric B. and Rakim's song "Microphone Fiend", which makes sense due to A$AP Rocky's name, history, and song itself. He also acts like music is a drug, saying that he's fiend and he wants the beat and the bass. I also see the following line, "and let me lean" as a double entendre, with him saying to give him music and let him lean back while also referencing the drug, lean. The lines after fall into the drug and music theme too with him saying "tap the vein, let it stream".

#Lyricanalysis #Lyrics #A$APRocky #Demons #A$AP

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"They ask me why I don't go to church no more

Cause church is the new club and wine is the new bub

And lies is the new drugs

My sister the next stripper, my brother the next victim

My usher the next tricker"

The song that these lyrics come from, "Holy Ghost" is one of my favorite A$AP Rocky songs. The song mainly focuses on religion. A$AP Rocky himself believes in religion and having hope and faith. However, he feels that church has a lot of hypocritical people there. This is why he compares it to a club, with them being complete opposites yet having many similarities. Church can have evil people hidden in it, who don't practice what they preach. I feel like these lyrics influence me because I share a similar opinion and talking about religion can be a touchy/difficult subject for artists and listeners so him being able to take on the subject is something brave.

A$AP Rocky talks about the song here around the 8-minute mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c68t9b3lnmM

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A$AP Rocky was born in Harlem, Manhattan. Harlem is a city with a lot of history. Hip Hop has been a big part of Harlem since the beginning with artists such as Big L and Kurtis Blow being from there. Alongside its big Hip Hop influence, Harlem also consists of some R&B/Soul artists such as Black Ivory and Freddie Jackson. Overall Harlem has a lot of black influence and history attached to it, especially with the big impact that the Harlem Renaissance had. A$AP Rocky also heavily admired The Diplomats, a Harlem-based rap group. His state, New York City, also played a big part in who he is, with him being influenced by many artists from there such as Mobb Deep, Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, etc.

#Harlem #History #Manhattan #NYC #A$APRocky

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One of the biggest things A$AP Rocky is known for is his fashion. Early on in his career around 2013, he would often go for a "health goth" aesthetic. He would often wear mid-top Air Force One’s with a minimalist style. As Rocky got bigger he began to go for a more flashy look wearing formal denim, velvet overcoats, relaxed tailoring, and lots of faux-fur jackets. Around 2018 Rocky started to wear Babushkas often, releasing one of his most popular singles "Babushka Boi". In 2020 A$AP Rocky and Rihanna's relationship would become public. This led to a style shift for Rocky with him now wearing workwear combos and bigger/baggier fits. He always has the occasional unique fit that surprises people, and it's clear that he's cemented himself as a fashion icon.

#Fashion #A$AP #Evolution #Groundbreaking #Inspirational

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A$AP Rocky was inspired and influenced by a lot of different artists. Being born and living in New York he was influenced by groups such as Wu-Tang Clan, Run DMC, Mobb Deep, and The Diplomats. Even with his time spent in NYC and the people he admired from there, A$AP Rocky has a very clear Southern inspiration with looking up to groups like Three 6 Mafia and UGK. Rocky has multiple songs with Juicy J, Famous Memphis rapper and key member of Three 6 Mafia, and has a song with UGK. His Southern influence is apparent in his lyrics with Rocky often saying Southern slang such as "Trill" and referencing artists from the South with lines such as "It's the gold teeth, French braids, call me Project Pat" and "I remember, if Pimp was alive he'd tell these h**s and these n****s". A$AP Rocky's influences play a big part in the artist he is and he embraces them well.

#NYC #Memphis #JuicyJ #UGK #Influences

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A$AP Rocky is an artist who pays great attention to the art and imagery of his albums. All his album covers follow a dark color scheme, with his first 3 being in black and white. This in turn can often be reflected in his music and fashion. When Rocky released Testing he would often wear yellow and/or black. He had a certain image that he wanted to go for and he achieved it. Rocky is great at creating good art for his albums, on his AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP album cover the only color that can be seen is A$AP Yams' birthmark, as a tribute to his close friend that he had lost recently during that time. A$AP Yams' birthmark being the only thing with color on the cover just emphasizes it so much more and it was a great artistic decision by Rocky. Overall Rocky is one of the better rappers when it comes to art and imagery.

#Art #Imagery #A$APYams #A$AP #Testing