A$AP Rocky burst onto the music scene seemingly overnight, but nothing for the Harlem rapper was a dream or instant like a classic true Hollywood story.
With many nights spent in the studio and long days trying to make it out the hood, A$AP Rocky’s journey to success isn’t that of your average rapper.
In an in-depth interview, GlobalGrind sat down and got the chance to understand who A$AP Rocky is, what he stands for, and his musical ambitions.
A$AP dished on everything from his long-awaited debut album LongLiveA$AP, to rock star moments with Danny Brown, friends turned foes, money, newfound fame, and of course, the women.
Check out our exclusive interview with A$AP Rocky below!
Since becoming famous, how many friendships have been ruined or compromised because of your fame?
All of them! What’s worse, n*ggas who I haven’t f*cked with since 2009 want to start making diss songs and lying in videos, and people want to believe them. They have some hate. They’re looking for something to say like, ‘he’s too fly to be a heterosexual. The n*gga soft. That n*gga dumb. He’ll be gone in a minute.’ It’s just so much, I don’t need to hear it.
Has their ever been a former friend who’s said something or done something to you since you’ve become famous where you were like, ‘Damn, forreal?’
Yeah, we had this one partner that was down with us. I’m not going to say his name. He left us and tried to start his own thing, after he took heed of how I handle things. How I treat the soldiers. As a general, how you should move. How you should feed your men. How you should make sure your dudes is lined up and set up. He tried to take those tactics back down with him, and it’s not working because you can’t make an army out of internet people you never met before. Yeah, it looks good after awhile. It makes you look strong, but at the same time, you can’t have a conglomerate full of people you’ve never even met from the internet. Now you’re internet thugs. Now you’re talking about killing and ‘Oh, I took your style.’ It’s just corny stuff.
He was a really good friend of mine. He was a guy that was like my brother. He lived with me for five months. I hate when people who make it try to lie on the underdog, but this is a 100 percent true. He was jealous because I got more attention, and that’s really hard to deal with.
He came up to live with me out in New York, and out of nowhere, my buzz started with “Peso.” I was getting radio play for no reason. I didn’t know anybody at radio. I did a big show during fashion week last year. The guy that I’m talking about, me and him headlined it.
Unfortunately, it was looking like an A$AP Rocky show, and it was all over from there. Stuff like that just started getting to him. He couldn’t take the fact that I got signed. I signed all my n*ggas to my own label, and wanted to sign him to my label. He couldn’t deal with that. He was like, ‘F*ck that! I ain’t about to sign to this n*gga. He ain’t my boss.’ He started being on some corny sh*t.
He went back home, and started throwing dirt, and had n*ggas talking about me that didn’t even know me. Now it’s getting old, and people are starting to see he’s bipolar. Not to throw dirt on his name, but people are starting to see he’s kind of bugged out.
Do you think males are way more jealous than females?
Hell yeah! First off, f*ck being jealous. Men are more bitches than females. It’s just so f*cked up how the world is, but I guess that’s just the way of the world.
When I go to these industry events, there’s no females there. There’s a whole bunch of guys disguised as bloggers who are basically male groupies.
I won’t lie. I miss the female groupies. When that was bigger. It’s more males now. It’s kind of weird. N*ggas at my shows are too ’bout it, ’bout it. They’re elbowing girls and sh*t. I’m like, you have to chill.
Let’s talk about gold for a second. You know how platinum was the “big” thing in hip-hop at one point? Do you think gold will ever get old? Or gold is something that will remain classic?
Can we keep something a 100 right now? All the way a 100?
Please do.
When did wearing gold become cool again? No diamonds. Just gold teeth, gold everything…When did that become cool again?
I’ll have to say…
When I came in the game.
You stole the words right out of my mouth.
I’m the first rapper that came in the game that said, ‘I don’t f**k with diamonds because most diamonds, nowadays are fake anyway,’ just because you have a diamond chain, it doesn’t solidify you as a rapper. It’s not significant anymore. Anybody could have it on. Number two. I feel like all these rappers wear all that ice to compensate for their lack of fashion. Number three. All the diamond sh*t is a facade. What are you wearing it for? Those big chains look tacky. I couldn’t afford diamonds before I got into this sh*t, so I’ll keep it to a minimum. If you see me with diamonds, it’ll be a little bit in a ring. Nobody has seen me with diamonds – just white gold, yellow gold. My teeth no diamonds, just gold. I made red gold hot, look at “Goldie.”
I’m not even the type of n*gga that swears I did everything first, and the world is jocking me, because music is supposed to inspire, and I’m here to really inspire. You just ask me a question without knowing the fact that yours truly did make that one of those things that was cool to do again. People were wearing diamonds. Gold wasn’t hot since the early ’80s, early ’90s. Diamonds came in the late ’90s, early 2000. It was all about the diamonds.
Can you tell me one thing that most people don’t know about you?
I heard from everybody that I meet that I’m probably one of the more down to earth motherf*ckers in the world in this position. I keep so trill, so 100…I get that a lot, that I’m a regular ass motherf*cker.
Do you ever fear that you’ll wake up one morning and not know who you are as a person because of the fame?
No, I’m not scared of that. I had the opportunity to change already. Walking down the street, and people you look in their eyes, and they sincerely want a picture or an autograph, it’s for a reason. When they tell you things like you’re inspiring…I feel like people tell me sh*t that not every artist gets told. I was a child once, of course I was a child. (Laughs) I was at this place called Rucker Park, and one of my favorite rappers – I’m not going to say his name and throw dirt on him. At the time he was my idol. I was thirteen. It was basically like 10 years ago. To make a long story short, everybody left. He was the last person walking out the park. I asked for an autograph. He said, ‘No.’ I asked him for a picture. He said, ‘No.’ This guy was all over my wall full of posters. I wanted to be like him. I had his albums, everything! He was my idol. He said, ‘Nah shorty, nah.’ It crushed me. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch about it, but it crushed me, and I always vowed if I ever got on that I would never tell a kid ‘No,’ no matter what. What was your initial question again? (laughs)
It was about your fear of changing.
No, I’m not scared of changing because no matter who I change or become, I’m still going to be me, if that makes any sense. I’m not who I was last year at all. I’m way more high-maintenance. Not in a bad way. There’s just a lot of things that I work hard to do. In five years from now, with the grace of God, I’ll hopefully be a really successful entrepreneur, so there will be trials and tribulations that I have to go through that’s going to make me feel like I shouldn’t tolerate or put up with things I do now.
Right or wrong?
Right.
That’s with life in general. That’s what this is for. Only the strong survive. I have a good heart, so I feel like I’ll do some justice.
Does your mom ever say, ‘Rocky! You better calm down, you’re not famous in my house’ or anything like that?
No, because I don’t act famous. The only thing famous about me is that I’m famous. If that makes sense.
That’s a good line.
I still laugh. I still smoke. I still drink. I won’t compromise. I’m still chillin. How are you supposed to act? I don’t get it. I would be miserable acting like somebody I’m not, than being myself. I’m making my own money. Making sure my n*ggas are straight. I’m having fun. I’m setting goals at a young age. I’m blessed. I don’t have any reason to be miserable or be nasty to people. I’m happy. More happy than I’ve ever been.
What does money mean to you?
I’m not going to lie to you. Money is peace of mind. I grew up my whole life worrying about how I was going to get money the next day. Just to know there’s way more to give; way more to get. I’m not saying I’m content being where I’m at or I’m comfortable, but the amount of money that I’m making now is just beautiful. Money means I’m a man for one. I take care of my whole family. Money means I’m the responsible one.
Money is really the root of all evil, so you really have to be wise about how you act with money and how you spend money. The only thing that I spend my money on that is expensive is clothes. That’s really it. I have two cribs, but I’m not really into cars, jewelry, and all that. All I spend my money on is my clothes.
What was the first OD purchase you made when you made a lot of money?
I really didn’t buy nothing. I know that’s hard to believe. I felt the money was an investment for my project. I didn’t start spending my money until it was “my money” I was spending, meaning I had to go on the road and spend tour money. Anytime I spent that money that my label signed me for, it was something pertaining to music – videos, the studio – that was an investment, and I plan on doing the right thing with that.
I’m so proud. I think God is just so good. I have a cult following, motherf*ckers want to dress, want to live, want to breathe like me. They love how my lifestyle is. That’s why I just like my situation better.
