A$AP Rocky

Exuding modern New York style in both look and sound, A$AP Rocky became a photogenic symbol of rap’s extended cultural reach in the 2010s. Born Rakim Mayers in 1988, Rocky fell in with the Harlem-based A$AP Mob in his late teens. As with Odd Future in Los Angeles, that collective functioned as much like a creative agency as a rap crew, bringing a sense of self-sufficiency and independence to the mainstream machine. The subject of a major bidding war, Rocky’s debut 2011 mixtape LIVE.LOVE.A$AP delivered on that hype with a savvy blend of East Coast and Southern influences while his personal aesthetic straddled the street and the runway. Soon Rocky was casually holding court with some of rap’s biggest names on his 2013 studio debut LONG.LIVE.A$AP and tapping Danger Mouse as exec producer on 2015’s trippier and more expansive AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP. That psychedelic streak continued on 2018’s TESTING, an aptly titled feat of experimentation that set itself apart from the de facto trilogy before it. Going forward without the guidance of his longtime mentor A$AP Yams, who died in 2015, Rocky began to further embrace his cachet in alternative music, supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 2022 world tour and tapping dreamy folkie Jessica Pratt for his punchy 2024 single “HIGHJACK”. “I just love alternative,” he told Apple Music. “I love just different sounds and whatnot.” No matter how far-flung the backdrop is, though, Rocky’s sly charm and rock-solid confidence shine through in every bar.