Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born: October 3, 1988), better known professionally as ASAP Rocky or A$AP Rocky (or Lord Flacko), is an American rapper and record producer known for his music and for being a part of music collective A$AP Mob.
Life[]
Mayers was born on October 3, 1988, in Manhattan, a borough of New York City, New York. He has an older brother (deceased) and an older sister, Erika. Both Rakim and Erica's names are taken from the Eric B. & Rakim duo. His cousin is fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Nast.
Career[]
When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs, and later died in 2012. When Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Mayers to take rapping more seriously. He grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats.
In 2007, Mayers joined the A$AP Mob crew, a Harlem-based collective of musicians, videographers, fashion designers, and bikers who shared similar interests in music, fashion, style, and art. It had been formed by A$AP Yams, A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz. In July 2011, Mayers released his single "Purple Swag" which quickly became a street anthem in New York City.
In August 2011, Mayers' single "Peso", was leaked online 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 2011, he released the mixtape Live. Love. A$AP. Earlier that month, he signed a record deal with Polo Grounds Music.
Upon his record deal, Mayers started a label, A$AP Worldwide, with A$AP Yams. However, Mayers' deal with J Records would be short-lived, when on October 7, RCA Music Group announced that it was merging J alongside Arista and Jive Records into RCA Records. With the shutdown, Mayers (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release future material under the RCA brand.
In 2013, Mayers recorded his debut studio album Long. Live. A$AP. "Goldie" was released as the album's first single on April 27. On August 27, A$AP Mob released the mixtape Lords Never Worry. During September through November, Mayers promoted the album with a national concert tour, the Long Live ASAP Tour.
In March 2014, he announced that he was working on his second studio album, entitled A.L.L.A. (an acronym for At. Long. Last. A$AP) which was a follow-up to his debut album, Long. Live. A$AP. Upon the wake of a delay of the ASAP Mob album, L.O.R.D., Rocky subsequently collaborated with cohorts A$AP Ferg, Nast and Twelvyy on the album's third single, "Hella Hoes". Nonetheless, A$AP Yams announced on his Tumblr account that the album had been shelved.
In May 2022, Mayers released the single, "D.M.B.", and followed up in December with "Shittin' Me". Also in December, he appeared on Metro Boomin's album, Heroes & Villains, on the track, "Feel the Fiyaaaah", which featured the late Takeoff. He then confirmed a new album with production from Metro Boomin to materialize in the future. Later that month, he named his upcoming fourth album, Don't Be Dumb.
Channel[]
Mayers created his channel on June 1, 2011, and he uploaded his first video on July 5, 2011. He uploads music videos and audio to his channel.
