ASAP Rocky

Raquim Myers was born on October 3, 1988 in Harlem, New York. ^[2] Myers was named after rapper Rakim ^[3] . His father is from Barbados , and his mother is African - American ^[4] . In addition, Rakim has an older sister, Erica B. Myers ^[5] . Myers cousin, Tarik Devega, is currently a member of the hip-hop band A $ AP Mob and acts under the pseudonym ASAP Nast ^[6] . Rakim began to rap at the age of eight when he moved to the state capital of Pennsylvania ^[7] . He learned to write poetry with the help of his older brother, from whom he later became inspired to make French braids for himself. When Rakim was 12 years old, his father was sent to prison in connection with the sale of drugs; Rakim's father died in 2013 ^[8] . At the age of 14, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death of his brother inspired Rakim to take his own poems more seriously. At the age of 15, in the Bronx , Raquim began selling cocaine ^[9] .

2007-2011: Live. Love A $ AP

In 2007, Rakim joined the A $ AP Mob community, whose members are connected by common interests: music, fashion, design and bicycles ^[10] . The founders of A $ AP Mob are A $ AP Yams, A $ AP Bari and A $ AP Illz ^{[11] [12]} . In 2011, Rakim unveils a little-known mixtape called Deep Purple , which includes his debut single, Purple Swag. In the same year, Rakim uploaded the single “Peso” to the Internet, which was subsequently repeatedly played on one of the most famous New York radio stations Hot 97 ^[5] . In the fall of 2011, Rakim publishes the mixtape Live. Love A $ AP , which receives high marks from music critics, and his name appears after some time in the headlines of The New York Times ^[5] . He later signs a contract with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music ^[13] . In winter 2012, Raquim is among the candidates for victory in the BBC's Sound of 2012 nomination ^[14] .

2012 - Present: At. Long Last A $ AP and Testing

In the winter of 2012, Rakim joins Kendrick Lamar on Drake's “Club Paradise Tour” tour ^[15] , and in early July performs at the Pitchfork Music Festival ^[16] . The artist’s television debut is scheduled for July 20 at the night show, but later the debut is postponed to August 21 ^[17] . The reason for postponing the date of the artist’s performance was the fact that a day before the originally set date, the artist was accused of involvement in the fight in Manhattan with the artist iRome ^[18] . In early September of that year, Rakim and Rihanna performed the song “Cockiness (Love It)” at the MTV Video Music Awards ^[19] .

In April 2012, the artist publishes the first single from his debut album, entitled "Goldie" ^[20] . In turn, at the end of summer, A $ AP Mob will be released on the Internet for free to download the mixtape Lords Never Worry ^[21] . Between September and November, Raquim goes on a US tour of the Long Live ASAP Tour in support of his future debut studio album. As those who will warm up the audience before the main show, Skulba Kew , Danny Brown and A $ AP Mob came forward ^[22] . Long Live A $ AP was released on January 15, 2013 and started from the first place in the Billboard 200 charts , selling a total of 139 thousand copies in the first week ^[23] . On March 16, 2015, the record received a gold certificate . In the spring of 2013, Rakim, in an interview with Radio 94.9, advertised that he was working on an instrumental album. Later in the summer, in an interview with MTV , he stated that the instrumental album is ready and consists of ambient music called Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions (Chapter 1) .

In the spring of 2014, Rakim announced that he was working on his second studio album ALLA (abbreviation for At. Long. Last. A $ AP ) ^[24] , which will be a continuation of his first album - Long. Live A $ AP . In early June, Rakim, together with A $ AP Ferg , Nast and Twelvyy, released the single "Hella Hoes" ^[25] . By New Year's Eve, Rakim is publishing the lead single, “Pretty Flacko 2,” from the upcoming At album . Long Last A $ AP ^[26] . 17 days after the release of the track, Rakim’s mentor and colleague, Stephen “A $ AP Yams” Rodriguez dies at the age of 26 ^{[27] [28]} . The death of the artist was reportedly caused by sleep apnea , which caused asphyxiation and meconium aspiration ^{[29] [30] [31]} .

In early April, a hip-hop artist presented the song “M '$”, and a month later, on one of the social networks, publishes the cover of the upcoming album ^[32] . On the same day, the artist publishes an alternative album cover and introduces the public a new track called “Everyday” ^{[33] [34]} . In addition, Rakim announces the release date of the album: June 2, 2015; however, in about a week the album was merged onto the Internet, which prompted the artist to postpone the release of the album until May 26 ^{[35] [36]} . In the first week, the album, in the USA, was sold in 146 thousand digital copies and started from the first line in the Billboard 200 ^[37] .

On August 28, 2017, in an interview with Complex magazine, Rakim confirmed that he was going to release his third studio album before the end of 2018 ^[38] . On May 25, 2018, Rakim introduced the third studio album Testing, recorded with the assistance of Skepta, Sean Combs, Kid Cudi, Moby, Kodak Black and many others. ^[39] The record received average ratings from music critics. ^[40]

On August 28, 2019, Rakim released the clip and song Babushka Boi.

In 2011, Rakim began dating Australian hip-hop singer Iggy Azalea . The latter, in an interview with Vibe magazine , confirmed that she was dating Rakim. ^[41] While the couple was in a relationship, Azalea tattooed “Live.Love.A $ AP” on her fingers; later, when the couple broke up, the Australian crossed out the word “A $ AP” ^[42] .

Raquim is a pescetarian ^[43] .

In 2017, he provoked rumors about his relationship with Kendall Jenner , spending time in her company, including on Met Gala.

On June 30, 2019, Rakim and his team staged a mass brawl in Sweden, where he came to perform as a headliner at the Smash hip-hop festival. Stockholm District Court on July 5 decided to take the rapper into custody. On July 19, the court extended the arrest for another week. Many famous personalities spoke in support of the artist, including US President Donald Trump , after a telephone conversation with rapper Kanye West . On August 2, Rakim was released from custody with permission to fly out of the country. On August 14, he was found guilty by a Swedish court and sentenced to a suspended sentence and a fine of $ 1,300.

• Long Live ASAP (2013)
• At. Long Last ASAP (2015)
• Testing (2018)

Movies

Television

Video Games

Eric Andre Show Music Video