Inspired to take up rapping as a 13-year-old after the death of his brother and
imprisonment of his father, Harlem-born Rakim Athelaston Mayers (October 3,
1988) found himself homeless and selling drugs by the age of 15. Joining the
A$AP Mob hip-hop collective in 2007, he adopted the A$AP Rocky moniker (standing
for Always Strive and Prosper) and started making waves when his mix-tape Deep
Purple (2011) was picked up by New York radio station Hot 97. His track “Purple
Swag” quickly became a hit on video-streaming platforms and earned the
22-year-old a $3 million deal with RCA, be...