Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky , is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. In August 2011, Rocky’s single “Peso” was leaked online and within weeks began receiving radio airplay. Rocky released his debut mixtape Live. Love. A$AP, later that year to widespread critical acclaim. The success of what is considered his breakout project led to a joint venture record deal with Polo Grounds Music and Sony Music’s RCA Records.

His debut studio album Long. Live. A$AP (2013) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was preceded by Rocky’s breakout single, “Fuckin’ Problems” (featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar), which was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2014 Grammy Awards. In 2015, Rocky released his second album, titled At. Long. Last. A$AP. The album was Rocky’s second consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and received mostly positive reviews from music critics. The album’s single, “L$D”, was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2016 Grammy Awards. In 2018, Rocky released his third album, Testing, which peaked in the top five of several countries, including the Billboard 200.

Rocky has won a BET Award, two BET Hip Hop Awards, an MTV Video Music Award Japan and an MTVU Woodie Award, as well as being nominated for two Grammy Awards, six World Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and two MTV Europe Music Awards. Rocky has also directed music videos for himself, Danny Brown, and other A$AP Mob members. Furthermore, he produces records under the pseudonym Lord Flacko.

Rakim Athelaston Mayers was born on October 3, 1988, in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, a borough of New York City. His father is from Barbados. He has an older brother (deceased) and an older sister, Erika. Both Rakim and Erika’s names are taken from the Eric B. & Rakim duo. His cousin is fellow ASAP Mob member ASAP Nast.

Mayers started rapping at age nine, when he moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He learned how to rap from his older brother, who also wore the Cornrows hairdo that A$AP Rocky later adopted. When Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Rocky to take rapping more seriously. Mayers grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats. He was also influenced by Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, UGK, Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail and he spent his teenage years moving around homeless shelters with his mother and sister. After living for a period in a shelter with his mother in New York City, he moved to Midtown Manhattan. His father died in 2012. 

In 2007, A$AP Rocky joined the A$AP Mob crew, a Harlem-based collective of rappers, producers, music video directors, 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, Rocky released his single “Purple Swag” which quickly became a street anthem in New York City.

In August 2011, Rocky’s 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, he released the mixtape Live. Love. A$AP to critical acclaim. Earlier that month, he signed a two-year, $3 million record deal with Bryan Leach’s Polo Grounds Music, which at the time was distributed by Clive Davis’ Sony Music division of J Records. Upon his record deal, Rocky started a label, A$AP Worldwide, with A$AP Yams. However, Rocky’s deal with J Records would be short-lived,[citation needed] when on October 7, RCA Music Group announced that it was merging J alongside Arista and Jive Records into RCA Records. With the shutdown, Rocky (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release future material under the RCA brand. On December 5, he was nominated for BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll.

In February 2012, Rocky joined Kendrick Lamar as the opening act for Drake’s Club Paradise Tour. In June, SpaceGhostPurrp, founder of Miami-based collective Raider Klan and Rocky’s past collaborator, accused A$AP Twelvyy of jumping Raider Klan’s Matt Stoops and subsequently disassociated himself from A$AP Mob and Rocky in a YouTube video. He and Raider Klan also accused ASAP Mob of copying their style, and Rocky of using lyrics from SpaceGhostPurrp’s song “My Enemy” on “Goldie”. Rocky responded in a July interview for MTV, saying that SpaceGhostPurrp is “try[ing] to build hype” and told him to “stick to makin’ beats”.

In July 2012, Rocky performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival. He was scheduled to make his network television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on July 20, but he was then arrested the night before, after an alleged involvement in a brawl, with 21-year-old artist iRome. The scuffle took place in downtown Manhattan and the performance was canceled. After it was rescheduled for August 21, Rocky performed “Goldie” on the show. On September 6, he also performed a guest rap on Rihanna’s “Cockiness (Love It)” at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.