ASAP Rocky is an upcoming hip-hop artist from Harlem, New York. The ASAP stands for ‘Always Strive And Prosper’. ASAP are also a rap collective from Harlem who have also been creating a significant buzz since 2011, especially Rocky, who has now broken out to release his own single. Named after hip-hop star Rakim, Rocky has definitely been gifted with true hip-hop blood.

Although his style is not like your usual New York rapper, e.g. Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas, he was heavily influenced by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony but has adapted own unique flow which captured the ears of the underground and soon, the whole world.

He released his first mix tape ‘Live.Love.ASAP’ last year and the singles ‘Peso’ and ‘Purple Swag’ did not go unrecognised by the world of hip-hop and since then he has never looked back. The success of ‘Live.Love.ASAP’ led him to going on tour in the US and UK and he will be performing at Electric Ballroom in London soon – a show that I’ll be going to. His music also caught the ears of established rapper Drake and he reached out to Rocky and made him a support act for Drake’s Club Paradise US tour, which has also gained him much deserved recognition across the world along with the rest of the ASAP Mob.

He is due to release his debut album called ‘Long.Live.ASAP’ on Sony and ‘Goldie’ is the lead single. This track is simply an introduction of himself as an artist to the game and I think this track is a perfect way to do that. In addition to directing the video, he wastes no time in expressing his love for gold, showcasing his trademark gold grills. With a deep voice effect he’s used previously on his first project to good effect, he states in the chorus  ‘I said it must be cos’ a n**** got dough, extraordinary swag and a mouth full of gold’. He’s now rapping from a different perspective compared to ‘Live.Love.ASAP’ because he now has much more money than he did before.

In the video Rocky is seen cruising around in Paris with compatriot ASAP Yams with bottles of gold Armand De Brignac, bearing in mind this costs between £200-£500 depending on its size. Big change from the ‘Peso’ days when he was just rapping and gambling in the streets of Harlem. I wouldn’t say he’s the best rapper technically, but he definitely finds the best instrumentals to compliment his unique flow and wordplay. ASAP Rocky is bringing back the true sound of hip-hop and paid attention to the evolution of the genre, but still kept the core values which many artists have seemed to ditch. With Long.Live.ASAP set to be released in July, real hip-hop lovers will get the chance to see a new artist that has kept the soul of hip-hop in their music and although it’s still early, Rocky has the potential to tick all the boxes and go on to be compared to the all time greats.