The New York Times: ASAP Rocky

The New York Times recently published an article featuring acclaimed New York rapper ASAP Rocky. Touching down on the artist’s unorthodox approach to music and fashion, the piece narrows in on Rocky’s insistance that he’s not a “New York” rapper and even notes some of his favorite fashion labels, which include the likes of Raf Simons, Rick Owens and Maison Martin Margiela. Offered below are some excerpts from the piece:

Into that morass comes ASAP Rocky, child of Harlem, with a new idea about how to be a New York rapper. “Live Love ASAP,” his forthcoming debut mixtape, is placeless and universal, an album that sounds as if it has ingested the last 20 years of hip-hop’s travels and would be comfortable anywhere. There’s chewy, slowed-down homages to Houston, flow patterns reminiscent of Cleveland’s Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, nods to New Orleans and Atlanta and the Bay Area and everywhere else hip-hop is made. Almost everywhere but New York, it seems.
…Not because he hates Barneys: fashion is central to ASAP Rocky’s persona. “Raf Simons, Rick Owens/ usually what I’m dressed in,” he raps on “Peso.” During the interview he wore jeans from the forward-looking fashion emporium Oak, and at one point he ran off to another room to grab his favorite pair of Margiela sneakers. Standing out stylistically was important to him from a young age. “I used to go to Saks, I would go to Bergdorf, I would go to Barneys, I would go to thrift stores in SoHo.” For Rick Owens, he’d shop online.