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A$AP Rocky leads the ‘cloud rap’ storm

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January 26, 2012|By Martín Caballero

A$AP Rocky (pictured at a New York concert) says, I want to take every value… (Chad Batka for The New York…)

As Rakim famously rapped in 1987, it’s not where you’re from, but where you’re at. In 2012, it’s appropriate that a rapper with the same name - Rakim Mayers, better known as A$AP Rocky - is proving his namesake correct.

The 23-year old Harlem native, who performs Monday night at the Middle East, is in the midst of one of the more remarkable come-ups in recent hip-hop history, which has already amassed a lengthy catalog of one-off hits born on the Internet.

Last July, Rocky dropped his first YouTube video, a low-budget clip for the song “Purple Swag.’’ Like much of his work, the track bears little resemblance to anything out of New York’s well-established hip-hop tradition; over a hypnotic, turtle-slow beat, the Harlem rapper pays tribute to the Houston scene that remains one of the dominant influences on his sound, with talk of sipping codeine syrup (known as “purple drink’’) and candy painted cars. “I’m Texas trill, Texas trill, but in N.Y. we spit it slow,’’ he raps in acknowledgment of his dual allegiances.

Six months and one acclaimed mixtape later, Rocky, speaking via phone from his hometown, looks back on his rapid ascent with bemused detachment. Of course, he admits, he couldn’t imagine that he’d be handpicked by the most popular rapper of the moment (Drake) to open for him on a 17-city arena tour beginning in February. And no, the backlash from critics and fellow artists who deride him for straying outside his New York roots didn’t surprise him, nor did it affect his confidence. (The record deal he struck with Sony/RCA in October, a solo and group deal reportedly worth $3 million, likely didn’t hurt his pride either). He takes it all in stride, but Rocky’s overnight success has helped make regionalism, once a fiercely defended tenant of hip-hop culture, a quickly fading memory.

“I feel like every region in every state has something that has some type of value or culture,’’ said Rocky of his holistic approach. “I want to take every value of every state and mash it into this one revolutionary type of artist, and that’s me and that’s what I’m doing.’’