A$AP Rocky: The A$AP Mob boss talks 'HIGHJACK,' new album and embracing fatherhood goals
Ready for some new A$AP Rocky in your life? Look no further than what the Harlem native is serving up these days with his new ‘HIGHJACK’ anthem getting ample attention and a full-fledged Apple Music 1 interview with the legend Zane Lowe.
A$AP Rocky and Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe dish on everything - except Drake
Sorry, couldn’t resist the in-article headline right there but completely skimming over the 6 God discussion? Eh. But highlights from the interview below and keep scrolling to watch nearly 20 minutes of Pretty Flacko talking it up.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his son, Riot Rose, turning one year old…
A$AP Rocky: The big guy turned one today, so you know.
Zane Lowe: Isn't it crazy how it goes fast, right? And you know this now because it's your second child, so you're seeing it in real time on child number one. You're like, "Oh, my gosh. Whoa. This is going to go by quick." And then that first year birthday comes around, because we have two boys.
A$AP Rocky: Right. I mean, two boys as well. It's just like, time speeds up when you become a dad, man. It's crazy. It's insane. Surreal.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his new song "Hijack" and his upcoming album…
I feel like the real is back man, and it's just like, this shit is for the taking. It's a hijack. Not only that, it's just we coming with a whole new aesthetic on everything, especially with German expressionism and the whole ghetto futurism grim thing. So that's just what the sound sounds like and whatnot. The sonics of it.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music that his new album ushers in a "new saga"…
I've been working on this stuff, this material for a while now, tweaking it and fixing it and whatnot. So this was just one of the ones that we decided to, it was the summer and here we are. Shot a visual and yeah, this is part of the new saga.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about collaborating with Jessica Pratt and Jon Batiste…
I just love alternative. I love just different sounds and whatnot. [Jessica Pratt] kind of gave me this kind of Portishead meets Stevie Nicks vibe a little bit. Right. So I always fucked with her as a artist, and so I figured it was necessary to get her, Jon Batiste on this one and kind of make it feel soulful to bring it on home in the outro.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music why he decided to wait six years between albums…
Sometimes my opinion on my taste, it changes and whatnot. Right. And I think for the past year and a half, it's kind of like what mostly all of these songs are from in the past year and a half, but the duration of the past six years, things have been changing. We had Covid happen, we had situations with me and whatnot, and I just felt like right now is just probably the most time I got to kind of really kind of like just work on the craft and elaborate and execute on those and whatnot and those ideas. And this is the most perfect time, but my opinion changes a lot. And I might make a song and if I don't put it out in a timely manner, I'm over that shit.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music how becoming a father has changed his approach to music...
I think sonically, yes, a lot of shit changed. My taste preference for music and just different artists and just different genres, but it all has changed, especially the way it influenced the way that I make music and I put out music now and whatnot. I think it's more meaningful. I got more to say. I got more personal vulnerable things to talk about and whatnot, and it's just, I think the trick is having that fine balance of just entertaining and telling a story or giving something, telling somebody listening and view something informative about you and whatnot. And that's kind of where I'm at now with just being a pop of two and whatnot and just being at the top of my game with just, design and everything, and film, and you name it, man, we've been doing it all. And right now I'm the catalyst for just all these just different endeavors and different talents and whatnot. And I think more so than never, it's necessary. I've been looking at the music industry and looking at the playing field and whatnot, and it's been a while. I'm really ready to put out a new project and just kind of touch the people again and touch on the people and whatnot and let them know what the fuck I've been up to this whole time.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music how he elevated his sound while maintaining his identity as an artist...
I think for certain with this new music or with this new album, it's just like there was a mission and a goal to sonically make something that felt elevated, that felt matured, especially coming from me and whatnot and just using different sounds and elements to create a masterpiece. That was just really my goal going into it and whatnot though. I think the content is just personal to just me, but I'm A$AP mutha fucking Rocky. It's going to be a little bit of braggadocious shit in there, right. You know what I'm saying? I wouldn't be me without it.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his songs being leaked and the importance of context...
A$AP Rocky: I think anything that makes it on the project is just like kind of, it's like a catalyst to your story, right? It kind of advocates with whatever story you're trying to tell, and I think that it's very important and special if it makes it on the album. Most of the songs that I usually be performing and shit like that, motherfuckers leak it and once it's leaked, it's just like, nah, it's not on the project.
Zane Lowe: Because there's no context anymore, right? It doesn't sit within a body of work.
A$AP Rocky: Yeah. It's just, all that shit get leaked and-
Zane Lowe: It just belongs to the internet. After that I just feel like it's on internet records.
A$AP Rocky: So you know. And so I might perform it here and there, but it's just like, nah, it's leaked. It is what it is. It's out already.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his new album’s title, ‘Don’t Be Dumb’…
Don't be fucking dumb was self-explanatory, man. You know what I'm saying? It's self-explanatory, man. Don't Be Dumb. A$AP Rocky.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music that he’s ready to go back on tour…
Zane Lowe: Do you have a desire to go and do that, to tour this around the world, to be that guy?
A$AP Rocky: Yeah, absolutely, man. They get to eat again. It's time to feed. Let's do it. It's been a while, especially for me. What, 2018? Yeah. I’m ready man. And it’s time.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his upcoming song "Hood Happy" featuring Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, Flavor Flav and Morrissey…
A$AP Rocky: I literally tried to figure out how to get my parents' favorite rappers, my favorite rappers, subsequently my favorite rappers of my parents, if I grew up on them. So I got a track with Fatman Scoop, Flavour Flav, Slick Rick, Morrissey, and Busta Rhymes all on one. It's kind of nuts. We call that one Hood Happy. That's coming soon. Yeah. Shout-outs to the OGs too. I ain't gonna hold you. Shout-outs to all the OGs, Zane.
Zane Lowe: Dude, I was going home. I was halfway to my car, bro. Dude, only you can pull that off, man. Only you can pull that off. You're the one and only. You're the one and only.
A$AP Rocky: We was in that bag, man. Busta and Slick was having an argument about whose chain is bigger and shit like that. It's fantastic.
