A$AP Rocky

It seems that since birth, Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was destined to make a name for himself in hip hop. After all, he was named after one of the best rappers of all time, the god emcee himself. Born in Harlem, NY, he began rapping early on at the age of 8 when his older brother started banging on the table in his kitchen and challenged him to freestyle over the beat. His brother played a big part in developing Rocky's confidence and ability to move a crowd by getting him used to a cypher atmosphere. So when his brother was killed just around the corner from his apartment, Rocky was devastated. He responded by getting serious about rap. With self proclaimed influences like Wu-Tang, UGK, Three 6 Mafia, and The Diplomats, it was only a matter of time before he found himself in a 'hip hop group' environment. In 2007, he joined the A$AP Mob, a crew from Harlem that led to the moniker A$AP being thrown in front of his name. A$AP stands for "Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose," a description he takes advantage of, as he often changes the meaning to "Always Strive and Prosper," "Assassinate Snitched and Police," and a number of other phrases.

A$AP Rocky released his first mixtape, LiveLoveA$AP, in 2011 which included "Purple Swag" and "Peso," his two biggest singles to date. He is currently working on his debut studio album LongLiveA$AP which is set to drop this Halloween. He is also known to be affiliated with the exploding Black Hippy crew, especially Schoolboy Q as he has frequently done shows and collaboration with the west coast native. Their most recent collaboration is Q's "Hands on the Wheel," which showcases lyrical density over a chopped and screwed Kid Cudi sample. Rocky's work has earned him award show nominations on BBC, BET and MTV. There is little doubt that he will start taking some of those awards home soon enough. A$AP was also featured in one of this year's cyphers at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards alongside fellow up and comers Childish Gambino, Joey Bada$$, Driicky Graham, and Angel Haze, in arguably the best start to finish cypher this year. 'From humble beginnings to super stardom' is America's favorite story. Will A$AP Rocky be next? Be sure to check out the new album on October 31st and be there to find out!

(Hands on the Wheel - Schoolboy Q feat A$AP Rocky)

(A$AP Rocky meets his namesake Rakim)

Send me your 'People's Choice' ideas for future blog posts!