ASAP Rocky: 'I Don’t Really F*ck With a Lot of These Rap N*****'

ASAP Rocky dishes on what it was like to making 'Cozy Tapes Vol 1: Friends.'

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Complex Original

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Days before ASAP Mob released its highly anticipated album, Cozy Tapes Vol. 1, ASAP Rocky sat down with Genius to discuss how the project came together, and what it was like to make ASAP Yams' vision a reality.

Rocky talks about the early stages of the record and how Yams, more than anything, wanted to blend the crew’s strong personalities and styles to create something larger, yet cohesive. Rocky said he wanted to preserve that original plan as a way to honor Yams’ legacy, so he made sure to reference Yams' old notes during the recording process.

“Yams’ vision was just what we doing right now. Me being so eclectic, it shouldn’t be my vision because I have my own vision,” Rocky explained. “[…] It’s all about us moving as a group collectively to where it reveals and it shows everybody’s individual personality. I don’t want ASAP to look like a bunch of mini-mes because I came out first, and that’s the Yammy vision, just to be ourselves and keep it moving.”

Rocky goes on to talk about the “Crazy Brazy” track, in which he raps about being “anti-everything since Yams died.” The 28-year-old Harlem rapper admits he’s turned off by what he sees in the rap game and that he’s just waiting “to get to a place where all the real comes back around and motherfuckers genuinely love shit, believe in shit, do shit.”

“Like Tyler, The Creator, that’s my nigga. ScHoolboy Q, French Montana, Danny Brown—they’re my bros right there,” he said. “But I don’t really fuck with a lot of these rap niggas man, because they… I’m not even gonna get into that, but what I will say is, I got darkness in my heart but I’m not just gonna let that take over and be the thing that reflects who I am as a person. I gotta be Yams to an extent now. I’ve gotta be the one who shakes hands and kisses babies and shit, and keeps relationships poppin’.”

Throughout the interview, it’s clear that relationships are important to ASAP. Just take his friendship with Tyler, for instance. Thought Rocky has repeatedly shown love for the eccentric rapper, he isn’t afraid to call him out from time to time. Case in point? The album’s “Telephone Calls” cut in which Rocky raps “Tell Tyler, better step his flow up.”

“Yeah, I said that because that’s the truth,” he admits. “It was funny how the song happened. We (Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, and Yung Gleesh) all was just at the house. […] It was probably like 7 p.m. and Tyler walks in the house like [imitating Tyler] ‘What the fuck, dude? What’s everyone passed out for? Did you guys have a party or some shit?’ I started playing music. Mind you, Tyler don’t smoke or nothing. I got this nigga around all my ghetto friends, shooters an' shit. This nigga’s on the Segway like, ‘Who’s that guy with the red hair? He sounds like Andre 3000!’ I said, ‘That’s Lil Yachty.’ He said, ‘Lil what?’”

Shortly after, Rocky said he played “Telephone Calls” for Tyler and let him jump on the track. He said he wanted Tyler to really show who he really was and what he is capable of doing in the studio. “He bodybagged that shit, nigga! For me, that was the point of that song. […] Wait until you hear new shit we’ve got coming. We’ve got even more crazier shit. That nigga is just as much blood to me as most of my A$AP niggas. That’s my bro. I wish I knew that nigga my whole life.”

But that's not all he has in store. In addition to new music with Tyler, Rocky says ASAP will release a new track called “Not Fucking, Not Coming,” featuring himself, Playboi Carti, and Big Sean. So stay tuned for that.

You can read Rocky's full interview, in which he also discusses his own legacy, at Genius.

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