Heralded as one of the leading artists in the new generation of hip hop, anticipation has been high for awhile awaiting the drop of A$AP Rocky’s debut studio album. Although the LP leaked early, with a couple big singles under his belt, including the massive “Fuckin Problems”, fans can expect Long.Live.A$AP to make an impact on the hip hop landscape.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Pretty Flacko, who even at his young age is under a large amount of scrutiny, talked about developing as an artist, and discussed his place amongst other current artists. The Harlem rapper talked about how the hit track “Fuckin Problems” came together, and the recording process behind the posse cut “1 Train”. He even mentioned how he feels misunderstood, as people try to pigeonhole him, and then talked about his relationship with Rihanna who he describes as a “pothead”.
Check out excerpts from the interview below.
Did you feel
pressure to make a record with pop appeal?
I did whatever felt
right for me. I'm not the best at choosing what's good and what's bad. I
wouldn't even know what's a good pop song and what's a bad one. With that said,
I wanted to say what's true to me. Some people might say that the Skrillex
record was pop, but that was just about the chemistry between me and my boy.
How did the song "Fuckin' Problems" come together?
Well, 2 Chainz was
for sure going to do the hook. It was all about chemistry, because you know,
even though Drake is a big pop artist, he can spit his ass off, Kendrick Lamar
is a fucking spitter. We all just wanted to make a party track and have fun. And
that's a true story – I fucked a lot of bitches. I got a fucking problem.
How much of a competitive
element is there for you on a song like "1 Train," which features Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Action Bronson, Big
K.R.I.T. and Joey Bada$$?
You gotta be
competitive. As far as me, I laid my first verse with confidence, and everyone
else went from there. Everyone spit in order. After I laid it down, we sent it
to Kendrick, and then to Joey, and it went on down the line. We just wanted to
make a posse cut that people would relate to.
Do you feel misunderstood, and if so, about
what?
I feel misunderstood about my art. I feel misunderstood about my fashion. Let's
start there. I wore a long shirt in the "Fuckin' Problem" video, and
people were saying that I wore dresses. Then there's my image: the gold teeth
and the braids. People say he's from Harlem, but he looks like he from Houston,
or he looks like he's from Cleveland, or from Cali.
You co-produce a few
beats on the record. What made you start doing production?
Man, because I felt like I could do anything, If I could produce videos, I
could produce songs. I produced [the track] "Long Live A$AP" with Jim
Jonsin and "Jodye" along with Joey Fatts. I added the sound effects
of the storms in the middle when the hook drops – the filters on it. That was
all me. I also co-produced "Fashion Killa."
What's
your relationship like with Rihanna?
Rihanna is a pothead and so am I, so we're real cool. Weed is going to bring us
together as a generation. Drugs is what created Woodstock. Let's be clear about
that.
