I recently had the pleasure of chopping it up with Harlem’s pop expressionist artist Justin West (formally known as Jay West). From Renaissance influences to old school cartoons, he can literally do it all and is definitely one of the most important visual artists of are time. You may have seen him on HYPEBEAST or may have spotted him discussing his influences with Sprite, but he is far more than what meets the eye. Not only is Jay West responsible for doing the artwork behind A$AP Rocky‘s videos like “Peso” and “Purple Swag” but has also made many contributions (along with our trap lord A$AP Ferg) to the beloved and highly respected Bape . Whether you’ve been able to witness his creative work yet or not, he is definitely a force to be reckon with and I got the interview to prove it . Be sure to check out the recap of his latest solo exhibition in Seattle below as well as what he’s bringing to table, his upbringing with A$AP Ferg, and what he has coming up next all at my blog Everything Boisterous.

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With the many surprise projects that have already hit the streets, we can now anticipate the quality A.L.L.A album from ASAP Rocky. According to the “Purple Swag” artist, we won’t be waiting too long:

“Honestly, it’s finished. I’m mastering it right now. It’s coming soon, seriously soon. I don’t consider it a surprise — you put it out there and its art, that’s the surprise. I hope people are surprised by my album. I don’t know what to expect, I just do what I do.”

Although we only have minimal information at this stage, the diversity of the project is what will make this production stand apart from previous releases. With collaborators like LLA, Clams Casino, Lykke Li and FKA Twigs jumping on board, we expect nothing less than superb.

ASAP also talked about expressing his versatility from a unique angle, or more specifically, a ‘deeper, musical, intellectual side’:

“When I first came on the scene it was more of this trendy, bourgeois, pizazz attitude. That’s still me, but at the end of the day I think that kind of overshadowed the whole purpose of me doing what I do. I’m an incredibly diverse artist, I’m a universal artist. At least that’s how I see it.”

I can’t give nothing else away. – asvpxrocky

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A$AP Rocky has been getting a lot of hype and attention since his Live.Love.A$AP mixtape dropped, much of which focuses on the beats from his tape.  Hip-hop vets Wale and Twista have both decided to go in on the beat to “Purple Swag” in the last few days, and they didn’t disappoint.

Here’s Wale’s take:

and here’s Twista

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In an interview with Pitchfork, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky states that his recently signed deal with Polo Grounds Music was $3 million. This is unheard of in today’s hip-hop music industry, but the fate of Rocky’s ascending rise comes in his debut tape, LIVELOVEA$AP on Monday.  He has the buzz and the rhymes to back it up, so this release could been another major hip-hop event we’ve all been waiting for. Check some excerpts below. Read the rest at Pitchfork.

Pitchfork: A lot of rappers are moving away from big record deals and, as recently as last month, it seemed like you didn’t want to sign with a major, either. What changed your mind?

A$AP Rocky: About three million dollars. [Other rappers who don’t sign] are smart, but I feel like Sony/RCA is a family and the people there actually care about me. When I came to meet [Polo Grounds Music founder] Bryan Leach, I got to know him on a personal level– he would set up car service for me to go to other labels. He wanted to see me make it. He’s from Harlem.

I’m going to have creative control; there’s no bullshit. The situation is almost unrealistic. I mean, five months ago I had about $3,000 in my bank account. Now I’m worth $3 million. Nobody’s gotten a deal like that since 50 Cent.

Pitchfork: You have a place on blogs and in more underground circles, but you’re getting mainstream love and being played on Hot 97, too. Where do you see yourself fitting in?

A$AP: The only thing mainstream about me are my investors. That’s it. I can adapt to the radio because I’m a street motherfucker. I can adapt to the underground because I was independent for a while. Up in Harlem and the Bronx, they didn’t accept us up until now, until we got Jim Jones, Drake, and Lil Wayne cosigning the weirdo. Now people are like, “Oh, shit. He’s really making moves. How much money he got?” And it’s like, “Suck a dick.”

Really though, I was dating this chick from Czechoslovakia– is that how you pronounce it? Her dad used to be around the house like, [sings] “Everything is purple.” Mind you, this is a rich-ass nigga with a Bentley, all that shit. I’ve had fucking corporate white niggas come up to me and say, “What’s up? I love that shit.” I live for that, because the black motherfuckers from Harlem and the Bronx didn’t accept us. They thought we were gay.

I’m going to be honest with you– I used to be homophobic, but that’s fucked up. I had to look in the mirror and say, “All the designers I’m wearing are gay.” I hear stories about all these industry motherfuckers who are gay, and I don’t know if it’s true or not, but that shit don’t matter. It’s so immature.

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