Hip-hop is youth culture but according to A$AP Rocky, there’s a lack of maturity these days in comparison to the early to mid-aughts. During a recent interview with Jerrod Carmichael, the rapper was asked about how he feels “growing older in rap.”
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“Rap is in its adolescence and it’s been stuck here since Soulja Boy,” he explained. “Before, everybody looked 35 and up. When Lil Wayne and Jay-Z and T.I. and Jeezy and Ross was on, rappers looked old. Like, we had Lil’ Bow Wow and that was it. That all changed with the internet and self-releasing. Now, rap is stuck in this braggadocious, adolescent space. It’s not as mature.”
Carmichael noted that Jay-Z was the first rapper he ever listened to that was discussing his family in his music. Rocky explained that there’s a responsibility that comes with being a rapper these days, no matter the demographic.
“But the thing is, being a rapper now, you don’t want to exclude anybody or neglect any demographics. As somebody that people look up to, there’s a responsibility to put people on the right path,” he added.
In terms of new music, Rocky also revealed that he’s been working heavily with Tyler, The Creator. He also added that he’s about to wrap up his forthcoming solo album.
“I’ve been working with T a lot, man. We blocked out the last two weeks and have been working on a lot of music, but I’m wrapping up this album right now, about to direct a few of these videos. And I can tell you, just from doing a couple of music videos, it’s so much energy and preparation and curation,” he said.
Just before welcoming his firstborn child with Rihanna, Rocky delivered “D.M.B.”