A$AP Rocky is readying his new album All Smiles. Speaking to GQ in a recent cover story, he explained how he recruited The Smiths frontman Morrissey to help write, produce and contribute vocals to the new production. He further explained in the conversation how his current beau Rihanna has influenced his new material.
As fans await the album, the Harlem native has been spotted parading about with the “love of his life” Rih and making other venture-related moves, like joining the NFT game, and most recently, becoming an investor in Klarna. As part of his investment, the rapper will take on the role of the company’s CEO for a day, it announced Tuesday (June 1).
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“ASAP Rocky defies categorization; a musician, actor, philanthropist, an opinion leader in style, and fundamentally someone who understands what the public wants from so many vantage points,” Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Klarna co-founder and CEO, said in a press release.
He continued, “He challenges the status quo each day. As the consumer experience in retail now demands discovery, curation and sustainability, we at Klarna have a lot to learn from him. Besides, after sixteen years since founding Klarna, I think I deserve a day off.”
As part of his brief duties as CEO, the fashion killa will “renounce the global fashion hibernation” that occurred in 2020 while inviting folks to “rediscover the joy of getting dressed.” In support of this goal, Rocky will curate exclusive content on the Klarna app focusing on vintage fashion and upcycling.
In addition, he will also pledge one percent of his investment to the Miti Alliance in Kenya, which works towards slowing the impact of deforestation-propelled climate change.
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“Klarna is a company that looks ahead and challenges the status quo, which makes partnering with them so appealing to me,” Rocky said Tuesday. “I’m excited to begin working with Klarna in a number of ways, including jointly creating a space for people to rediscover style as we emerge from a global fashion hibernation.”
Klarna and other buy-now-pay-later services have experienced a huge surge in demand in part due to the pandemic, so the investment was a major W on Rocky’s part. The company was reported to be close to securing a new round of funding valued at more than $40 billion.
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