American rapper ASAP Rocky has stepped in to support residents of the building where he grew up by helping to cover their rent.
The 37-year-old music star partnered with Bilt, a payments and commerce network, to pay the January rent for people living in his childhood apartment building. The gesture was made in celebration of the release of his long-awaited fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb.
Rocky, who spent his teenage years living in Harlem, New York City, said the initiative was deeply personal to him.
“For me, it’s always been about your community and neighbourhood.
“Harlem made me who I am, from uptown to downtown, and that connection to place is everything.
“When Bilt said they wanted to cover rent for everyone in the same building where I grew up, that hit different. That’s not just business, that’s understanding what community really means.”
Speaking further about his new album, Rocky described Don’t Be Dumb as a tribute to his roots and a meaningful way to give back.
“This vinyl is my love letter to New York, and being able to give back to the exact place that raised me while helping people across the country with their rent is the kind of partnership that actually matters.”
The rapper has previously spoken about his personal growth and the journey that shaped him.
“I’m not sure there’s much of a difference — 20 to 30, 30 to 40 — when you live a crazy lifestyle. You get accustomed to it, and it’s just the norm.
“Obviously I wasn’t born privileged or with success in easy reach. So I had to develop into the man that I’ve become and the man that I’m becoming.”
Rocky also acknowledged the many sides of his personality, explaining that he embraces all aspects of who he is.
“I don’t know what to tell anybody out there because it’ll sound like some corny motivational s***. But all I can do is be me the most, and hope they do the same.
“I got a goofy side, I got a cool side, I got a handsome side, I got a nerdy side, I got a ghetto side, I got an elegant side, I got an eloquent side, I speak in ebonics…
“There’s so many factors that make me as a whole, but I’m not afraid to express all the parts that make me who I am.”
