A$Ap Rocky’s love of fashion left some people questioning his sexuality when he was growing up.
The rapper has been dominating the music charts since he released his debut record Long. Live. ASAP in 2013, but his style has also been the subject of a lot of the conversation surrounding the 30-year-old.
His passion for looking good is nothing new though, and he was rocking designer threads long before fame came calling.
“When I got locked up, I had Prada on. That’s real talk,” he recounted to Esquire of his short stint in Rikers Island prison in 2004. “We used to share clothes, like poor kids, but it was nice s**t – Prada, True Religion, Paper Denim jeans and s**t. The ‘hood dudes thought I was gay, but their girls loved it.”
He added that sometimes he’d get into fights with those who mocked him, but ultimately, he brushed off their comments.
“Matter of fact, it brought me closer to gay people because I understood their plight,” he continued. “I was judged by other black men, and they questioned my masculinity and my sexuality.”
And now, thanks to his superstardom, A$AP is adamant those same “hood dudes” want to dress just like he does.
While style remains an important aspect of the Fashion Killa hitmaker’s life, and he dabbles with design work, he is fully concentrating on music right now.
“But I’ve been secret consulting with brands for years. I’m responsible for so many trends,” he shrugged. “OK, I’m-a tell you something. AWGE (his creative agency) is the reason people are wearing Guess today. You see the striped (T-shirts) that they used to do? The monogram logo? I’m the reason Guess is throbbing hard right now. I mean honestly, I don’t even want to say it but… I don’t do fashion. I am fashion.”
