A$AP Rocky Speaks On Learning To Rap, Spits A Freestyle

The Harlem, New York rapper drops a freestyle with his crew over Nurses' "You Lookin' Twice."

A$AP Rocky recently checked in with Pitchfork TV’s “Selector,” reflecting on how his brother inspired him to start rapping. During the interview, he said that his first raps were recited at his kitchen table at eight years old.
“I first started rapping when I was eight years old. My brother put me on to it, he told me to kick out and bust out with a freestyle,” he said. “He was banging on the table with a pencil and he had like a tape deck recorder and he was recording himself live and I just started rapping off the top. From there, he gave me enough confidence to pursue rap. So I owe him.”

He also touched on working with contrasting producers like Clams Casino and araabMUZIK and how he’s acclimated his fans to both styles.

“They both have the same kind of ambient feel to it, it’s just one is more raw and the other is more intriguing and classical,” he said. “For instance, araab would make an ambient beat but it’s something that sounds hard - pause. And Clams, he might make an ambient beat and it’s like druggy and it makes you want to lay back and go to sleep and rest in the clouds. I learned how to manifest people to like both.”

(HIPHOPDX)