It feels like forever since the last time A$AP Rocky decided to rap. He released his album TESTING in 2018, back when Donald Trump was president (the first time). He’s thrown out singles intermittently since then, none of which have really stuck with the public. The most traction he’s gained actually goes in tandem with his latest creative pursuit: acting.
Alongside Denzel Washington, Rocky starred in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, for which he made two original songs: “Trunks” and “Both Eyes Closed”. Additionally, he had a hilarious, surreal supporting role in Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Frankly, A$AP Rocky absolutely has the charm and charisma for Hollywood, so it’s great news that he’s not treating these like one-offs. However, he’s not completely picking acting over rapping either.
Recently, A$AP Rocky spoke to Vanity Fair about his intention to be a “Renaissance man,” someone who could reasonably pursue rapping and acting at the same time. “Acting is just another component of the great arts,” Rocky explains. “And I’m a Renaissance man. I’ve always had a desire, this innate passion for doing these acting roles. I’m at a place where anytime I’m around an OG, I just soak in game. I would love to be silver and that wise one day myself. And still be handsome.”
A$AP Rocky Isn’t Giving Up Rapping for Acting
Vanity Fair placed Rocky around some of Hollywood’s real heavy hitters. Actors like Callum Turner, LaKeith Stanfield, Glen Powell, and Jeremy Allen White make up the rest of the issue, two of whom are stars in some of the year’s biggest films. Evidently, the Harlem rapper doesn’t take that kind of recognition for granted. “To be in that space and to be acknowledged and respected as an actor, or just an artist in general,” A$AP Rocky says. “Honestly, it was the boys, man.”
However, just because he’s getting cozy with Hollywood doesn’t mean he’s bypassing music entirely. His long-awaited, highly anticipated album, DON’T BE DUMB, is apparently still on the way after years of teasing. Moreover, we’re allegedly supposed to get it by the end of the year. In a video conversation with Vanity Fair and his fellow actors, he teases that Danny Elfman, best known for his work with Tim Burton, composed for the new A$AP Rocky album. “Danny Elfman, he just did my album with me that I’m putting out this year. He scored a bunch of the songs on my new album,” he reveals.
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