In 2012, he opened for Drake on his Club Paradise Tour alongside Kendrick Lamar.
In December of that year, he became a nominee for the BBC's annual 'Sound of 2012' poll.
ASAP' which got him signed with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. He was approached by various record labels after unveiling a music video for his track 'Purple Swag' and soon released debut mixtape 'Live. Soon afterwards, his single 'Peso' was leaked and ended up hitting the Hot 97 New York radio station as well as charting on the US R&B chart. In 2011, a compilation of his YouTube hits entitled 'Deep Purple' was released by a Parisian fan. The acronym has a variety of meanings including 'Always Strive and Prosper', 'Assassinating Snitches and Police' and 'Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose'. Musical career: A$AP Rocky was part of a hip hop collective in 2007 called the A$AP Mob. He started rapping at 8-years-old, inspired by the likes of The Diplomats, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, Run DMC and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. This experience and his growing up made him want to go into rapping as a career. His brother was killed near his apartment when he was 13. His father was jailed for drug offences when he was 12. Childhood: A$AP Rocky was born in Harlem, New York City and brought up around Manhattan, including living in a shelter with his mother, before moving to Elmwood Park, New Jersey.