A$AP Rocky Pays Rent For Everyone In His Old Apartment Building
Good In The Hood: A$AP Rocky Pays Rent For Everyone In His Old Harlem Apartment Building
Rapper/actor A$AP Rocky generated acclaim this year for his roles in movies like Highest 2 Lowest and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. But nobody’s celebrating him more than the residents of his old apartment building in Harlem. In partnership with Bilt, a rewards program that offers benefits and credit boosts for every rent payment, he’s releasing a vinyl edition of his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb and covering January’s rent for the building’s residents.
“Rocky embodies what we believe at Bilt: your neighborhood isn’t just where you live, it’s what fuels your creativity, your ambition, your entire trajectory,” Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain said in a press release.
“From joining us at Bilt’s launch to now, his roots in Harlem are inseparable from his success, and this limited-edition vinyl is our way of honoring that connection,” Jain added. “It’s a celebration of the community that shaped one of hip-hop’s most influential artists and a reminder of why giving back to your neighborhood matters.”
Rocky was also a contestant on Bilt’s monthly game show Rent Free, giving away money for rent up to $2500.
Don’t Be Dumb is set to be released on January 16, which is also National Nothing Day. It’s the Harlem rapper’s fourth album, but his first in seven years. Director Tim Burton created the cover art, reportedly after hearing the album and loving it. Producers include Pharrell Williams, HitKidd, Mike Dean, The Alchemist, Metro Boomin and classical composer Danny Elfman.
It’s been described as a mix of genres ranging from hip-hop to jazz and metal. Despite multiple delays over the past three or four years, Rocky seems committed to the Jan. 16 release. He’s already dropped four singles, and when performing recently at Camp Flog, he wore a T-shirt with the release date imprinted on it.
His single with J. Cole, “Ruby Rosary,” has already dropped. Rocky told Zane Lowe last year that another song, “Hood Happy” features Fatman Scoop, Flavor Flav, Slick Rick, Morrissey and Busta Rhymes.
Of course, that’s not the only major production Rocky’s been involved in this year. He and his partner (or is she his wife?) Rihanna welcomed their third baby and first daughter, Rocki Irish, in September.
Rocky says that one of the reasons why he partnered with Bilt is to give back to the neighborhood that helped him grow into the artist he is now.
“For me, it’s always been about your community and neighborhood. Harlem made me who I am, from uptown to downtown, and that connection to place is everything,” Rocky said, via a press release. “When Bilt said they wanted to cover rent for everyone in the same building where I grew up, that hit different. That’s not just business, that’s understanding what community really means.”
RELATED: From Streetwear To Chanel: A$AP Rocky’s Greatest Fashion Link-Ups
Good In The Hood: A$AP Rocky Pays Rent For Everyone In His Old Harlem Apartment Building was originally published on cassiuslife.com
