What You Missed In A$AP Rocky’s ELLE Cover Story: A$AP Mob, Therapy, Rapping vs. Acting And More

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A$AP Rocky at A24’s “Highest 2 Lowest” New York Premiere

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Key Takeaways:

A$AP Rocky says he prayed for a baby girl before the birth of his third child with Rihanna.
He honestly revealed his view on therapy, comparing it to psychic readings.
The rapper reflected on his growth as a father and how it shapes his creative and personal life.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that A$AP Rocky is an insightful interview subject. In a wide-ranging cover story in ELLE magazine published on Wednesday (Sept. 24), the Harlem multi-hyphenate spoke on a range of interesting topics including acting vs. rapping, confirming whether or not A$AP Mob broke up, holding down a household with Rihanna and so much more.

Renowned journalist Clover Hope conducted the discussion and a gregarious Pretty Flacko earnestly answered the questions floated his way. How fans take some of his answers will be up for debate. Here are several important points he made worth taking a deeper look at.

When the topic of therapy came up, A$AP Rocky knew he might draw a backlash. “My outlook on therapy is so pessimistic, it’s not even funny.” he said. “I might get killed for this, but I put therapists in the same box as psychic readings.” After noting that he felt a therapist couldn’t possibly relate to his “experiences,” he added, “I think JAY-Z is a Black therapist.”

Let’s keep in mind that A$AP Rocky didn’t seem to close the door on seeing a therapist. Also, JAY-Z has gone on the record about the ridiculuousness of the stigma attached to therapy, so there’s that.

A$AP Mob Did Not Break Up
Considering that the TESTING creator was facing years in prison after his former friend and A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli accused him of felony assault in open court, many figured the Harlem group was kaput. However, the “Peso” rapper says that is not the case. “I ain’t bulls**tting. This ain’t no politically correct answer,” he said. “Anybody who used to be my protégés, my friends, my musical band partners, and they don’t f**k with me, that’s ’cause they don’t f**k with me. I don’t have animosity toward anybody. I don’t have a reason to. I’m too happy.”

While he had more to say in the story, it was obvious he was a bit frustrated about where things currently stand with his old crew.

Rapping vs. Acting
A$AP Rocky has been a legitimate actor for over a decade. However, he’s purposeful about not being typecast and making sure his film work doesn’t interrupt his musical creativity. “I don’t f**k around,” he said. “I can’t be making music decisions and being on tour. I have to be in one place. I have to embody this character. I can’t give 100% on everything if I’m being pulled in different directions. And, unfortunately, you gotta sacrifice certain things to follow your calling. These films don’t pay you a trillion dollars. This is more so my destiny. I’m a man of the arts.”

All that said, his new album Don’t Be Dumb is still on the way, and its repeated delays could have been the cost of being deep in his acting bag.

Daddy Rocky
The interview seems to have been conducted before the arrival of A$AP Rocky’s third child with Rihanna on Sept. 13. In the story, he mentioned praying for a girl after already having a pair of boys. Family has been a major part of his identity for a while now. “We don’t talk too much about work, because we deal with that all day, every day,” A$AP Rocky said of the “Diamonds” singer. “When you come home, it’s about family. It’s about your relationship. It’s about your household. It ain’t about all that other s**t.”

Read the full ELLE story here.