Who We Are: A$AP Mob, the Collective From Harlem
We are A$AP Mob, a hip-hop collective from Harlem, New York. We're more than a rap group: rappers, record producers, music video directors and fashion designers, all working under one name.
Where did we start?
The collective started in Harlem in 2006. A$AP Yams, born Steven Rodriguez, set it up with A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz, and A$AP Rocky joined later. Over the years the crew grew to include A$AP Ferg, A$AP Nast, A$AP Twelvyy, A$AP Ant and many more.
What does A$AP stand for?
The name is read as "as soon as possible". Over time the letters picked up other meanings too, and the best known is Always Strive and Prosper. That motto is written big on the back of one of our designs.
What did we release?
- Lords Never Worry (2012): our first group mixtape, put out as a free download.
- Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends (2016): our first album, dedicated to A$AP Yams, with "Yamborghini High" and "Telephone Calls".
- Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy (2017): our second album, which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, with "Raf" and "Feels So Good".
Our releases came out under the A$AP Worldwide name, the label behind the round globe badge.
Who was A$AP Yams?
A$AP Yams was our founder and the mind behind the collective. He died on 18 January 2015. A year later we held the first Yams Day, a tribute concert in New York on the anniversary of his death, and it returned in the years after.
Why wear it?
A$AP Mob merch is a way to rep the crew: the globe, the gothic type, the tributes to Yams. Every design comes on tees, long sleeves, crewnecks and hoodies, with kids' and youth sizes too.