A$AP Rocky on ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ Grammy Aspirations & Signing Playboi Carti: ‘Whole Industry Sounds Like an Artist That Derived From My Nest’

A$AP Rocky doesn’t shy away from growth; he acknowledges it. Nearly eight years passed between 2018’s TESTING and the arrival of the much-delayed Don’t Be Dumb, an eternity in rapper terms.

Rocky was unsure of the ever-changing rap landscape he’d be returning to as a father of three, and as one half of a reigning music power couple alongside Rihanna — but his influence endured as a premier tastemaker in the zeitgeist. Released in January, Don’t Be Dumb topped the Billboard 200, which marked a triumph, and his first No. 1 album in over a decade.

“It’s mind-boggling that after all these years, I still got this much influence on the culture, and I’m still doing this same thing that I love to do — but even at a higher level,” Rocky tells Billboard with a hoarse voice after wrapping up his European tour in Greece two nights prior. “People like to pretend that they all buttoned up and figured [it] out. Nah, man, I still got some growing to do, even this late in my career.”

With the first round of voting from the Recording Academy underway, the Harlem native has his sights set on winning his first Grammy Award, after coming up empty in three previous nominations. “I think it would solidify everything that I worked hard for,” the 38-year-old says. “I worked so hard on this, and I intentionally wanted to win one.”

Rocky still has one more promise to deliver on, releasing his long-awaited Disc 2. He’s kicking off the rollout for the deluxe edition on Friday (Oct. 16) with the streaming arrival of “Mushroom Clouds,” which the A$AP Mob frontman premiered live at a 420 Weedmaps show in 2021 and performed as part of his Amazon Music Live set in 2022. “I’ma keep my promises this time,” he vows. “I just had to do these tours and give the people what they want.

Find the rest of our interview with Rocky talking about his tour, signing Playboi Carti to AWGE, 15 years of LIVE.LOVE.A$AP and what’s making the cut for Disc 2.

What’s it like being back outside after being gone for years, and getting to perform and connect with the people again?

It’s been phenomenal for me. Just being away for a long time, eight years, and going back and still having that much influence, and still shaking the room, and still having fans — new fans, old fans, concurrent fans — just be so receptive to where I’m going creatively is a f–king blessing. I’m probably the most thankful, hardworking person I know. I’m dead serious. I was for real with that FKA Twigs song “Fukk Sleep.” We outside, bro. It was amazing. The day before yesterday I just wrapped tour. I was just going hard, man. Every night, two hours and 15 minutes on that stage, carrying a 50-pound RPG microphone. Just insane, dude. The s–t was lit. 

You’re one of the last A-listers in rap to do press still. You’ll go from Vogue to Billboard to sitting down with DJ Akademiks. Is that something you’re cognizant of, while your peers shy away from it?

Well, I think people shy away because they want to avoid certain questions. I’m an open book, bro. I just wear my flaws on my sleeves, and I kind of think that’s what just makes me, me. I’m very aware. This is what I want to do. I want to talk to the people because I feel like journalism is a dying art. I’m a man in the arts. Like real, authentic journalism, and I think these days you can just type in some ChatGPT s–t. 

It’s not taking nothing away from ChatGPT, because that is a very reliable sourcing tool for myself. It’s actually fun, for lack of better words. I really enjoy this s–t, because a journalist is a very intricate kind of profession, because it takes some type of intelligence to convey something perfectly into some type of literature, and kind of color in the lines. In this day and age, that’s phenomenal. I’m old school too, bro. Like, I’m the leader of the new school, but I’m dead-ass old school. I got an old soul. I just sound 80 ’cause I f–king just got off stage. 

How has touring been with the family around? I’m sure that has to be a lot different than when you were outside with the Mob a decade ago?

It’s way different. I put an Instagram clip of how my backstage is like a castle. The reason why I travel like that is because some of those toys and belongings belong to my kids, my family, my girl. And what it does is it gives me a sense that I’m still home. Get on a FaceTime call with them, if they’re not there physically, and it kind of numbs the pain of being away from the little ones and s–t like that. It just makes you forget that you’re not even home. That’s why I stay so busy and I do so much, so I don’t really think about the things that will kind of make me a little sad — because it’s almost like going on a tour in the Marine Corps or something like that. 

You gotta kind of have that trench mentality. We’re in the trenches; we’re in a battlefield. From a sports perspective, it’s like, every night is a playoff game. You know, you’re trying to win a championship. If the sound engineer messes up, that’s somebody not putting numbers on the board, or passing the ball out of bounds. We’re a team, and I think everything being cohesive and coordinated is what I look forward to every night, because I’m not putting on a rap music concert. I’m putting on performance art in a hip-hop formation. 

When you look back at your year, how do you feel about Don’t Be Dumb compared to Testing and the rest of your discography? Do you think you delivered with it?

I think to take an eight-year hiatus and come back and go No. 1 — it’s just unbelievable. I’m doing the same amount of numbers I did when I left, and in comparison to all of them, obviously I love it, because it’s more recent. So I’m taking a liking to it because it kind of personifies who I am now, and that’s why all those alter egos were on the cover. Shout out Tim Burton. Because between those eight years, I would drop loosie singles, movie soundtracks, and all this other stuff, and it was like those were the characters, the alter egos and the swagger that I was portraying at the time. Those guys never had the ability to have their own album, so you never knew what a full album from Mr. Mayers would sound like. You never knew Rocky when he wears a T-shirt on his head. What is that like? What is the Testing era with the dummy? Babushka Boy was right after Testing, so I just kind of wanted to pick up where I left off and tell a story in between. 

Don’t Be Dumb, for me — I don’t want to say I left and it was a return, but it was just proof to myself that art still prevails no matter what, even when it’s a bunch of noise and a bunch of just chaos and s–t going on; art prevails, dude. I tapped into one of my favorite artists of all time, Tim Burton, and he allowed me to make a hybrid world, because I’m a world-creator; I’m a world-builder every time. And he allowed me to work with Danny Elfman, and man, he was so receptive. Winona Ryder showed love, and she was starring in the “Punk Rocky” f–king music video. Danny Elfman was on the roof playing drums with her. They didn’t connect for years. F–king Danny Elfman doing SNL with me. That was my first SNL performance. Us just rocking that s–t, like, it was just f–king fun, bro. And I’m blessed, dog, honestly. And I’m grateful. 

This week starts the Grammy voting period. What would a win mean for you at this stage of your career?

It would be an honor. For me, I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’ve had a lot of nominations, and I never won. So for me, man, it would be an honor and a blessing to be a part of the Academy and actually win an award from it. You know, I think I’m at a place in my career, in my life, in my age where I put art first, and music was my main prerogative and priority for this year.

Usually, it’s other endeavors. Sometimes it might be films, me being an actor; it might be me being behind the camera directing music videos for myself or for other artists. I wear different hats, me being a designer. But this year my focus was really about the music. 60 dates sold out. It’s people who won Grammys that can’t even sell out arenas. These ideas, we’re giving people performance art that has never been seen. 

LIVE.LOVE.A$AP turns 15 later this month. I think of “Peso” and “Purple Swag” taking off during summer 2011. What comes to mind when you think about that time?

It just feels like nostalgia. I was just thinking about earlier how it’s funny that all those nostalgic songs are still bringing on new fans and current fans and just older fans is just still there to support it. They come to these concerts hoping to hear “Purple Swag” and “Peso.” When those songs come on, I’m seeing the whole arena hugging, kissing and spreading love. During “L$D,” it’s insane to witness. It’s a privilege. It’s a blessing. I’m still evolving as an artist, and that’s what I love. I don’t shy away from the growth; I acknowledge it. I’m ready and I think I should win these awards and solidify to kind of go on to the next chapter and s–t like that.

I think about you signing [Playboi] Carti to AWGE 10 years ago as a passing-of-the-torch moment in hip-hop. That set up the next generation. You deserve your flowers for that as well. 

Right. I mean, yo, that’s crazy that you even acknowledged that. That was just an honor for me to do too. We got a song together, “New Choppa,” he’s like, “I signed to Flacko, Rocky, he passed me the beam/ I shoot like the King, new choppa, new choppa.” He’s talking about LeBron. I’m so proud of that guy for him to do what he saw me do with A$AP Mob and with AWGE, and now he has his own Opium thing, and now the whole industry sounds like an artist that derived from my nest. It’s a blessing, and we’re both simultaneously doing our thing. It’s just f–king weird, bro. It’s f–king dope as hell. I got mad love for that guy.

What’s the update on Disc 2?

Yes sir, coming soon. “Mushroom Clouds” is dropping this Friday (Oct. 16). This music video — I don’t know if you remember that — was a fan favorite. I performed it a few times, but now we gonna re-release it. Disc 2 is all of the songs that I dropped that those alter egos didn’t get an album to live on, because the next chapter is right after that.

A$AP Rocky 2027 Grammy Submissions:

Record of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Alternative Music Performance – “PUNK ROCKY”
Song of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance – “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” (feat. Brent Faiyaz)
Best Rap Performance – “HELICOPTER”
Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Album Cover, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Best Recording Package, Group Cover Vinyl Package – Don’t Be Dumb
Best Rap Song – “STOLE YA FLOW”