With his slick Southern rap-inspired approach, undeniable charisma and unique style, ASAP Rocky quickly rose to prominence. For over a decade, the exciting recording artist and fashion guru has spewed confidence through his bars since day one.
Confidence is usually something that you cannot teach. Although he has not dropped as many studio albums as some of his peers, each release has had an impact and is filled with self-assuring lyrics that could empower the most insecure person.
Rocky and his prolific ASAP Mob became known for their signature style, lingo and unwavering cult-like fan base. A decade later, we’ve seen the “Fashion Killa” emcee use his braggadocious bars to go toe to toe with A-list stars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Cardi B and many more.
Today, Rocky is a father of two and Rihanna’s baby daddy. The “Umbrella” songstress alluded to his confidence helping lead to their initial bond in an interview with Vogue. She told the interviewer, “He grabbed my a** on stage. That was not part of the rehearsal! I was like, ‘What are you doing!?’” Her team knew she must have liked him because there was no way she would have let that go.
We dug into Rocky’s discography to find the verses that best exhibit his bravado as an emcee. Check out these 11 ASAP Rocky lyrics that exude confidence.
1. Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2: “Who the jiggy n**ga with the gold links? / Got me reminiscin’ ’bout my old day / Three 6, suck a n**ga d**k, no foreplay, all day / Boomin’ out the trap through the hallway.”
Rocky broke the mold when he first burst onto the scene. His initial records helped spread new lingo that his fans could use for themselves. When his debut album titled Long.Live.A$AP shed more light on ASAP Mob, their impact on pop culture became undeniable.
2. Fashion Killa: “I’m sippin’ purple syrup / Come be my Aunt Jemima / And if you is a rider, we’ll go shoppin’ like mañana / Her attitude Rihanna / She get it from her mama / She jiggy like Madonna, but she trippy like Nirvana.”
“Fashion Killa” was a solo record, but the noteworthy visual made waves since it featured Rihanna. What now seems like an adorable foreshadowing of their current life, the popular record properly showcased the charisma that helped him become a hip hop heartthrob.
3. Peso: “I be that pretty mothaf**ka, Harlem’s what I’m reppin’ / Tell my n**gas quit the b**chin’, we gon’ make it in a second / Never disrespected, plus I’m well connected / With this coke that I imported, just important as your president.”
Rocky changed the game when he started to call himself pretty on tracks. Throughout his career, he has made it clear that he has high standards for himself and anyone he deals with. The high fashion icon used “Peso” to reaffirm to everyone that he was just as important as your president.
4. Canal St.: “F**k jiggy, I’m flawless, f**k pretty, I’m gorgeous / Your favorite rappers’ corpses couldn’t measure my importance / My mind is out in orbits, plus my ego got endorsements / Heard the people want that raw s**t, but y’all be talkin’ bulls**t.”
After a few years of referring to himself pretty, ASAP Rocky doubled down by calling himself flawless and gorgeous on his second LP. While some artists exaggerate in their songs, Rocky spoke facts when he mentioned his ego has endorsements. The talented creative has worked with top brands like Guess, Puma, Formula 1 and many others.
5. F**kin’ Problems: “Never met a mothaf**ker fresh like me / All these mothaf**kers wanna dress like me / But the chrome to your dome make you sweat like Keith / ‘Cause I’m the n**ga, the n**ga, n**ga, like how you figure?”
In one of the most prominent rap posse cuts of the 21st century, Rocky tapped 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar and Drake for “F**kin’ Problems.” The instant hit featured a clever hook from the Atlanta star, which paired perfectly with three memorable verses from Lamar, Drizzy and Rocky that will be shouted in clubs for years to come.
6. Goldie: “Yes, I’m the s**t, tell me do it stink? / It feel good wakin’ up to money in the bank / Three model b**ches, cocaine on the sink / And I’m so ’bout it … I might roll up in a tank.”
“Goldie” was a Lil Wayne-inspired record that featured some impressive wordplay from the bubbling emcee. The rapping ladies’ man never misses a chance to express his high self-confidence.
7. Wild for the Night: “N**ga feeling froggy, then leap in, ASAP n**gas finna sneak in / Middle finger to the critics, me and my n**ga Skrillex.”
Anytime you get a Skrillex remix, you know it’ll make for a party-friendly banger. “Wild for the Night” is still a sure shot to turn up an ASAP Rocky set at any festival or concert. This track solidified Rocky’s place as one of the top performers of his class.
8. Praise the Lord (Da Shine): “You’d think I’m jumpin’ out the window how I got ’em open / Line around the corner, line ’em up the block and over / Sometimes I even stop the smokin’ when it’s time to focus / My shades, Dior, my pants, velour.”
Rocky is never shy when it comes to bragging about what he is wearing or how women flock to him. The charismatic and well-dressed hitmaker paired his borderline cocky raps with a flute-based instrumental that helped create one of his latest radio hits. He also brought along U.K.’s Skepta to bring life to this quirky smash.
9. Who Dat Boy: “N**ga, who dem is? / Who else step in this b**ch this jig? / Who else your b**ch say got a bick this big? / Who else came through with a wrist this flick?”
Tyler, The Creator, and Rocky were two of the most unlikely partners in rap when they first linked. Because Rocky is known as the cool kid, it was hard for people to grasp how he and Odd Future’s leading man, Tyler, The Creator, built such a tight bond. Nonetheless, the two have traded bars on plenty of records and seemingly have a solid relationship on and off wax.
10. Purple Swag: “I’m flexing steel, I’m flexing still, I’m sitting high, I’m tipping slow / I’m Texas trill … but in NY we spit it slow / I got these boppas going crazy, they see me coming / Robitussin, quit discussing, ASAP, tell these n**gas something.”
Much of Rocky’s early music paid homage to the Southern rap greats, especially those from Houston. During the young emcee’s formative years in Harlem, Rocky listened to rappers like DJ Screw, Bun B and Pimp C. Although he is named after the legendary NY lyricist Rakim, Rocky’s musical influences span far past the tri-state area.
11. RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n): “Canary, my stones look like Tweety / Pass on a sweetie, I got me a RiRi / Blue magic, she sniffin’ that, I dream of genie / Designer the finest, I play that Brent Faiyaz and see if she freaky.”
ASAP Rocky has been rapping about Rihanna since his debut. After years of manifestation, two beautiful children and countless heartwarming moments as a couple, his bars about her will never get old. “RIOT” was the latest track that allowed the Harlem-bred rap star to boast about his woman. Most recently, he told COMPLEX that he and the Barbados-born superstar’s best collaboration is their children.