A$AP Rocky doesn't want to be a rock star.
The New York rapper released his second studio album, AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, last week and it features collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, Rod Stewart and Mark Ronson.
The hip hop sound is true to the musician's aesthetic and A$AP has no plans to switch things up any time soon.
"Nah, man. I wouldn’t just jump into another genre. That’s like being an athlete and going from one league to another," he reasoned to Vulture when quizzed if he'd ever release a straight rock 'n' roll album. "For me, I let my inspirations and influences in, and that’s better for the music, as opposed to just trying to do a whole different genre. I think you should master your craft before you present new art to people, or at least try to master it. I enjoyed my first trial with that, but I don’t know if it’s mastered. It might be rookie level."
He and Rod bonded during recording, which led to them working on a mixtape called Born to Be Pretty.
As well as being busy with his music, A$AP has dipped his toes into acting with upcoming movie Dope. It's a coming-of-age comedy drama which follows well-behaved teenager Malcolm, whose bad choices could jeopardise his dream of attending Harvard.
A$AP plays Dom in the flick and enjoyed making his acting debut alongside the likes of Zoë Kravitz and Forest Whitaker.
"It was a really good first experience and it was a learning experience. I’ve always wanted to pursue acting. I’m into the arts," he explained. "That was just something that I wanted to do. Dope started out as an independent film first. It wasn’t meant to be a Hollywood box-office thing or whatever. When I was reading through the script, I connected with the character and auditioned for it. I did two video auditions, and then they had me come to LA while I was in the middle of recording out in London to do a physical audition."
