How Much Is A$AP Rocky Really Worth?
Rapper, actor, businessman, fashion icon, music producer, and as of this writing, soon-to-be dad; A$AP Rocky is every bit of a formidable pop culture figure. In what has been only a little over a decade, the rapper has built a brand and career that mirrors the image of success. But of course, this did not happen by mere chance or luck as some like to call it.
Rocky's current success is a result of years and years of hard work put together -– something that his fans have seen for themselves over time. Since releasing his debut mixtape, "Live. Love. ASAP" in 2013, the rapper has steadily moved up the rap ladder, going from being just an upcoming artist to a global star. But not only has Rocky dominated the music industry, but he has also become quite prominent in other spheres of entertainment.
For Rocky, being "successful" is not just a title, it has opened him to several accolades, a number of awards, and a lot of money. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rocky is currently worth $10 million -– a far cry from his girlfriend Rihanna's $1.7 billion estimated net worth. Nonetheless, we can't get over how impressive it is that the rapper has amassed this kind of fortune. Let's find out more about Rocky's millions, how he earned it, and most importantly, how he spends it.
A$AP Rocky had a difficult childhood
A$AP Rocky is definitely "living the life" now, but living hasn't always been this fun for the rapper. Born on October 3, 1988, Rocky started getting a feel of how hard life can get at a very young age. When he was just 12, Rocky watched his father go to prison for dealing drugs. Barely a year later, the rapper's older brother, Ricky, was murdered by members of a rival drug-dealing gang.
Following his brother's passing, Rocky and the rest of his family were forced to move in between homeless shelters for a while. Given his father and brother's history with drugs, it was therefore only a matter of time before Rocky himself found himself in the drug dealing bubble –- but only for a short time.
"I wasn't no big-time hustler," he told Billboard in 2015. "I was one of those guys that would do well in the summer and save enough to support my studio time, buy clothes, pay the bills. That lifestyle's wack." The rapper also recounted his "crazy" childhood experiences to Red Bull Academy during a 2015 interview. "Those kids, those guys, man, it was a crazy experience ... I remember being like 13 and to challenge their strength, just to see how strong they was, they would just try to like knock out delivery dudes just going past on bikes. That was fun to them. To see a 14-year-old knock a grown man out was just like, that's how you test your strength."
He started rapping as a child
A$AP's musical destiny can be said to have been written as far back as his earliest years in the world. Named Rakim after MC Rakim –- one half of the iconic hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim –- Rocky learned to rap from his older brother, Ricky, and started rapping when he was eight. But, according to MTV, it was not until after Ricky's death that Rocky got serious with rapping. By this time, the rapper was already in his late teens.
"My brother moved on, but the beat came back, pulsing through every vein in my body. My older brother Ricky is responsible for me growing up and having a 'real job," Rocky said in a Mercedes-Benz commercial.
Music is however seemingly not the only way Ricky influenced his little brother. As the rapper revealed to Interview, while alive, Ricky wore his hair in twist-out braids – a signature hairstyle which we have now all come to know Rocky by.
A$AP Rocky's first record deal made big bank
In 2011, four years after the start of his professional rap career, A$AP Rocky landed his first record deal — a $3 million signing with Polo Grounds Music which, at the time, was in a distribution partnership with RCA's J Records. The deal, as Rocky described to Billboard, however, did not mean he had $3 million in his pockets.
"I got a deal with RCA/Polo Grounds for A$AP Worldwide and I got a deal with them for my solo project, my solo deal; if you combine both deals it amounts to a three million dollar deal," he said.
The rapper alongside rapper A$AP Yams started their own record label, A$AP Worldwide that year and while $1.7 million from the deal was channeled to his solo projects, $1.3 went to funding the label (via Capital Xtra). It was through A$AP Worldwide that the rapper released his first studio album, "Long. Live. A$AP," which earned him a number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
A$AP Rocky's shows make him big bucks
Several artists rake in millions of dollars from shows every year, and A$AP Rocky is not left out from this literal goldmine. The rapper, like many others, repeatedly gets booked for shows throughout the year, and while this does not make up the entirety of his net worth, it sure does make a significant impact.
Between 2014 and 2017, Rocky reportedly earned between $80,000 to $120,000 per concert or show. By 2019, TMZ guesstimated the rapper's booking fees to be over $100,000. As of 2022, it won't be so far-fetched to push this further to nearly $200,000 per show.
As of this writing, Rocky is booked to headline Rolling Loud Portugal, slated to hold in July 2022. With ticket prices varying between $307 to $385, we can be sure that Rocky is once again making big bank from this show. Billboard also reports that the rapper is one of the three artists expected to headline the upcoming Smoker's Club Fest 2022 set to happen in April. Tickets for this show start at $222.99 for general admission, while fans in the VIP might have to pay as high as $408. Yet again, Rocky is about to make his bank account even fatter.
The rapper has had his share of legal troubles
What's fame without a little trouble! Despite his very successful career, A$AP Rocky has had quite a few run-ins with the law in the past. After allegedly slapping a woman in 2013, Rocky was charged with "misdemeanor simple assault" (via TMZ), but ended up settling the lawsuit outside of court in April 2015. Though the amount involved in the settlement remains undisclosed, our bet is that it did a number on his bank account.
Years later, Rocky found himself in a much deeper mess when he was arrested following an altercation with a man named Mustafa Jafari while on tour in Sweden. According to BBC, the rapper was subsequently charged with assault, kept in custody for a little over a month, and placed on trial. The rapper was eventually found and ended up paying $1,307 in damages to the victim, per AP.
A$AP Rocky is committed to charitable causes
A$AP Rocky might be worth millions now, but the rapper remains very connected to his humble beginnings. Despite his very luxurious life, the rapper makes sure to give back to the society –- or to be more specific, homeless shelters.
In 2021, Rocky rang in Thanksgiving Day volunteering at a Volunteers Of America family residence in Harlem where he gave out free meals to the needy. Similarly, In November 2020, TMZ reported that the rapper donated 120 meals to a homeless shelter in New York. This gesture, according to the outlet, was a bit personal for the rapper as it was one of the shelters he and his family previously lived in.
But even though Rocky is definitely not ashamed of his past, believe it or not, there was a time he was not so proud of it. Speaking to "Hard Knock TV" in 2012, the rapper opened up about his homeless shelter experiences and admitted to feeling embarrassed at the time. "I was a little embarrassed as a kid, but I rejoiced it and I embraced what that is because it made me who I am today. That was really hard for me back then, being kind of like exposed to that kind of lifestyle is crazy."
A$AP Rocky impressive real estate portfolio
When he is not recording in the studio, performing on stage, or touring around the globe, A$AP Rocky spends most of his time holed up at home. It is, therefore, no surprise that the rapper has amassed a number of homes over the years. As reported by Dirt, A$AP Rocky splurged a whopping $3 million on a luxury mansion situated in West Hollywood in April 2015. Along with an open floor plan, a formal yet lovely dining area, and a minimalist "Italian Kitchen," the 4,321-square-foot house came with five bedrooms, an open sky patio lounge, and an overall impressive view.
A few months later, Rocky was ready to expand his real estate collection, but this time, he turned to the other side of the ocean –- the United Kingdom. In July 2015, the rapper confirmed to Capital Xtra that he scooped up a property in Mayfair, one of London's most expensive living areas. This "expensiveness," alongside the normalcy that comes with living in this neighborhood, is exactly why it was a top choice for the rapper. "That's the most poshest [part of London] ... But they don't know who I am over there, they don't care about me that's why I love it," he told the outlet.
The rapper's other investments
A$AP Rocky, like many other rappers in the industry, has found other ways to invest his money outside of the music business. In June 2021, Forbes reported that the rapper had joined the long list of investors of a Swedish company called Klarna. The fintech platform, valued at $45.6 billion as of this writing, boasts over 90 million active users from across the globe with millions of daily transactions recorded.
For the rapper, Klarna, a buy now, pay later platform, is a solution to the payment difficulties he watched people from low-income families go through back in Harlem. Rocky reportedly described Klarna as a "layaway plan," calling it "a radical way to approach the crediting system," which in turn "helps people with financial literacy." But not only does Rocky believe in the company's mission, but he also believes it is his best investment decision yet. "I'm really hands-on involved. It's a no-brainer," Rocky admits.
Now, we don't know what the future holds, but with billionaire Rihanna by his side, we just might see Rocky's net worth going in an upward trajectory over the next few years.