A$AP Rocky Doesn’t Want To Be Compared To Tupac Shakur

Though A$AP Rocky has long been linked to the fashion world, he has recently made headway into another non-musical creative pursuit. Over the weekend, Dope, the Rick Famuyiwa-directed film Rocky stars in, sold for a reported $7 million at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. While he hopes his acting is well-received, a new interview with The New York Times has Rocky suggesting we should hold off on those Tupac comparisons.

"I think that's not a fair comparison," the Harlem rapper says of parallels that some have drawn between him and the late Shakur. "Those shoes are way too big to try to fill. I’m nothing like Pac. Nobody is, you know?" Rocky goes on to add that respect for those who came before him in music is what led him to sidestep early questions about his given name, Rakim. Elsewhere in the interview, Rocky praises Pharrell and Kid Cudi for their ability to balance creativity across a variety of mediums.

Rocky touched only briefly on the dark cloud that has been hanging over Dope's early buzz, namely the premature death of his friend, manager and mentor, A$AP Yams. He does call Yams, who was only 26 at the time of his death, "one of the most influential hip-hop pioneers" of his generation, referring to his spearheading the A$AP movement, as well as curating his Real Nigga Tumblr, one of the foremost blogs for both cutting edge and forgotten rap music.

There was also a hint at a new A$AP Rocky album, one that was originally helmed by Yams and Danger Mouse.

[New York Times]

Filed Under: A$AP Rocky, A$AP Yams, Dope, Tupac

Categories: News