Rakim Mayers (born October 3, 1987 in Harlem, New York NY, United States), better known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (often stylized A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper and director. ASAP Rocky gained recognition among the hip hop community in 2011 after the release of his 2010 mixtape Deep Purple. In 2011 he followed up with the release of LiveLoveA$AP