“I feel like I’m one of the best artists out right now,” ASAP Rocky declared in his May 2018 Complex cover story. It’s a bold claim, but after stepping back and looking at his accomplishments, it’s hard to argue against the Harlem rapper and de facto leader of ASAP Mob.
Rocky’s been putting in work since the beginning of this decade, starting with his 2011 breakout mixtape Live.Love.A$AP. Since then, he’s released three solo albums, been a go-to feature for his rap peers (Tyler, the Creator, Schoolboy Q) and pop stars alike (Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey), and played a major role in piecing together the Mob’s Cozy Tapes series, not to mention keeping the legacy of the late ASAP Yams going.
Rocky’s expanded his reach and influence through fashion, film, and directing, among other ventures, but the music is what propels his compelling narrative forward. He’s got an impressive catalog to back up his status as one of the brightest stars of this generation. On the heels of his latest release Testing, these are ASAP Rocky’s best songs
19. "ASAP Forever" (2018)
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Album: Testing
Producer: Hector Delgado & ASAP Rocky
ASAP Rocky loves a good sample. One of the latest examples, "ASAP Forever," was released ahead of Flacko's highly anticipated 2018 album, Testing. The song takes its foundation from Moby's 2000 hit single "Porcelain," which was made popular by the Leonardo DiCaprio-led film The Beach. Rocky loves gauzy, atmospheric production almost as much as he loves samples, and it shows when he reps his set from second 1 of the track; "ASAP Forever" is Flexing 101 for anyone uninitiated with the Mob. He raps with the same confidence we first heard back in the "Peso" days: "I still had the vision when I was broke." Rocky's signature flexible flow weaves throughout the Moby sample, before he eventually drops off and lets the original track ride out. —Kiana Fitzgerald
18. "Fashion Killa" (2013)
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Album: LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Producer: ASAP Rocky, Friendzone, & Hector Delgado
Catering specifically to his female fan base, Rocky carves out this sultry dedication to all things high end. He promises his lady a first class trip to hypebeast heaven, as he name-drops every luxury brand imaginable. It’s a saccharine ode to excess that ultimately succeeds in its simplicity. —Anslem Samuel Rocque
17. Playboi Carti f/ ASAP Rocky "New Choppa" (2017)
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Album: Playboi Carti
Producer: ASAP Rocky & Ricci Riera
This is a prime example of somebody getting on your song and completely taking over. Playboi Carti welcomed ASAP Rocky into his humble abode on “New Choppa,” and Rocky went full Rick James, putting his feet on the couch, raiding the fridge, and doing whatever he wanted to do with no consequence. Rocky doesn’t even ease his way into this verse; he immediately comes in hot, shooting off line after line as though he actually has an AK-47 in the booth with him. “For the most part I rap when they ask what my hobby is,” has to be one of the most arrogant lines ever from Rocky—he’s just doing this for fun, and he’s still bodying most of his peers. —Kameron Hay
16. "LSD" (2016)
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Album: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Producer: Finatik N Zac & Jim Jonsin
Rocky detailed his experimentation with psychedelic drugs in several interviews during the rollout for AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, specifically how they helped boost his creativity when working on the album. “LSD” is Rocky’s attempt to capture those experiences, and it’s a successful one. The airy production, combined with Rocky’s melodic vocals, makes you feel like you’re floating. Midway through the song, the drums kick in and shit gets trippy. At the end of it all, you find yourself wondering what the fuck you just experienced. But you like it, so you try it again. Kind of like actually doing LSD, but don’t ask me how I know. —Kameron Hay
15. ASAP Rocky f/ Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Action Bronson, & Danny Brown "1Train" (2013)
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Album: LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Producer: Hit-boy
Having one great posse cut song in a career is more than most artists can hope for. But having two on your debut album? Well, that's something only a certain type of white-hot star could pull off. And in 2013, Rocky was that dude. "Fuckin' Problems" was the mainstream hit, but "1Train" was a real lyrical showcase from all over hip-hop's map—Harlem, Queens, Detroit, Compton, Brooklyn, Mississippi, and Alabama. One after another, a group of mostly then-just-below-the-mainstream MCs tried to outdo each other. And the titular phrase ("Anything is better than that 1 train"), despite only happening once in the entire song, is remembered by pretty much everyone as a hook because it perfectly captured the feelings of anyone who ever waited for a train Uptown in NYC. If you've ever traveled above 96th Street on the MTA, there is a 100% chance that you've muttered Rocky's iconic line to yourself. —Shawn Setaro
14. ASAP Rocky f/ Mark Ronson, Rod Stewart, & Miguel "Everyday" (2015)
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Album: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Producer: Emile Haynie & Mark Ronson
"Everyday" is ASAP Rocky at his most introspective. He's still talking about some of the usual topics—like being the prettiest motherfucker we ever did see—but in between those subjects, he takes the time to evaluate where he is and where he's headed. Rocky gets an indirect assist from British rock legend Rod Stewart, who appears via a sample, and Miguel, who sings the lyrics that Stewart originally belted out in the late '60s on a track called "In a Broken Dream." With Mark Ronson's pensive production riding underneath him, Rocky makes it known that he's trying to get grounded, but just doesn't know how. "Off again, there he go / To another dimension, my mind / Body, soul imprisoned, my eye / Prolly goin' ballistic—but listen." —Kiana Fitzgerald
13. ASAP Rocky f/ Bones "Canal St." (2015)
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Album: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Producer: Kilmeks, ASAP Rocky, Frans Mernick & Hector Delgado
As raw as ASAP Rocky gets lyrically, there’s always a finesse to his delivery. The Harlem rapper shows off that balance in spades on “Canal St.,” where a moody backdrop paves the way for an ode to the popular east-west Lower Manhattan street. Rocky stays stunting throughout, and while that he maintains he hasn’t changed who he is (“Was always G/Way before this famous shit”), it’s clear he’s come a long way: “I remember when I got a hundred for recordings/Now the sum of my performances just put me on the Forbes list.” —Edwin Ortiz
12. ASAP Rocky f/ ASAP Illz, ASAP Twelvy, & ASAP Nast "Trilla" (2011)
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Album: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
Producer: Beautiful Lou
When Rocky first hit, critics unsurprisingly pointed out the parallels between his zone and the sounds coming from the Houston scene, primarily the chopped and screwed influence. Alongside Mob affiliates Twelvyy and Ant, Rocky sparks the throwback drums and somber guitar strums with some liquor-soaked flows. It's one of those tracks that you throw on once the herb hits; the vibe is both laid back and hype as fuck at the same damn time. Perfect material to get lit to. —khal
11. ASAP Mob f/ ASAP Rocky & Skepta "Put That On My Set" (2016)
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Album: Cozy Tapes Vol. 1
Producer: Jeremiah Owens
Much as we deride Rocky for often going, as Drake once shadily put it in indirect terms, "missing in action" over bitches and fashion, real ones know he still keeps us fed in the interim. The three years between AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP and Testing were hardly dry periods. In the midst of the Mob group releases that took priority, Rocky made sure to give us some solo flavor as well. "Put That On My Set" is so good, it'd be fair to assume that if he had a solo anywhere near completion at the time he might've kept it for himself. Over a gorgeously laid-back flip of Willie Hutch's classic "Brothers Gonna Work it Out," Flacko and Skepta trade bars about keeping it 100 casually but engagingly. Vintage, two miles an hour gangsta lean Mob music. —Frazier Tharpe
10. "Palace" (2011)
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Album: LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Producer: Clams Casino
With a title like “Palace,” you might expect this track to be just another serving of pristine opulence and diamond-encrusted choruses. But this moody opener to Rocky’s LIVE.LOVE.A$AP mixtape is the complete opposite. Dark, murky, and dripped in codeine, the song is a Southern fried stoner’s anthem that’s more trap house than a big house in the hills. One long toke of a verse, it features Rocky exhaling powerful bursts of brilliance: “Influenced by Houston, hear it in my music/A trill n***a to the truest, show you how to do this/My all gold grills give her cold chills/Said she’s got a coke feel ’cause I’m so trill/Two dope boy scales, but I sold pills/No ideal, put her on her feet—toenails.” —Anslem Samuel Rocque
9. ASAP Mob f/ ASAP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator, Playboi Carti, & Yung Gleesh "Telephone Calls" (2016)
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Album: Cozy Tapes Vol. 1
Producer: Plu20 Nash
While most people fawn over Tyler, The Creator’s verse on “Telephone Calls” (and rightfully so, because he goes absolutely off), Rocky’s laid back approach provides a nice juxtaposition to Tyler, Playboi Carti, and Yung Gleesh’s high energy levels here. Even with all of the chill, though, he still takes the time to flex about Gucci and Dior bidding for his services. This isn’t one of Rocky’s most complex verses, but it shows that he “gets it,” “it” being the fact that sometimes, keeping it simple works best. —Kameron Hay
8. "Goldie" (2012)
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Album: LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Producer: Hit-boy
From the syrupy and untraditional hook to the cocksure flow, Rocky was all the way in the pocket on this one. Produced by Hit-Boy, the hypnotic track rumbles through the speakers like a rusty car muffler. Rather than ease up on the brake, Rocky puts the pedal to the metal and never lets up. “Yes, I’m the shit, tell me do it stink?/It feel good wakin’ up to money in the bank/Three model bitches, cocaine on the sink/And I’m so ’bout it, ’bout it, I might roll up in a tank/’Cause my chain came from Cuba, got a lock up on the link/And them red bottom loafers just to complement the mink.” Sex, money, drugs—Rocky was definitely on a roll. —Anslem Samuel Rocque
7. ASAP Rocky f/ Lil Wayne "M'$" (2015)
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Album: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Producer: Mike Dean & Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E.
Of course a Lil Wayne feature is going to make it, but Rocky holds his own over this menacing, fat-bottomed instrumental. It's almost a perfect combination of what makes Rocky, Rocky. We've got references to his influences (whether it's shouting out Yams or the "you ain't got no Flacko in your Serato" drop), the memorable way he says "eeeeeeemz" in the hook, or the knowhow to let Weezy be Weezy to close out the track. This might be one of the fiercest anthems in his catalog. —khal
6. ASAP Rocky f/ 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar "Fuckin' Problems" (2012)
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Album: LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Producer: Noah "40" Shebib & Drake
Rocky pulled the A-list posse card as most in his position tend to on a high-profile debut, but despite an otherwise show-stealing and effortlessly dominating hook from 2 Chainz, ASAP can rest assured that the event doesn't outshine him. K.Dot's verse has some quotables sure, but, unpopular opinion: Rocky has the hardest of all three verses on the track. Drake lobbed the beat and Flacko Yamaguchi effortlessly glided on it with a double-time flow his peers can't quite match. The world will come to share my viewpoint on it sooner or later; until then, don't forget who premiered this one in the first place. —Frazier Tharpe
5. "Peso" (2011)
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Album: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
Producer: ASAP Ty Beats
This was Rocky's first single, and the first time a lot of us heard him, yet he popped out of the gate with his style somehow already fully formed. There was the Houston influence: the slow, hypnotic music, screwed-up vocals, and exaggerated, Southern-style vowels ("section" beautifully transformed into "sec-shiiiiiiin"); there was the fashion talk that showed he was moving past the Louis/Gucci/Prada/Versace axis into new territory; there was the love for Harlem; there was the cockiness—he was young, rich, and good-looking, and he knew it; and there was the shout-out to his crew's mastermind, the late ASAP Yams. "Peso" is a great song, sure. But more importantly, it was a masterful, concise introduction to Rocky's persona—not for nothing were the song's very first words, "I be that pretty motherfucker." —Shawn Setaro
4. ASAP Rocky f/ Juicy J "Multiply" (2014)
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Album: N/A
Producer: Curtis Heron
I get choked up whenever I hear “Multiply.” It takes me back to Yams’ last days, as he was rolling out Rocky’s At.Long.Last.A$AP with cryptic tweets, visuals, and website. Little did we know, the site was where the video for this song would live. They had their OG Juicy J talking his shit, giving a middle finger to those complaining about the Southern influence in their music. And yet, Rocky was able to make this sound like NYC, despite riding the production like a long lost Three 6 Mafia member and boasting about his ignored influence. This was ASAP coming for the game. Unfortunately, the passing of Yams a month later would put a screeching halt to their momentum, leaving us to wonder what could’ve been. The two images I see in my head when this shit plays? Stevie and Rocky standing back-to-back in matching Avirexes, and Gleeshy walking his walk to what would be the LPFJ2 beat. —Angel Diaz
3. ASAP Rocky f/ Schoolboy Q "Brand New Guy" (2011)
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Album: LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
Producer: Lyle Leduff
Rocky and Q not giving us their version of Watch the Throne is one of the greatest travesties in modern music history. The beat, with emphasis on the chorus, sounds like violence. I’m talking when Pesci put that dude’s head in a vice grip in Casino violence. Then there’s arguably Schoolboy’s best verse of his career, as he kicks his scumbag gospel while disrespecting your gate, Lord. And let us not forget Flacko’s chopped not slopped intro and opening verse, featuring a cadence that has now become his signature. Put “Brand New Guy” in the MoMa! —Angel Diaz
2. "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2" (2015)
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Album: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
Producer: Nez & Rio
I’ll never forget the first time I heard this record. I was sitting in my college dorm room with my roommate, and this shit made us go absolutely bonkers. Rocky effortlessly floats here, managing to sound cooler than your favorite rapper with half of the effort. “Who the jiggy ni**a with the gold links?/ Got me reminiscing ‘bout my old days,” was the perfect opening line, and from there it was off to the races. The second verse here is one of the rare times Rocky really sounds irritated with his imitators, but in the end, he just brushes them off. Play “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” for any Rocky doubters, and they’ll instantly become a fan. —Kameron Hay
