After a memorable Augsut Awgust that saw the A$AP Mob drop their much-anticipated new album Cozy Tapes Vol. 2, A$AP Rocky is priming his fans for even more new music that's on the way in the near future. “This new album is just basically like all my albums: evolved,” he told the U.K. publication Standard. “They’ve been missing me, they’ve been waiting for me, they need some new music, they need some new sounds, new waves, new swag, new everything. And who’s the man you go to for that? Yours truly. So I’m back, like I never left.” The subject was one that he broached even more as part of the interview that accompanied his new cover shoot for GQ Style's 2017 Holiday Issue.
Answering questions that centered around a variety of topics, Rocky was quick to respond to inquiries about his new album, noting that it was important for him to get back into the studio and craft another solo project this year. "Right now, it's music," he said. "Last year was businesses and developing all our new artists. Playboi Carti went platinum. Smooky MarGielaa is on the rise. Twelvyy album came out. A$AP Ferg mixtape came out—he always got number ones and bangers [...] Cozy Tapes Vol. 2 is out right now. Now it's all about me making music again."
When asked about particulars from his upcoming project, A$AP Rocky kept with the theme that he hinted at in the Standard interview, insisting that his process is about pushing his own musical boundaries. "My new album is really about testing new sounds. People are scared to test new sounds," he added. "So they go with what's current 'cause it's the easy thing to do. The top 100 songs sound a certain way. People cater more to that because it's a bigger demographic behind that, or it's a guaranteed demographic behind that. I prefer to experiment and have my crowd grow with me and to reach new crowds. I don't just rap—I actually make music."
An interesting revelation in the interview process came when it was suggested that, if he wasn't a rapper, there's a very real possibility that Rocky could be a florist. "I have such good taste. I love flowers," he said. "I think decor value and feng shui is important [...] But my whole life, I just wanted to be a rapper. That was it."
Check out the whole interview here.