A$AP Rocky’s music videos never cease to amaze, we rounded up his best.
Through his music videos, A$AP Rocky continues to flex his creative muscles in a major way by creating worlds filled with avant-garde motifs that are both emotionally textured and thought-provoking. The visuals are often beautifully layered cinematic masterpieces that blend perfectly with the sweeping synths and distorted feel of his records, taking viewers on a dreamy ride through hazy locations.
In honour of the release of his third album, TE$TING we highlight his best music videos:
8. A$AP Rocky – Jukebox Joints (feat. Joe Fox and Kanye West)
Directed by Shomi Patwary, A$AP Rocky.
The Patwary directed video for “Jukebox Joints” has an old-school vibe to it which perfectly matches the Kanye West-produced track, which floats over a sample from an old Smokey Robinson joint.
“We shot the first section in Berlin, actually. It’s hard to find a classic American diner in New York that looks like that,” Patwary tells Nordstrom. “Then we shot the barber shop in the Bronx and the house party in this crazy art gallery in SoHo. And the bedroom scene was shot in a studio, because you can’t shoot with a projector in a bedroom. There isn’t enough distance to project the image big enough,” adds Patwary.
And, if you’re wondering why Kanye doesn’t make an appearance in the video. Well, the answer is simple, the video was shot before Kanye even had a verse on the track.
7. A$AP Rocky – Money Man (Short Film)
Directed by AWGE.
The intense 12-minute short film was directed by AWGE, A$AP Rocky’s creative collective, and tells the tragic story of Rina, a character trapped in a world of crime and misfortune and stars famed French actor Saïd Taghmaoui. Soundtracked by “Money Man” featuring A$AP Nast and a second song, “Put That On My Set” featuring UK grime legend Skepta the short film provides a dystopian glimpse into the lives of residents who live in traditional British council flats.
6. A$AP Rocky – Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2
Directed by A$AP Rocky.
“Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” is all about paying tribute to the late A$AP Yams. Shot in two vignettes, the first half features Rocky’s trademark lo-fi, kaleidoscopic aesthetic, and shows the entire MOB being raucous and attending a party, interspersed with dizzying scenic shots of the New York skyline. The second half takes place in a laundromat and gives us a sneak peek of what the visuals for “M’s,” would look like. Sadly we’re still waiting for that full video.
5. A$AP Rocky – Multiply (feat. Juicy J)
Directed by Shomi Patwary, A$AP Rocky.
“I think Rocky’s best videos that connect with the fans are the ones that are shot rogue,” explains Patwary in an interview with the FADER. “We were influenced by ’80s movies such as Colors and early ’90s Hype Williams visuals,” Patwary adds. The result, an energetic video that perfectly enhances a classic Rocky track.
4. A$AP Rocky – JD
Directed by Dexter Navy.
In the A$AP Rocky co-dirted clip, Rocky pays homage to the late James Dean, who was seen as a cultural symbol of teenage rebellion and disillusionment. The psychedelic visuals transition between an animated likeness of Rocky created with thick brushstrokes, reminiscent of a graphic novel and live footage of the rapper flocked by an army of dirt-bikers. Dean, also makes a cameo around the 1:47 mark appearing on his fated Porsche 550 Spyder.
3. A$AP Rocky – Praise The Lord (Da Shine) (feat. Skepta)
Directed by Dexter Navy.
The gritty Dexter Navy directed video is centred around split-screen visuals that meld Rocky’s life in New York City with Skepta’s world in London. It’s no secret that the New York-bred emcee has a love affair with England’s capital, he recorded his sophomore LP At.Long.Last.A$AP in London and has made countless visits to the city since and has even told Vogue in 2017 that the city is his favourite place in the world.
2. A$AP Rocky – A$AP Forever
Directed by Dexter Navy.
The visuals for “A$AP Forever” serves as a psychedelic tribute to Harlem and it moves at breakneck speeds as it follows the rapper hitting the streets of New York with the entire A$AP Mob. As the single reaches its climax, the clip slows and starts to pay homage to the original “Porcelain” video, zooming towards Rocky’s eye as the ethereal sample enters and the rapper falls and morphs through the air before crashing into a wall.
1. A$AP Rocky – L$D
Directed by Dexter Navy.
The Navy directed video for “L$D” is without a doubt one of the best music videos of the decade. The music video borrows heavily from Gaspar Noé’s 2009 psychedelic fantasy film Enter the Void and take viewers on a cinematic trip through Tokyo. “I watched that film,” Rocky, tells Time, “and at the end of the day, we wanted to do something that was inspired, that paid homage to it without taking from that storyline or that plot.”
Words by Moe Topping – Honorable Mentions: Purple Swag, Pesos, and Phoenix.
