Thanksgiving normally means relaxation and a well earned rest for our American counterparts. Instead of feasting on turkey and yams, everyone’s favourite Harlem pretty boy A$AP Rocky was debuting a tribute to his fallen friend and fellow A$AP member, A$AP Yams.
Performing in Hong Kong at the November 28th Cockenflap festival (AKA the best name for a festival ever), Rocky treated the crowd to a live performance of Yamborghini High, a track dedicated to Yams with which he closed out his performance.
While many would expect a musical tribute to be a somber and soft affair, that would perhaps be a disservice to the lavish and fast paced lifestyle that Yams and the A$AP Mob represents. Yamborghini High is riddled with a heavy bass, and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The lyrics themselves personify this lavish lifestyle; references to sipping wine, eating crepes and being fed grapes all contribute to the lasting image that Yams has helped to mould.
Yams suffered an untimely and unexpected death in early 2015, prior to the release of Rocky’s latest release, At.Long.Last.A$AP. Yams founded the original A$AP movement in 2007, and was a pivotal member behind the scenes as Rocky and fellow member A$AP Ferg began to establish their footprint in the rap game.
This is the latest in a string of tributes that Rocky has delivered for Yams. It was announced that prior to the release of A.L.L.A that the album art would itself be a tribute; a depiction of Rocky’s face with Yams’ iconic birthmark. The final track of the album, Back Home, was drawn to a close with the words of Yams himself fading into silence:
“It’s ya boy, A$AP Yams, Yamborghini. Yo Rock man, let these mother fuckers know what it is out this mother fucker. A$AP, bitch!”
Make sure to check out the performance, (The track starts at 0:55).