News : A$AP ROCKY SAYS HE’S ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO ‘CONTROL THE CULTURE’

A$AP Rocky has labeled himself a tastemaker of his generation in the past, and he believes he’s still one of the few people to be able to “control culture.”

Rocky sat down with HighSnobiety for the publication’s latest cover story on Tuesday (November 28), and in it, the Harlem rapper boasted about his influence and ability to shift the masses.

“I think while I’m still here, I got a duty to aspire to inspire,” he said. “There’s really only a few people who control the culture, and when I tell you that I’m at the forefront, believe dat!”

“Still to this day, to have that type of following, influence, control, and that power is magical and rare,” he added of his career spanning well over a decade.

Rocky has plans to soon deliver his first album as a father. He and Rihanna now have two children, with the newest, a baby boy named Riot, just born in August. Don’t Be Dumb is still without a release date, but is slated to reportedly feature Madlib, Alchemist and Tyler, The Creator.

While the multi-hyphenate entertainer claims to have the ability to control culture, he doesn’t have that ability with the legal system, as he’ll be standing trial next year for allegedly assaulting A$AP Relli.

According to Rolling Stone, an LAPD detective testified that Rocky fired a pair of shots at Relli (born Tyrell Ephron) in November 2021.

Security footage pieced together from nearby Los Angeles BLVD parking garages appeared to show a firearm in A$AP Rocky’s possession while getting into an altercation and then scurrying along to flee around the block by himself.

Last week, a judge ruled that the evidence supplied by prosecutors is sufficient to proceed forward and support the assault charges. Rocky will be arraigned on January 8 and a trial will follow.

According to Relli, tensions between the two ignited after Rocky allegedly promised to help the family of a deceased member of the A$AP Mob, but never did.

The two arranged to meet at the Los Angeles hotel on November 6, 2021. Ephron claims A$AP Rocky arrived with multiple men and pointed a gun at his stomach and said: “I’ll kill you right now.”

Ephron testified that he was shot shortly afterward and claims Rocky shot him four times — including once in the hand — before fleeing the scene.