(Video) Magnum Opus: The Making of A$AP Rocky’s “Purple Swag”

Four years is a long time in the Internet age. Just think: Four years ago you probably didn’t know what Uber was, had never used SnapChat, and you probably had never heard of a rapper named A$AP Rocky and his Harlem based crew, the A$AP Mob. In 2011, A$AP Rocky launched the A$AP movement after releasing an instant classic video called “Purple Swag.”

The video blew us away. Just when it was starting to feel like New York couldn’t produce new rap stars, a shirtless Rocky came strutting down the block on that bike sporting Jeremy Scott adidas with the charisma of 50 Cent, the sound of Houston, and a “alternative but traditional” aesthetic masterminded by the late, great A$AP Yams. Four years later and Rocky is a full blown star who recently got his third Complex cover and has his highly anticipated sophomore album slated for later this year. That’s why this song was ripe for a Magnum Opus treatment.

None of what Rocky—and the rest of the Mob—has accomplished these past few years would have been possible if it wasn’t for “Purple Swag.” So we got with the main members of the Mob including Rocky, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Nast, and A$AP Bari to talk about how the Mob came together and how Rocky crafted the song. Of course, we all also took time out to talk about the genius of A$AP Yams, who tragically passed away earlier this year, and how he helped the song blow up. As great as the song is, it certainly wouldn’t have had the same impact without it’s corresponding video. So we also spoke with director Jason Ano as well as everybody’s favorite white girl with gold grills, Anna Trill. And finally, with all the debate that the song sparked about whether or not New York rappers should be using a Southern sound, we just had to speak with the Trill OG himself, Bun B about why he’s cool with Rocky’s H-Town influence.

Via Complex.