New York native A$AP Rocky is giving back to the very building he grew up in by paying everyone’s rent.
The rapper partnered with the payments and rewards company, Bilt, to pull off the “Rent Free” campaign, starting with the tenants in the apartment building in Harlem where he lived as a teenager, and continuing with paying rent for others around the country.
In a statement, Rocky said, “Harlem made me who I am, from uptown to downtown, and that connection to place is everything. When Bilt said they wanted to cover rent for everyone in the building where I grew up, that hit different,” he said. “That’s not just business, that’s understanding what community really means.”
Through the collaboration, the building’s tenants will be covered for rent for an entire year. As part of the “Rent Free” campaign, Rocky, whose name is Rakim Mayers, is also putting on a monthly game show for Bilt members to earn free rent payments up to $2,500, and releasing a limited-edition vinyl of his upcoming album, “Don’t Be Dumb.”
Speaking about Mayers, the CEO and founder of Bilt, Ankur Jain, said in a statement that “his roots in Harlem have always been inseparable from his success,” which is why they created the campaign so close to home.
This year has been big for the rapper and entrepreneur. In the world of fashion, he became an ambassador for Chanel, won the CFDA Fashion Icon award (just a decade after his girlfriend/rumored wife Rihanna won hers in 2014), and co-chaired the Met Gala for the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” In Hollywood, he starred in two films, Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” with Denzel Washington and Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”
Mayers also welcomed his third child and only daughter, Rocki Irish, in September with Rihanna.
