A$AP Rocky reflected on Playboi Carti’s meteoric rise and emphasized the rapper’s position in the rap industry’s future.
Playboi Carti, who made his mark with the A$AP Mob’s 2016 single “Telephone Calls,” later signed to AWGE, the creative agency A$AP Rocky founded in 2014.
Carti’s fame skyrocketed with the release of his debut mixtape in 2017, followed by his albums Die Lit in 2018 and Whole Lotta Red in 2020.
When asked if he viewed Carti as the future of rap, A$AP Rocky confidently told Billboard, “That’s where rap is. I knew that’s what it was going to be. What do people expect?”
A$AP Rocky, a key figure in Carti’s career trajectory, added, “We not just signing people to be signing people. We want to be the best of the best and that’s all it is, and his s**t speaks for itself.”
Rocky also pointed to Carti’s statistical success as validation.
“Statistically, what I’m saying is right. Sonically, theoretically, what I’m saying is right,” he noted, highlighting the data behind his claims.
A$AP Rocky elaborated on AWGE’s broader impact over the past decade, claiming the agency has shaped many of today’s influential musicians.
“Because there’s a Pharrell (Williams) that comes with (each) generation. There’s a Jay-Z that comes with (each) generation. There’s a Kanye West that comes with (each) generation. There’s a 50 Cent that comes with (each) generation,” Rocky stated. “The people that’s been most influential in the past 10 years, nine times out of 10 comes out of our camp. If not, we rubbed off on them or they picked up some type of influence.”
Founded by A$AP Rocky in 2014, AWGE has been a significant incubator for artistic talent.