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You may find it comforting to know that A$AP Rocky—rapper, father, and partner to Rihanna—went through an awkward phase. At least that’s what one of the industry’s most beautiful men assures me over Zoom.
“Oh, yeah, starting at puberty,” he says with a laugh. “It was a lot of trial and error when it came to learning my skin type and what works for my skin. Let’s just say I did a lot of wrong things and it was a lot of learning. That’s why I am my own greatest beauty influence.”
Without a trace of hormonal acne scarring left on his face (or his confidence), Rocky is now the star of Gucci’s latest Guilty campaign alongside actors Julia Garner and Elliot Page. “Everybody’s included in this campaign, and it’s about breaking barriers in relationships and dreaming about what could be in the world if we just let people live their happiness.”
It’s a movement he’s thrilled to be a part of. “Beauty and fashion are becoming more fluid,” Rocky says as we discuss some of his recent looks like the sparkling barrettes adorning his hair for Harlem’s Fashion Row, a kilt over jeans at the Met Gala, and a braided G into his cornrows for a Gucci runway show. “That’s how it should be because we’re approaching a broader world. This generation is definitely less about titles and margins and more about being all inclusive.”
It’s also world he’s excited to raise his children in, adding, “I will encourage them to be whoever they are, whatever that may be.”
When it comes to the Gucci Guilty Elixir scents, Rocky—who is known to be one of the industry’s best-smelling rappers—gravitates toward the Pour Femme version over the Pour Homme because of the vanilla notes. “I love vanilla cake and shit like that,” he says. “I’m really attracted to vanilla notes because there’s a nostalgia that takes me back to childhood. I remember being young, the vanilla smell, and being in a happy place of no worries and cares or responsibilities, as we all were as children.”
When I bring up the scientifically studied link between vanilla scents and earliest-life comforts like breast milk, Rocky is surprised: “Now you know I’m not bullshitting.”
Other things that take Rocky to his happy place include his artistic endeavors—“I’m excited to finally free them out into the world so they can be absorbed and inspire”—and watching films. It’s the Criterion Channel, a streaming service focused on classic films, that’s really opened his eyes to silent films and German Expressionist films from the 1920s, which are his favorite. “The genre reminds me so much of hip-hop,” he says. “They were just utilizing what they had to start something new and innovative.”
Perhaps we’ll hear references to these Expressionist films in Don’t Be Dumb, Rocky’s long-awaited album that he’s been teasing since mid-summer. After welcoming his second child with Rihanna earlier this year, the rapper has realized that his time is truly precious: “There’s not enough hours on the clock now that I’m a dad. I don’t have all day to create, but it’s all in the pursuit of happiness.”
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