Rakim Athelston Mayers, known to most of the world as A$AP Rocky, might be unfamiliar to someone who grew up with him on the streets of Harlem in the early aughts. A lot has changed in NYC since then. MetroCards have been phased out from the city’s transit system, The NY Knicks are the NBA Champions for the first time in more than 50 years, and A$AP Rocky is transparent about his feelings for his partner in life, Rihanna, their three adorable children: sons RZA (4) and Riot (2) and daughter Rocki (10 months), and the type of man he is striving to be.

The 37-year-old, who held his own with heavy hitters Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright in the 2025 Spike Lee film, Highest 2 Lowest, is having an eventful summer. He’s headlining his own Don’t Be Dumb world tour but still supported his boo Rihanna at a surprise performance with mentor Jay-Z in Yankee Stadium last month, the power couple enjoyed an epic date night at the final World Cup match, he and RiRi had a time on da road in Barbados for Crop Over and he sat down for a rare, personal interview with his longtime friend Jason Lee at Harlem’s Melba’s restaurant for the BET network.

In a world where Black men are not always encouraged to be vulnerable, Rocky’s interview it is a beautiful thing. The nearly two-hour conversation was a declaration that Rocky is unapologetic about his life and the most important people and things in it right now. Here are 9 of the doting dad’s jewels on life, love and family.

ON GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE THAT RAISED HIM

I paid for the rent for my grandmother’s building. She refuses to move out of Harlem. And so, I paid the rent last Christmas for everybody, all of the tenants in her building. I wanna do stuff like that. I take it serious.

ON LOSING HIS BROTHER TO GUN VIOLENCE AND HOW IT SHAPED HIM AS A PERSON

I was 13 and it was kinda hard for me to process. I didn’t want to be like my brother. He showed me not to be like him. He was in the streets. He was a big Blood. He was a four-star general, teardrops, all that. My brother was tough. Before he died, I wanted to be just like him. I learned that no one will ever protect you like a real big brother. All the other men in my family were dead or in jail. [After my brother died] I started glorifying people of the arts. I just knew I didn’t want that kind of story to be my destiny. That situation taught me not to take life for granted and to value the people you love.

ON RIHANNA’S RELATABILITY

She not one of these Hollywood newbies. She ain’t on none of that. She really is a strong Black woman. She held me down even when I was at my lowest. She stayed by my side. She told like verbatim, “You see that n***a right there [pointing]. That’s not your friend.” “You see him? That’s your real brother.” “You see him? Stay away from him.” She wants to see the best for me. At the end of the day, no one ever gonna understand the ghetto love we got going on.

ON HOW HE AND RIHANNA VIBE

If we go on a camping road trip, we’ll park the RV in the back of a Wal-Mart, cause you know there are Wal-Marts in middle of nowhere in middle America. Shorty be barefoot, cooking on the grill while I’m doing tye-dye shirts for us to wear the rest of the week. We be on some real Black love type hippie sh*t. She my heart, bro. She reaL. I love her to death. I love the person she is. That’s really my friend.

ON NAVIGATING THE REALITIES OF A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

We human. We have arguments. We have disagreements. Life be life-ing. Sh*t is real. We got kids together. What? It’s regular.

ON RIHANNA REACHING BILLIONAIRE STATUS

Her success is never my demise. I’m proud of that woman. She did that.

ON LOVING ALL THREE OF HIS CHILDREN EQUALLY

RZA was my first. So, by the time Riot was born, I naturally just loved both of them equally. It was like big brother, little brother. By the time Rocki came, it was like, oh snap this is different cause this is a girl. You gotta handle them a little bit differently. I’m really sensitive with my kids and really gentle with them. But with her I was ultra gentle. She turned out to be the toughest out of them, more than her brothers. [laughs] I’m a present dad. I don’t have [a favorite] with any of them. They all have such different personalities. You love each of them for what it’s worth.

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS VILLAGE

[We] got help. Our mothers. Our nannies. It’s a lot of help. Don’t get it twisted. I’d be lying if I said we don’t have help. You need that. Unfortunately, some people don’t have that type of support. And some mothers, some single mothers, I commend them. I commend those mothers. Because I know as a present dad how much I just want the best for my kids and I want to be present but I’m a hard-working man. And when I’m not at home, I just need to know that my kids are being looked after and loved.  

ON BREAKING THE CYCLE AND DIMYSTIFYING STEREOTYPES

Our generation, even dads that are struggling or broke, they are present. Deadbeats, that all happened because of the crack epidemic. Crack was implemented into the Black household to break it up. That was the sole reason. And it worked. Now? Black fathers are present. We’re taking care of our kids. I’m not saying everybody, but for the most part. So, when you see me being a dad, that’s [not just me]. That’s what it’s about. If you young and you having fun, don’t be a father yet. For the most part, Black guys want to be [good] fathers.

Read the original article on Essence.