Rap is still a relatively young genre, both in terms of its age and its demographic, but even its freshest artists can feel the effects of Father Time’s unstoppable progress. It’s been over five years since ASAP Mob founder ASAP Yams passed away due to an overdose on lean and in that time, the group has fought hard to keep his memory alive. However, ASAP Rocky particularly seems to find himself struggling with the task as he celebrates what would have been Yams’ 32nd birthday today.
“I’m runnin’ out of rare pics,” he wrote in the Instagram caption of a post paying homage to his late mentor and friend. “Happy Birthday, East Side Steve,” he saluted. “Love U 2 death N after.” The photo in question is a group shot, with Rocky flipping off the camera, Yams smoking a cigarette, ASAP Ferg sitting or squatting next to them, and what looks like the members of Migos looking at the wrong camera.
Yams, real name Steven Rodriguez, died in January 2015 after vowing to give up hard drugs like codeine but relapsing and overdosing on a mixture of opiates and benzodiazepine. Since then, the ASAP Mob has held an annual ASAP Yams Day concert to celebrate his life and influence. Unfortunately, this year’s event was canceled along with most other live entertainment as a result of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.