ASAP Rocky covered rent for every tenant living in his grandmother’s Harlem apartment building on 140th and Lennox following the release of his fourth album Don’t Be Dumb, partnering with payments rewards program Bilt to give back to the community that shaped him into who he is today. The rapper revealed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon that he grew up in the homeless shelter system with his family and wanted to help others without the cameras and pretentiousness that often comes with filmed charitable acts, explaining that being filmed is probably a little embarrassing for the recipient. During his childhood at a Volunteers of America shelter, Rocky remembered a substitute teacher who could barely make ends meet herself taking ten kids including him to see Harry Potter in theaters when it first came out in the early 2000s, and when he asked her why she would spend her limited money on strangers she simply said because it just feels great to do something like that which completely changed his perspective. Rocky told Fallon that moment taught him people actually do generous things without expecting anything in return, and while he never saw the woman again or even learned her name he sent her a kind greeting saying God bless you and thank you so much for that unforgettable act of kindness.
The partnership with Bilt for their Rent Free campaign feels amazing according to Rocky, who emphasized in a press statement that for him it’s always been about your community and neighborhood since Harlem made him who he is from uptown to downtown and that connection to place is everything. When Bilt said they wanted to cover rent for everyone in the same building where he grew up, Rocky explained that hit different because that’s not just business but understanding what community really means and giving back to the people and place that helped shape his journey. The gesture demonstrates how childhood experiences of both hardship and unexpected generosity can inspire someone to pay it forward years later when they finally have the means to help others facing similar struggles.
Source: https://www.complex.com/music/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/asap-rocky-pays-rent-grandmother-tenants
