вЂњWhen we dropped the mixtape, Rocky was already signed,вЂќ Sims said. Most people believe the breakthrough project is what convinced Polo Grounds and RCA to give Rocky and his crew the $3 million deal.

31, 2011, A$AP Rocky released his debut mixtape, Live. After that, everybody wanted an A$AP Rocky deal.вЂќ The Mixtape вЂњThe way it was structured favored Rocky creatively. вЂњThe great thing was Bryan wanted Rocky and Yams to do them,вЂќ Sims said. L to R: A$AP Rocky, A$AP Twelvyy, and A$AP Ferg backstage at the BET вЂњ106 & PartyвЂќ New Years Eve celebration (Johnny Nunez/WireImage) Also known as the A$AP Mob, Rocky and Yams now possessed the power to build and break artists such as A$AP Ferg, A$AP Twelvyy, A$AP Nast and more. Much like how Interscope allowed 50 Cent to build G-Unit Records back in 2003, Polo Grounds and RCA had given Rocky the funding for A$AP Worldwide. NobodyвЂ™s gotten a deal like that since 50 Cent.вЂќ I mean, five months ago I had about $3,000 in my bank account. вЂњIвЂ™m going to have creative control thereвЂ™s no bullshit,вЂќ Rocky told Pitchfork back in 2011. RCA gave Rocky not just money to back his projects but space for Rocky and his righthand man, the late A$AP Yams, to do it their way. вЂњRCA was hands on and hands off at the same time.вЂќДЄs history tells it, Leach, Rocky and his attorney were able to secure a deal for a whopping $3 million. вЂњBryan, Rocky and his attorney stepped up, did the deal and RCA backed them,вЂќ Sims said. When it was all said and done, LeachвЂ™s Polo Grounds Music and its distributors, RCA Records, proved the perfect pairing. On the streets and behind the scenes, the buzz was building around A$AP Rocky and his crew.

Even when I first got with Rocky, I played it with Pharrell just to share it with him.вЂќ вЂњI know Puff wanted to sign Rocky, Def Jam at some point wanted to sign him but they jumped on late. вЂњA lot of people were trying to sign Rocky,вЂќ Sims said. With Columbia out, the label who had put out everything from Miles DavisвЂ™s Kind of Blue to NasвЂ™s Illmatic, suitors off all sorts proved interested in representing Rocky. I didnвЂ™t learn until later that he had health issues and he passed from cancer.вЂќ

вЂњWe were supposed to have a third and final meeting about me getting hired there, but Stephen went quiet. вЂњI had sat with Stephen Ferrara at Columbia Records,вЂќ Sims said. So, who else was interested in Rocky and who was willing to help? Through Polo Grounds, Rocky could have legitimate backing in his own backyard of Harlem while working with someone who had helped stars that grew international fan bases. Having known Bryan for years thanks to his work with Bad Boy Records and many players in the music space, the two Harlemites saw something in the local star Rocky that the world was yet to catch onto.Д«ryan was a certified star-maker, heading up Polo Grounds and giving the world acts ranging from Pitbull and Lil Jon to the Ying Yang Twins and Yo Gotti. At the FADER Fort by FIAT at the Drive-In Studio in New York City, 2011 (Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

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