Key Insights
- Life-Changing Advice: A$AP Rocky received impactful advice from Denzel Washington about family and responsibility.
- Family Connection: The advice was shared during a Christmas visit to the Washington family home.
- On-Screen Chemistry: Spike Lee highlighted the strong dynamic between A$AP Rocky and Denzel Washington in their film.
- Musical Tastes: Rocky revealed that Washington enjoys listening to modern Memphis rappers on set.
A$AP Rocky has revealed that Denzel Washington gave him life-changing advice a decade ago.
Speaking to GQ, Rocky revealed he was invited around the Washington family home at Christmas by the legendary actor’s son John David.
A$AP explained: “We was chilling and you gave me some of the illest advice. You was like ‘this your girlfriend?’ I was like ‘nah, this my friend’.”
Rocky continued: “He was like ‘Alright, cool, you like family man.’ He’s like ‘in a few years, you gotta get it together. It’s about the family. It’s about this.’ You know? And I never forget that.”
Spike Lee, who directed Rocky and Washington in Highest 2 Lowest, praised the rapper turned actor for being able to hold his own against the Oscar winner.
Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Lee said: “Yeah, don’t sleep on A$AP. In this film, Denzel and A$AP go toe-to-toe. What’s interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son. There’s a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son.”
He reiterated: “Don’t sleep on A$AP. I’ve done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times when he’s in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. He’s one of the greatest living actors today, but A$AP wasn’t having that. Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it.”
Rocky previously revealed the type of music Washington likes to listen to while on set.
He said: “Denzel would pull up to the movie set playing Pooh Shiesty and Moneybagg Yo, swear to God. Can’t make this up.”
Rocky added: “He likes to listen to Memphis rappers, but modern Memphis rappers. Then he started quoting NLE Choppa. I’m like, ‘You know NLE Choppa?!’ He like, ‘I don’t do drive-bys now, walk ’em down.’ I’m like, ‘Yo, Denzel, chill!’ It was crazy, he’s really tapped in, man.”
In his first significant acting role, Rocky plays the son of Washington’s character in Lee’s newest movie Highest 2 Lowest and has received positive reviews for his performance.
