A$AP Rocky - Goldie

What this video is

Released May 3, 2012 as the lead single from A$AP Rocky's debut major-label album LONG.LIVE.A$AP, 'Goldie' arrived at the precise moment cloud rap was crossing into mainstream visibility. Rocky had signed a reported $3 million joint-venture deal with Polo Grounds/RCA off the strength of his 2011 mixtape, and this video — self-directed and shot in Paris — was a deliberate statement of arrival: Harlem street…

Why it matters

A canonical early document of cloud rap's mainstream crossover. The video's self-direction, luxury European location, and high-saturation gold aesthetic established visual templates widely replicated in subsequent hip-hop clip production. Recognized by Complex (#30), Rolling Stone (#27), and BET's…

The director

Rakim Athelaston Mayers (A$AP Rocky), born 1988 in Harlem, NY, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. A founding member of the A$AP Mob collective, he released his breakthrough mixtape Live.Love.A$AP in 2011, leading to a joint-venture…