A$AP Yams, a founding member of New York rap collective A$AP Mob, died from an acute mixed drug intoxication, Billboard can confirm
The late hip-hop executive had a cocktail of drugs in his system, including opiates and benzodiazepine, a spokeswoman for New York City’s chief medical examiner confirmed to Billboard in an email.
A$AP Yams, Founder of A$AP Mob, Mourned by Hip-Hop Community
Yams (real name Steven Rodriguez) played a pivotal role in the formation of the rap collective in 2007, and helped launch the careers of fellow A$AP Mob members A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg. In 2013, he told the New York Times that “Rocky’s like Luke Skywalker, and I’m Yoda.” In turn, Rocky referred to Yams as the “mastermind behind the scenes.”
Yams was found unresponsive in his New York apartment on Jan. 18. He died at the age of just 26. The chief medical examiner has declared his death an “accident.”