A$AP Rocky Reveals His Suicidal Thoughts On "Phoenix"

Harlemite A$AP Rocky, whose fame can be credited to upbeat bangers like "F**kin' Problem" and "Pe$o," uncovers a bit of his dark side on his debut LONG.LIVE.A$AP due Jan. 15.

In a recent interview with MTV News, the rapper reveals that the Danger Mouse-produced "Phoenix" is a personal cut, telling of his suicidal thoughts. "Those are natural feelings that we all get sometimes. You hurt so bad and you're going through so much pain to the point where sometimes you don't even wanna live anymore," he told MTV News. "That's how a lot of people think, whether we'd like to admit it or not and that's all I was showcasing. It was that emotion...suicidal kinda emotions."

Suicide has posed a very touchy subject in the hip-hop community, being cited as the alleged cause for the deaths of industry veteran Chris Lighty, Pro Era rap star Capital Steez and up-and-coming MC Freddy E.

While the leader of the A$AP Mob isn't the first to delve into such emotionally heavy content, he says that writing about it is therapeutic and is grateful he can channel it through lyrical expression. "I just really like the fact that I can be as artistic as I wanna be," he says. "I'm fortunate enough."