Rapper A$AP Rocky partnered with Bilt to pay a year’s rent for residents who live in his former childhood apartment building in Harlem.
The “Rent Free” campaign is to celebrate the upcoming release of his fourth studio album, DON’T BE DUMB.
Rocky and Bilt, the loyalty and payments platform, teamed up to pay rent for the tenants in his childhood apartment building from January 2026 until January 2027.
“For me, it’s always been about your community and neighborhood. Harlem made me who I am, from uptown to downtown, and that connection to place is everything,” said Rocky. “When Bilt said they wanted to cover rent for everyone in the same building where I grew up, that hit different. That’s not just business, that’s understanding what community really means,” he added.
After several delays, Rocky’s LP, with self-designed cover art, drops on January 16, 2026. It’s his first studio album release in nearly 8 years.
Rocky’s limited-edition vinyl LP is available to Bilt members through a special pre-order on Bilt’s app and website.
“This vinyl is my love letter to New York, and being able to give back to the exact place that raised me while helping people across the country with their rent is the kind of partnership that actually matters.”
Rocky, 37, is also featured in a special edition of Bilt’s game show, “Rent Free,” where Rocky offers Bilt members the chance to win free rent payments of up to $2,500 a month.
The top 10 winners will also receive autographed editions of the exclusive vinyl LP. Hundreds more winners will earn bonus Bilt points.
“From joining us at Bilt’s launch to now, his roots in Harlem have always been inseparable from his success, and this limited-edition vinyl is our way of honoring that connection,” said Ankur Jain, Bilt’s founder and CEO. “It’s a celebration of the community that shaped one of hip-hop’s most influential artists and a reminder of why giving back to your neighborhood matters.”
Rocky and pop singer Rihanna Fenty, 37, share three children, sons RZA, 3, Riot Rose, 2, and 3-month-old daughter Rocki Irish Mayers.
Rihanna supported Rocky’s new album cover art in the comments after he unveiled his self-designed cover art on December 16.
She wrote: “Sooo f—in proud!!!! LETS GOOOO BABY.”
