(NewsNation) — Rapper A$AP Rocky is sharing his wealth with the less fortunate by helping people with whom he shares a special connection.
In a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in support of his new album “Don’t Be Dumb,” Rocky spoke about how he paid rent for people living in his grandmother’s apartment building in New York’s Harlem neighborhood.
“Well, some people might not know much about my early days, my past and my background. So, I grew up in the homeless shelter system. Me and my family,” Rocky told Fallon.
Karamo Brown got ‘Berked,’ ‘Queer Eye’ guys ‘jealous’ of his success: Source
“And for me, when I look online and stuff and I see TikToks of people doing things like donating to homeless people, it’s usually with a camera there. And for me, that’s a little pretentious.”
A$AP Rocky working with fintech company
The father of three, whom he shares with superstar girlfriend Rihanna, said he’s partnered with the financial technology company Bilt, which offers customers rewards for paying their rent and mortgages, to pay for the tenants living in his grandmother’s building, adding that it’s something that “feels amazing.”
Rocky said that public philanthropy, such as giving homeless people money while filming them, could be “a little embarrassing for the recipient.”
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 2242 — Pictured: Rapper A$AP Rocky during an interview on Monday, January 19, 2026 — (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
A$AP Rocky, left, and Rihanna pose for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, May 19, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP, File)
Rihanna and ASAP Rocky appear at an event during Paris Fashion Week in Feb. 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
“So, I wanted to do something that felt like giving back, but without trying to be too much, like, flashy about it,” he told Fallon.
The “Sundress” rapper recalled seeing one of the “Harry Potter” movies in the early 2000s, when a substitute teacher bought him a ticket for something he couldn’t afford.
When he asked why, Rocky remembered her saying, “Because it feels great to do that, you know?” He was surprised. “People do that?”
Friends blame famed makeup artist Jasen Kaplan’s death on supplement side effects
As for giving back to the tenants of the building, he said Harlem was instrumental in making him the man he is today.
“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,” Rocky said in a media statement for Bilt’s Rent Free campaign in December 2025.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.