Trendsetter A$AP Rocky Named MTV Labs Creative Director

A$AP Rocky, the Harlem-born rapper and trendsetter, was named creative director of MTV Labs.

Rocky and his creative company AWGE will be involved in creating original content, experimenting with new formats and existing MTV intellectual property, and developing branded content for advertisers in partnership with MTV parent company Viacom’s Velocity unit.

“As a dominant platform for youth culture, MTV has always given voice to fans and tapped artists who can deeply connect to them,” said Niels Schuurmans, executive VP and chief creative officer, Viacom Velocity. “A$AP Rocky is a unique Millennial artist whose influence as an innovator and disruptor spans music, film, art, and fashion. What was so compelling to us is his authentic love for fans and the MTV brand, along with his desire to collaborate with us and our marketing partners to develop ideas that drive real cultural impact.”

To celebrate the partnership, A$AP Rocky will give an exclusive performance of never-before-heard tracks from the forthcoming A$AP Mob album, Cozy Tapes Vol 1, in MTV’s Times Square studio on Friday.

“MTV is a name we grew up with - everyone knows them as innovators and champions of building artist's careers. I’m honored to have this opportunity and can’t wait to show people what we have been working on,” said A$AP Rocky.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.