Steven "A$AP Yams" Rodriguez, mastermind behind New York's A$AP Mob, passed away earlier this year, and now and accidental drug overdose has been revealed as the cause of his death, according to New York City's chief medical examiner (via The New York Times). The 26-year-old, who is helped A$AP Rocky rise to fame, overdosed on an acute mixed drug intoxication. Both opiates and benzodiazepine were found in his system. The death was ruled an accident.
Yams was found unresponsive in his Brooklyn apartment on the morning of January 18 and was taken to Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead.
Yams infamous last tweet before he died read "BODEINE BRAZY" (meaning codeine crazy).
A$AP Ant and A$AP Rocky both initially denied speculation that Yam's death was caused by an overdose.
"I just want to clear it up for real, for real. It ain't no overdose," Ant said when asked about the cause of death. "People stop saying overdose, cuz that's not what it is. People keep talking about he overdosed off Xanax or whatever and lean...no. That's not what happened."
Rocky made a similar statement.
"People were saying that Yams overdosed on drugs -- he didn't overdose on any drugs," Rocky said. "I feel like people feel that way because that's all he's in pictures doing. When you see A$AP Yams you see Hennessey or purple drink, you see some type of controlled substance or illegal narcotic."
As previously reported, Yams was more of a behind-the-scenes player in the hip-hop collective. He was one of three Harlem residents (along with A$AP Illz and A$AP Bari) who founded the A$AP Mob in 2007. Rocky, the performer who kickstarted the group into international prominence, joined during 2008.
Yams told the New York Times in 2013 that "Rocky's like Luke Skywalker, and I'm Yoda."
Following his death, members of the A$AP Mob, including Rocky and Ferg, posted tributes online. Other artists including Drake, Chance the Rapper, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Vince Staples, Rihanna, Macklemore, Danny Brown, The Weeknd, and Azealia Banks posted tributes as well.
Yams can be heard beyond the grave on A$AP TyTy's single "Chamber Lock."
