A$AP Mob has lost its leader, A$AP Yams is dead at the age of 26.

Born Steven Rodriguez, the founder of the popular Harlem group was also credited with introducing the music world to A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg.

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When he was a teenager, Yams interned at Diplomat Records and managed local producers and sold mixtapes (via MTV News). At the age of 17, he founded A$AP Mob in 2007 with A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz. In a profile in The New York Times, Rocky called Yams “the mastermind behind the scenes.” “Yams is the hip-hop encyclopedia,” he said. “He’s no joke. That’s one person I can’t front on when it comes to music.” h/t rap-up

His fellow A$AP Mob members including Rocky and Ferg mourned their brother’s passing, while his peers also expressed their sympathy.

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