The Daily Populous Thursday January 22nd, 2026 morning edition
Authored by complex.com and submitted by Dfsteele3

ASAP Rocky covered rent for a special group of Harlem residents following the release of his fourth album, Don't Be Dumb.

Fresh off the long-awaited drop of his new album, the "Helicopter" rapper visited The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, and recalled giving back to those living in a Harlem apartment building and their connection to his grandmother.

"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 around the seven-minute mark below. "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."

Rocky added that being filmed is probably "a little embarrassing for the recipient," which he wanted to avoid in his philanthropic efforts. "So I wanted to do something that felt like giving back, but without trying to be too much, like, flashy about it," Rocky continued.

Rocky then discussed partnering with Bilt to cover the rent for tenants living in his grandmother's apartment building on 140th and Lennox, which he said "feels amazing."

While the rapper was in a Volunteers of America shelter during his childhood, he remembered one of the highlights being given a free movie ticket to a popular 2000s action fantasy series. "This particular weekend, Harry Potter had came out. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, right? Rocky said. "And so I couldn't afford to go see the movie, obviously, due to circumstances at the time. And this lady whom I never met, she just, you know, came through and they took about like ten of us kids. And each person had an adult to, you know, pay for their way."

After mistaking the woman who covered the tickets as being "rich," she clarified to a young Rocky that she was a substitute teacher and could barely "make ends meet" for herself.

"'So why would you take your little bit of money to take me to the movie theater and stuff like that?'" Rocky asked her. "She was like, 'Because it just feels great to do something like that, you know?' And I was just like, 'People do that?'"

When host Jimmy Fallon asked if Rocky ever saw the woman again, the artist confirmed that he hadn't, but sent her a kind greeting: "I don't even know the lady's name, but God bless you. Thank you so much."

During the holidays, Rocky announced that he partnered with payments and rewards program Bilt for their "Rent Free" campaign to celebrate the release of Don't Be Dumb.

"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 press statement. "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."

Drone30389 on January 21st, 2026 at 22:39 UTC »

> After mistaking the woman who covered the tickets as being "rich," she clarified to a young Rocky that she was a substitute teacher and could barely "make ends meet" for herself.

> "'So why would you take your little bit of money to take me to the movie theater and stuff like that?'" Rocky asked her. "She was like, 'Because it just feels great to do something like that, you know?' And I was just like, 'People do that?'"

Good people making more good people.

idontknowmaybenot on January 21st, 2026 at 19:23 UTC »

I was in LA a couple months back and I was quite drunk, so my friend went and got us pizza and Rocky was in line and paid for everyone’s pizza. My buddy said he was a genuinely nice guy.

IntrepidSoda on January 21st, 2026 at 19:10 UTC »

...Remember I was young and broke Holes in all our clothes like some honeycombs Mothballs in Mama drawers Crackheads by the corner store, baking soda by the stove Mattress on the floor Mice and the roaches, my room ain't have a door, but I had some dope

He dont forget roots.