[3] Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker.

In August 2011, Mayers' single "Peso" was leaked online, and within weeks, began receiving radio airplay.

[4] He signed with Polo Grounds Music, an imprint of RCA Records in October of that year, and shortly after, released his debut mixtape, Live.

[5][6] Mayers' 2012 single, "Fuckin' Problems" (featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar), marked his first entry—at number eight—on the Billboard Hot 100, received a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and preceded his debut studio album, Long.

Met with critical and commercial success, it debuted atop Billboard 200 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

A$AP (2015), also debuted atop the chart and saw continued critical praise; its single, "L$D", earned a nomination for Best Music Video at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Furthermore, Mayers has worked in music video direction, as well as production or co-writing for other artists, often under the pseudonym Lord Flacko.

[25][26][27][28] In August 2011, Mayers’ single "Peso", was leaked online and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station.

[31] In February 2012, Mayers joined Kendrick Lamar as the opening act for Drake's Club Paradise Tour.

[33] He and Raider Klan also accused ASAP Mob of copying their style,[33] and Mayers of using lyrics from SpaceGhostPurrp's song "My Enemy" on "Goldie".

[34] Mayers responded in a July interview for MTV, saying that SpaceGhostPurrp is "try[ing] to build hype" and told him to "stick to makin' beats".

[38] On September 6, he also performed a guest rap on Rihanna's "Cockiness (Love It)" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

A$AP was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for the shipment of 500,000 copies in the United States.

[47][48] On April 12, 2013, in an interview at Wild 94.9 radio station, Mayers revealed that he was working on an instrumental album, which he plans on releasing without notice.

Mayers previewed two snippets that would have made the Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions (Chapter 1) compilation, titled "Riot Rave" and "Unicorn".

[61] Then, on January 18, seventeen days after the single's release, Mayers’ mentor and partner, Steven "A$AP Yams" Rodriguez, died at the age of 26.

[72] There at the event, Mayers explained his expressions and grief over the death of his own friend and partner; performed "Multiply" on-stage as a dedication to his loving memory, minutes before running backstage to calm down.

[91] Mayers is featured on "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)", a track written with Alicia Keys for her sixth studio album Here in 2016.

[95] On January 23, 2018, Mayers released "☆☆☆☆☆ 5ive $tar$" on SoundCloud, produced by Metro Boomin, Frans Mernick, Jordan Blackmon and Daniel Lynas and featuring uncredited vocals by DRAM.

[100] A day later he was featured on the song "One Track Mind", from rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars' fifth studio album America.

[127][128] He began dating model Chanel Iman in early 2013, and in April 2014, they were reported to be engaged,[129] but broke up in June 2014.

[130] On May 19, 2021, Mayers revealed during an interview with GQ that he is in a relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, describing her as "the love of my life".

[147] Mayers is 5'11" (180cm) tall, which he revealed in a Nikki & Sara Live interview to contextualize why he felt out-of-place standing next to the much taller Jason Collins.

[156][157] Henrik Olsson Lilja, the defense attorney for Mayers, maintained that his client acted in self-defense after being attacked by Jafari.

[163][164] As it was judged there was a risk that he may flee or tamper with evidence, he was kept in custody at Kronoberg Remand Prison until the trial,[165][166][167] with two members of his entourage also under arrest.

[180] On April 20, 2022, Mayers was arrested by LAPD officers upon arriving to the Los Angeles International Airport after a vacation with his partner, Rihanna.

[182][181] After his arrest, detectives executed a warrant to search his home, gaining entry by using a pry bar to force the gate open.

However, surveillance footage of the scene captured a man in a hooded sweatshirt, identified as the defendant, potentially holding a gun.

[191] On 21 October 2024, Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold ruled that jury selection would be pushed back to 12 November 2024.

[193][194] In a departure from typical practices in LA County courts, cameras will be allowed by the judge to record almost the entirety of the trial.