A$AP Rocky had one of his dreams come true for the new cover of Complex Magazine. Throughout the young Harlem rapper’s lyrics, there’s numerous references to fashion designers like Raf Simmons, Rick Owens, and one of his favorites Jeremy Scott. The hard working Complex crew plucked both Rocky and Scott to cover the Feb/March issue of their magazine. They discussed everything from the connection between hip-hop and fashion, childhood influences, their breakthrough moments, and more.

Complex: Why do you think hip-hop is so fascinated with fashion and vice versa?
A: As black people it was our thing to show that we’re not living in poverty and that we can afford extravagant things—that kind of stuck with us. So when our great-grandparents were putting on their favorite outfits, it was to put on a front for the hard times. And hip-hop is a bunch of people that never had nothing. Fashion is just an expression. It’s an art. It expresses your taste. Good taste is important in hip-hop. I wake up saying I’m going to look the best I can and do what the fuck I want to do. And that’s what it’s all about. I don’t know if I articulated it good because I’m pretty high right now—and I have a lisp and I’m going to Mars right now.

J: [Laughs.] The thing is hip-hop is one of the only communities that really started its own trends.

A: Wow.

J: That’s why I’ve always been inspired by hip-hop artists, because they transform things—even just the jean, turning it around, inside out, sagging it—all these different things. Yes, of course we get little things from other music movements, but hip-hop has been like, Pow! It’s really inspiring and it’s the only new music that has come along in eons. Rock and roll has been around—it’s changing forms. But hip-hop is major.

A: That is so crazy.

Vice also dropped A$AP’s “Wassup” Video

Check out more from the cover story, photos, behind the scenes video and the inspiration for the cover after the jump…

The beautiful thing between hip-hop and fashion is what’s going on here at this shoot. Some people may ask, “Why are these two together?” But this guy loves your clothes. You love the music.
J: Absolutely.

A: Yes. It can happen anywhere. It can happen in rock. It can happen in punk. It can happen in funk. But hip-hop would cherish it more because it never happened before. It’s the unexpected—like having a black president. We cherish that.

J: We almost had a black Republican nominee—that’s even more mind-boggling!

A: In hip-hop culture, things are changing every day. For Jeremy to do this with me is different. I wear braids and I’ve got gold teeth and I look up to a fuckin’ designer and his name is Jeremy Scott. I’m from Harlem. People know me. I’m certified. I love these designers. I love Rick Owens. I’m just keeping it real. This is what I do. I’m keeping it on a whole ’nother level with you. When this comes out it’s gonna be a talked-about fuckin’ cover. This is going to be talked about for fuckin’ eons and centuries and ’til infinity.

A$AP, you’ve talked about this before, but why do you still think there’s homophobia and ignorance in rap?
A: I’m not homosexual. That’s not where I’m at with my life. But I can still be greatly inspired by a homosexual. It has nothing to do with their sexuality. If I start discriminating against people, that will stop me as a person. That’s ignorant. What the fuck does that have to do with anything? It’s not like I want to date this motherfucker—I’m inspired by this dude. This isn’t about fashion, it’s what he personally did for me. I’m not saying I’m going to be an activist. I want to enlighten those brothers. I used to be like them, but I’m a grown-ass man. I don’t care what another man does with his time.

J: Why does it exist in the world? I don’t know. It’s just one of those things. I don’t know why people care about what other people do. When this becomes an issue in politics, that’s the thing that boggles my min

(Read the full story at Complex.com)

Plex’s EIC tweeted a photo of the cover’s inspiration

Check out more photos and a behind the scenes video below

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Amber rose is ready to try her hand at music. Earlier today, Perez Hilton debuted the cover art to Amber’s first single “Fame,” which features her man Wiz. I’m getting a flashback of the song Ice T helped Coco create. Hopefully, Wiz makes sure Amber comes off tasteful. Look out for the track to be released next week.

“I’m so excited to release my first song… It’s CRAZY! Working with Wiz is a dream come true; I am fortunate to have his support. This is a very personal song to me that I wanted to record for my fans. I want people to see the world from my eyes, you know, from BEHIND MY SHADES! It’s my interpretation of what it means to be “FAMOUS,” which is not something superficial but instead being self-confident and happy with who you are. You can feel famous everyday if you believe in yourself!” – Amber

Check out the latest episode of Wiz Khalifa Today after the jump…

Gin Face!

Related: Amber Rose Thanks Kim Kardashian For Causing Her Kanye West Breakup (UPDATE)
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The Source is starting 2012 off with a bang. For their Dec/Jan issue, the historic rap mag recruited both Rick Ross and Big Sean for  two covers. Rozay is seen on one in some kind of yellow fur thing. I guess they murked Big Bird. Rugnnhh!

“I went and seen an actual neurologist to tell me what was really going on. My condition was basically extreme exhaustion,” says the boss on his seziure, “…it was a real eye-opener for me.”

Big Sean lost his shirt and hopped on the other cover. The homie Kaz spoke to him all on his personal issues, including his sexual harassment case. You can read both cover stories on Dec. 27th.

Check out Big Sean’s cover after the jump…

Related:
Rick Ross – “Talk That Talk (Remix)”
Big Sean Feat. 2 Chainz – “Keep It Gee”

This pretty much made my day. The very talented Florence Welch and co stopped by BBC Radio One’s Maida Vale Studios to give us an incredible cover of the Drake and Rihanna hit single which is produced by one of my favorite producers Jamie xx. Here’s what she had to say about collaborating with Mr. Graham , “I haven’t got anything planned at the moment. I’ve always wanted to do something with Drake. We’ve always tried to, but we keep both being really busy and nothing’s happened. We’ve always been in different places and the time that we did end up in the studio together we ended up getting quite drunk together and there wasn’t a song that came out of it“.

Sharing the spotlight with Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj was chosen as the female cover story for Complex’s Oct/Nov issue. The Queens native stuck to her guns and dished her true feelings on the success and choice of her singles, avoiding beef, sexual orientation, her relationship with Drake and Wayne, and more.

Nicki on why she chose “Massive Attack” as a single..
Nicki Minaj: [Laughs.] I don’t want you to read into my eyes, just listen to what I am saying. When I first heard ["Your Love"], I loved it; I played it for Wayne and he yelled at me. When we were working on Young Money’s album, I played him just the hook and the beat. He can’t remember it, though. To this day, he’s like, “Nah, I ain’t never heard that.” But he heard it and was like, “What the fuck is this?” I think that’s one of the reasons I fell back on it.

It seems like Young Money as a whole doesn’t get caught up in beef. Has Wayne sat you or Drake down and advised you to avoid that route?

Nicki Minaj: He’s definitely told me, “Yo, leave that bullshit alone. That’s for people who ain’t got shit else to do.” I’ve watched Wayne handle himself so well. I’ve seen people take shot after shot after shot at him and if it fazed him, I never saw it. People take shots because they’re hoping for a little bit of your energy. They need fuel.

read more + behind the scenes from the cover shoot after the jump…

But you’ve been saying in recent interviews that you might tone down the voices.
Nicki Minaj: Sometimes the shit I say is over people’s heads and I feel like I need to dumb it down a bit so people can understand it. I think if I had said a lot of raps in a particular voice, people would go, “Yo, that shit was hard”—but when you change up your voice a little bit, they can’t see past that. And they’re lookin’ at me like, “This bitch is stupid”—and I’m lookin’ at them like, “No, bitch, you’re stupid.” [Laughs.]

There’s been a lot of speculation about your sexuality in the press. Your verse on Usher’s “Lil’ Freak” adds to the buzz that you’re bisexual.
Nicki Minaj: When I rap, it’s just an extension of how I speak, and that’s how I talk. If you don’t like it, don’t listen. I’m also not going to explain something just because I said it in a rap. Take what you want from it. [In the press] I didn’t say [I don't like women]. I said I don’t have sex with women. I don’t have sex with men right now either. If [bisexual is] what they wanna call me, then fine.

You’ve said in recent interviews that you want to tone down the sexual content in your music. What prompted that?
Nicki Minaj: On “My Chick Bad,” I had to show people that I can spit a verse without sex or talking about how good I look. I’m actually timid when it comes to being overtly sexy, which is weird because in the beginning people thought of me like some freakin’ porn star. Guys reference sex all the time in their raps—I can’t even think of a record where Wayne doesn’t talk about sex—but when a female does it, people start tuning out. Then this gay dude the other day told me, “I say to dudes, ‘Maybe it’s time to put this pussy on your sideburns.’” I was crying laughing and I was like, “I can’t take this shit out of my act.” People live for that shit. [Laughs.] I just have to balance it a little bit.

Speaking of Young Money, did your labelmate Drake tell you he’d be mentioning wanting to marry you on his verse for “Miss Me” before you heard it?

Nicki Minaj: He told me he said something about me on a verse, but I didn’t think it would be anything like that. He let me hear it for the first time when we did Jay’s show at Madison Square Garden, the day before Wayne had to go to jail—that night he let me hear it on the headphones. But you know what else he told me he wrote for me? The Alicia Keys song “I’m Ready.” I happen to love the song. I never told anyone that, I hope he won’t get mad that I said that.

Then you have Wayne calling you his future wife.

Nicki Minaj: [Laughs.]

You’re gonna have Drake and Wayne fighting over you
Nicki Minaj: You have no idea how much I love them. We joke around. That’s the thing about Young Money, we will say a lot of crazy shit in the press but we will get around each other and start cracking up laughing like brothers and sisters. Drake is a playboy. He probably told mad bitches he wrote them songs for ‘em.

Do the guys in Young Money ask you for dating advice?
Nicki Minaj: They always ask me to hook them up with something!

Drake ask you to hook him up with chicks?

Nicki Minaj: Well, no, Drake knows better. [Laughs.] Drake tries to be the suave dude and not seem pressed, but Wayne will straight-up ask: “Nick, you got something for me?”

(Read the full interview at Complex/Props Toshi))

Related:Exclusive: Gucci Mane feat. Nicki Minaj & Pharrell “Haterade”

Jay-Z & Eminem bring Dr. Dre, 50, Kanye, Nicki, Drake and more fireworks to Yankee Stadium