Pitchfork: A lot of rappers are moving away from big record deals and, as recently as last month, it seemed like you didn’t want to sign with a major, either. What changed your mind?

A$AP Rocky: About three million dollars. [Other rappers who don't sign] are smart, but I feel like Sony/RCA is a family and the people there actually care about me. When I came to meet [Polo Grounds Music founder] Bryan Leach, I got to know him on a personal level– he would set up car service for me to go to other labels. He wanted to see me make it. He’s from Harlem.

I’m going to have creative control; there’s no bullshit. The situation is almost unrealistic. I mean, five months ago I had about $3,000 in my bank account. Now I’m worth $3 million. Nobody’s gotten a deal like that since 50 Cent.

A$AP: I’m not the leader [laughs]. People try and focus on me, but Clams is an impeccable producer, and so is Ty Beats, so is Spaceghost. We all became vegetarians about a month ago– that means these guys are really dedicated. They’re on this dark shit with the all-black [clothes], they want to be rebels. I respect it. It’s a cult– they even have codes. They recruited A$AP people from Vancouver, Arizona, Utah. It’s a secret society.