A$AP Yams has been gone for almost two years, but fans still hurting in the absence of the famed hip hop idea man have an excellent way to honor him this holiday season. The A$AP Foundation, a non-profit set up by Yams’ friends to raise awareness about the addiction issues that killed him, just announced the publication of A$AP Yams Gems, a compilation of art and tweets by the deceased manager of the A$AP Mob.
The single shot of the book’s text reveals this classic tweet: “I TOUCH MORE BITCHES WALLS THAN BOY BAND POSTERS LOLLOLOLS”. Yams’ humor and intelligence (including his master touch on Twitter) is what many remember him by, but those behind the new book want people to learn from the tragic aspects of his life as well.
Proceeds from the $45 copies of A$AP Yams Gems will go towards supporting the development of the A$AP Foundation’s and its efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse.
Yams died in 2015 from a deadly cocktail of drugs that those close to him said he had been using under the intense pressure of transitioning his close crew of friends into a business. Last month his mother Tatianna Paulino wrote an essay for Noisey that told the story of his death, and her subsequent investigations into drug abuse:
Sure enough, Steven’s toxicology report revealed that he had not only taken codeine, but he also had taken oxycodone (an opioid) and alprazolam (a benzodiazepine). Was he aware of the potential dangers of mixing opioids with other sedatives? I certainly wasn’t. Even if it makes us uncomfortable, I wish public health messages about drugs were more clear and simple in emphasizing real concerns as oppose to hyping less likely outcomes. I wish such messages simply stated, “Don’t combine opioids with other sedatives!” If they did, perhaps my son would be alive today.
Yams fans looking to support the efforts of the A$AP Foundation by buying the book this holiday season can snag their copy here.