A$AP Rocky is a staple in the hip-hop community and has been since he first signed his $3 million dollar deal with Sony back in 2011. The leader of the A$AP Mob is finally gearing up to release his sophomore album, At.Long.Last.A$AP (A.L.L.A.), after a two and a half year wait. We’re excited to say the least.

Since Rocky’s 2013 debut Long.Live.A$AP., the A$AP Mob general has been through a whirlwind of the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s broken into the fashion world, been a part of festival-bound movies, dated some of the finest looking celebrities in entertainment and has made millions off of singles and tours.

Earlier this year, however, Rocky was dealt with a tough blow- the passing of A$AP Yam, the founder of A$AP Mob and one of Rocky’s best friends. We’ve all been effected by his loss and the hip-hop community will forever miss Yams, and when it comes to Rocky’s upcoming album A.L.L.A, we can only hope the Harlem representative can use it as inspiration.

Rocky will persevere with his upcoming sophomore album and while there is a laundry list explaining why, here are five key reasons. See what we came up with on the following pages and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.