Source: Tony Forte/WENN / WENN
A$AP Rocky is riding a new wave of rejuvenation in his life and career as he prepares to release a new album, All Smiles. His latest move links him up with a rising company in the world of financial tech.
On Tuesday (June 1), the Swedish fintech company Klarna announced that A$AP Rocky has become their latest investor. As part of the move, Rocky will take over the duties of CEO from the current CEO and co-founder, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, for one day.
While in the role, he’ll “renounce the global fashion hibernation” that was part of the story of 2020 while the world was grappling with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward, the rapper will be in charge of curating exclusive content on the Klarna shopping app with a focus on upcycling and vintage items. Siemiatkowski said in the statement: ““He challenges the status quo each day. As the consumer experience in retail now demands discovery, curation and sustainability, we at Klarna have a lot to learn from him.”
In an interview with Forbes about the venture, A$AP Rocky explained that he got involved because “It’s a radical way to approach the crediting system.” Citing his own experiences and observing how others from lower-income backgrounds had trouble with making payments, he felt motivated to join Klarna as a shareholder feeling, “It helps people with financial literacy.” It’s a remarkable moment as this coming August will mark two years since he was released from pretrial detention as part of an assault charge levied against him after a post-concert incident in Stockholm.
The Harlem multi-hyphenate is also joining Klarna’s GiveOne sustainability initiative by donating one percent of his investment towards the Miti Alliance, a Kenyan organization whose mission is to impede climate change caused by deforestation.
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