ASAP Rocky is a gifted entertainer. He became famous as a well-known as a rapper, but he has successfully transitioned into many other fields. His partnerships with Dior, Ferragamo and Calvin Klein have helped establish himself as a high-fashion model. Rocky is about to embark on a career in acting. Although he has already experimented with film, the forthcoming crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest will be a significant advancement. Rocky — whose real name is Rakim Meyers — will star in the new Spike Lee film.
In February 2024, Highest 2 Lowest was announced to the public. This movie would mark the reunion between superstar actor Denzel Washington and Spike Lee, which built up the hype around the film because the two haven’t collaborated in twenty years. Don’t forget, those two are responsible for several classic Black films dating back to the 1990s, including He Got Game, Malcolm X and Inside Man. It was assumed that Washington would take the lead, but a recent Billboard article shows this is not true. Rather, the focus will be on ASAP Rocky.
Highest 2 Lowest will reinterpret legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. In High and Low, an executive of a Japanese shoe company must decide whether to use his wealth to help pay the ransom for his driver’s kidnapped son. Spike Lee spoke in an interview how Kurosawa movies have always inspired him.
“One of the best things about film school,” he said, “is that you get introduced to world cinema, not just Hollywood. Seeing Kurosawa’s film Rashomon and its structure inspired me to make She’s Gotta Have It. In Rashomon, you have three people who witness a rape, and each gives their own opinion of what happened. In She’s Gotta Have It, Nola Darling has three boyfriends who each see her in a different way. From the very beginning of my career, I was influenced by Kurosawa.”
ASAP Rocky is no stranger to the big screen. Before delivering standout performances in Zoolander 2 (2016) and Monster (2018), he made his feature film debut in Dope (2015), where he stole the show with his cool gangster role. In terms of status and collaborators, Highest 2 Lowest will easily be his biggest movie to date. In addition, Rocky will feature in the forthcoming dramedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. This movie will be produced by the Safdie brothers, making the film a A24 release. All these upcoming roles cement that Rocky’s transformation into a cinematic star has already happened, and this might be his new direction moving forward — which, unfortunately, is terrible news for his music fans.
