"Peso" is the debut single by American rapper ASAP Rocky. It was released through ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records as the lead single from his debut mixtape Live. Love. ASAP (2011). The track was originally leaked online and began receiving radio airplay within weeks, propelling the cloud rap genre into mainstream attention.[1][2] It was written by ASAP Rocky alongside fellow ASAP Mob member, ASAP Ty Beats, who also produced the song.
| "Peso" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by ASAP Rocky | ||||
| from the album Live. Love. ASAP | ||||
| Released | July 21, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | ASAP Ty Beats | |||
| ASAP Rocky singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Peso" on YouTube | ||||
The song contains a sample of The S.O.S. Band's "No One's Gonna Love You", from their 1984 album Just the Way You Like It.[3] Due to this, the song's writers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, are also credited.
The song became ASAP Rocky's breakthrough hit (alongside "Purple Swag"), peaking at number 75 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the United States of America. It was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for equivalent sales of 1,000,000 units, and was certified Gold by Music Canada (MC) for equivalent sales of 40,000 units. A music video for the song was released on December 13, 2011, and currently has over 81 millions views as of 2025.[4]
Release
editOn July 21, 2011, "Peso" was released the lead single to ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. Love. ASAP (2011), through ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records.[5] It was later released In the United Kingdom on February 19, 2012, serving as his debut single in the country.[6]
Critical reception
edit"Peso" received positive reviews from music critics. Writing for NME, Rebecca Schiller called the song "a dreamy psychedelic jam that, despite the drug references and gunshots, displays Rocky Harlem’s desire to move New York hip-hop out of clichésville."[7] Martyn Young of DIY also praised how it avoided clichés associated with hip-hop, opining: "It is easy to see why Rocky has caused so much excitement; offering a new, fresh and inventive take on hip-hop and eschewing the traditional rap clichés, he is hip-hop's most exciting new talent." Young complimented ASAP Ty Beats's production, noting its "beautifully hypnotic and almost psychedelic" qualities, comparing its sound to a combination of "experimental electronica and thrilling rap".[8] In a 2011 article, The Guardian's Paul Lester referred to it as ASAP Rocky's best song, writing that "Peso, with its avant-lounge Jet Age of Tomorrow stylings and purple-drank slurred sludginess, is up there with the year's finest".[9]
Music video
editOn December 13, 2011, the music video, directed by Abteen Bagheri, premiered on MTV2.[10] After more than 17 million views on YouTube, ASAP Rocky was invited to tour as the opening act for Drake.[11]
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 75 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ↑ Caramanica, Jon (October 13, 2011). "Thinking Globally, Rapping Locally". The New York Times. New York. p. C1. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ↑ "What happened to the hip-hop microgenre cloud rap?". Red Bull. 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
- ↑ "ASAP Rocky's Peso sample of The S.O.S. Band's No One's Gonna Love You". WhoSampled.
- ↑ ASAPROCKYUPTOWN (2011-08-10). ASAP Rocky "Peso". Retrieved 2025-08-20 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Peso - Single by ASAP Rocky". itunes. 31 October 2011.
- ↑ Murray, Robin (2012-01-11). "A$AP Rocky Hits The UK". Clash. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ Schiller, Rebecca (2011-11-07). "A$AP Rocky - 'Peso'". NME. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ Young, Martyn (2012-02-07). "A$AP Rocky - Peso". DIY. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ Lester, Paul (2011-10-12). "ASAP Rocky (No 1,125)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
- ↑ "Peso - ASAP Rocky". MTV2. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012.
- ↑ Rodriguez, Jayson. "ROCKY'S ROAD." Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment, vol. 125, no. 3, 2013., pp. 32-33
- ↑ "ASAP Rocky - Chart History". Billboard.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – A$AP Rocky – Peso". Music Canada. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – A$AP Rocky – Peso". Radioscope. Retrieved September 12, 2025. Type Peso in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ↑ "American single certifications – A$AP Rocky – Peso". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 19, 2023.