A$AP Yams' mother Tatianna Paulino penned a poignant piece in Noisey on what would have been Yams' 28th birthday.
In the article, she details the horror of learning of her son's drug overdose death, and what she's learned in the 22 months that have followed about Yams' drug addiction and drugs of choice (mainly, lean.)
"Don't combine opioids with other sedatives!" she warns other lean users.
Paulino also discusses how internal struggles within the A$AP Mob may have contributed to Yams' demise.
My son was under a tremendous amount of pressure to keep the A$AP Mob collective striving together, successful and producing hit recordings. At the same time, he told me he felt as if he was being squeezed out of the group of creative friends he had spent so much time and energy putting and keeping together. For Steven, money was tight; he never had much. In fact, I had to pay for his drug treatment through my employee benefits plan. This was not missed on Steven. Over time, he grew less comfortable with his role and place with A$AP. The business began to weigh on him mentally and physically. He often felt uneasy in having to make the transition from a fun collective of friends, to a business partner in A$AP Worldwide, the business. In my mind, his drug use was a strategy to decompress and release.Paulino doesn't elaborate on who may have been trying to squeeze Yams out.
And since she's currently involved with the drug awareness group the A$AP Foundation, it doesn't seem like she holds bitter feelings toward the current A$AP members.
But it's still a notable paragraph.