His laptop was like a library of everything that was aesthetically beautiful and relevant.” “Here’s this guy always in the studio,” Pusha T said of his memories of Abloh at those MBDTF sessions, “and he’s pulling every reference under the sun from his computer – architecture, fashion. The pair then interned together in Rome for Fendi in 2009, also working on Ye’s seminal album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the same year. Virgil was first recruited by Ye’s team in 2007. To understand how Abloh gained so much influence in contemporary music, it’s important to at least know the basic backstory of his creative relationship with Kanye West. Despite appearing to be one the busiest people in the creative industries, Abloh always seemed to find time for the artists who caught his ear, from underground acts to the world’s biggest superstars. This is just one of the many examples in recent years of musicians feeling flattered, encouraged and inspired by Virgil Abloh’s support. “We love you! Forever in our hearts!! We gon’ make you proud!!!” “He made us KINGS amongst men,” reads a post about Abloh from the asakaa collective Living Life Records. Whether it was gifting Jay Bahd Off-White sneakers and apparel, FaceTiming artists in the scene, promoting the sound on his own Televised___Radio platform or simply liking their Instagram posts, Abloh made it clear that his love for asakaa was genuine. In an Instagram post paying tribute to Virgil Abloh, Ghanian rapper Jay Bahd described the late visionary as his mentor, crediting Abloh for changing his life and helping asakaa – a distinctive version of drill from the city of Kumasi – gain global popularity.Īnyone who has closely followed the asakaa movement will have spotted the cosigns from Abloh, who was, himself, the son of Ghanian immigrants.