@younglord
Jabari Shelton, aka ASAP Bari (stylized A$AP Bari) is a very polarizing character. Bari is best known for his VLONE clothing line, being a cofounder of the ASAP Mob, and getting in trouble. He is a man who is both loved and hated by many. Let’s go into how ASAP Bari built his polarizing name.
Jabari was born December 23, 1991 in Harlem, New York and in the early 2000s became known as ASAP Bari as well as Younglord. In 2006, he became a cofounder of the hip hop collective, A$AP Mob. ASAP stands for “Always Strive And Prosper.” I say hip hop collective because it isn’t just a rap group. A$AP Mob includes rappers, producers, content creators, video directors, and fashion designers.
Bari is not a rapper but has helped find key members of the group, align partnerships, and has created a successful clothing brand named VLONE with fellow mob member, A$AP K which began in 2011. In an interview with XXL magazine, ASAP Bari said that VLONE stands for kids that live alone and die alone. He mentioned that at the time he was feeling very alone and took those feelings and created a brand.
The VLONE brand has been able to build hype and admiration around the brand and made their merch internationally known by getting famous entertainers to wear items in videos and promotional runs as well as becoming a master of the pop up shop. ASAP Bari had a philosophy that by focusing on pop up shops he can actually make a connection with those who are interested in the clothing instead of only selling online.
The VLONE brand reached its peak around 2017 when he had a partnership with Nike for shoe production. Also in that year, VLONE participated n a runway show during the 2017 Paris Fashion Week.
With all highs, come lows. ASAP Bari had a few public run ins with the law quickly after his Nike x VLONE partnership.
The first altercation was with model Ian Connor when ASAP Bari punched Connor as he was leaving a store. This minor altercation seems rather insignificant compared to the most damaging blow to Bari’s career which occurred on July 12, 2017.
This is when a video emerged showing sexual misconduct between Jabari Shelton and an unidentified female. The victim claimed, “I was forced into bed by Bari and his crew and Bari got upset because I refused to engage in any sexual acts.”
The incident was said to be started by Bari saying, “You f***** my assistant, now you are going to f*** with me.” She explained that after saying “no” Shelton pulled blankets from her exposing her naked body to about 10 other men who were linked to ASAP Mob and followed her into a bathroom. She was allegedly thrown out of the room in the nude.
Two weeks after the video released, Nike terminated their relationship with Bari.
Initially Bari said the video was “fake” and was later served with a $1 million dollar lawsuit for the assault.
On January 3, 2019, Shelton pleaded guilty to the 2017 sexual assault in London. He avoided jail time by paying the victim $2268 and being subjected to a restraining order.
So there you have it! If you didn’t know who ASAP Bari was before, now you have a better understanding of who he is. It will be interesting to see how ASAP Bari can keep his career going. Will he be able to profit from partnerships like he has in the past, find new talent, or will he fade into the sunset? Time will tell.
Let me know what you think of ASAP Bari in the comments!
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