A$AP Yams played an integral part in the success of the whole A$AP Mob crew including A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg. Sadly, he passed away in January 2015 from a drug overdose. Today (Nov. 14), would have been Yams’ 28th birthday. In honor of the late manager, his mother, Tatiana Paulino, wrote an op-ed piece for Noisey examining why he son was addicted opioids.

Paulino attributed Yams' addiction to lean to stress and the pressures of keeping A$AP Worldwide organization successful in the rap game.

"My son was under a tremendous amount of pressure to keep the A$A Mob collective striving together, successful and producing hit recordings," she writes. "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."

"In fact, I had to pay for his drug treatment through my employee benefits plan. This was not missed on Steven," she continued. "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 then urge more awareness about opioid use and drug usage among young teens.

"To be clear, I recognize that parents, including me, should discourage drug use," she writes. "But, you should also know that my son wanted to get high, not die. And because this is the case for many young people, whether we like it or not, we should do all we can do to keep them safe and alive. It's the humane thing to do."

Read Tatiana Paulino's full op-ed at Noisey.com.

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