A$AP Rocky cuts short Sundance festival gig

Rapper A$Ap Rocky cut short a performance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Saturday (24Jan15) as he is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his close pal, A$Ap Yams.

The hip-hop star was at the festival to celebrate the premiere of coming-of-age drama Dope, in which he makes his movie acting debut, and he took the stage during the film's after-party to entertain fans.

However, Rocky abruptly ended the show after just two songs, having dedicated the second track to his fallen A$AP Mob crewmate, who passed away unexpectedly on 18 January (15).

In a candid interview with Billboard.com after the short set, Rocky revealed he needed to rap to help him deal with the tragedy, but his heart wasn't in the performance as he was preparing to attend a memorial for Yams.

He said, "That performance - that was just going to stop me from crying. I had to address it (Yams' death), because the whole time I was rapping and I wasn't into it, which is sad, but I just gotta keep it real. I can't front (pretend).

"It's even harder knowing that I gotta fly out in less than an hour just to go bury him. That's the part that eats at me."

A$AP Rocky also admitted his friend's death couldn't have come at a worse time for him as he has a packed schedule to honor.

He explained, "I'll be back in my zone in a bit. I just got it get it together. This all happened and the timing is so wrong, with me doing Sundance and Mens Fashion Week in Paris."

However, he is determined to keep his spirits up, adding, "I'm a happy spirit, man, and I feel like time heals. It's all about good people with good energy, and the universe keeps producing them to me. I'll be fine. God is good and I keep all hope and faith."

An initial autopsy into the passing of 26-year-old New York native A$AP Yams, real name Steven Rodriguez, proved inconclusive and coroners are awaiting further test results to determine the cause of death.