Rapper A$Ap Rocky has broken his silence following the death of longtime collaborator and associate A$Ap Yams, revealing he knew his pal was struggling with substance abuse.

The 26 year old, who founded Rocky's A$AP Mob group in 2007, died from acute mixed drug intoxication in January (15).

Rocky tells the New York Times, "He always had a struggle with drugs. That was his thing."

The rapper also reveals he discovered his friend unconscious on a bed in Yams' Brooklyn apartment.

He recalls, "I just look at his face... You could just tell. I was scared. I was wilding (getting upset) on everybody, like, 'Who let him do drugs?', even though you can't blame nobody (sic)."

And Rocky admits his model ex-girlfriend, Chanel Iman, took the death of their friend hard, adding, "They were tight. She really took it hard, man. She was crying more than me."