A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is a 36-year-old American rapper from Harlem, New York. Rocky is apart of a hip-hop collective, A$AP Mob, formed in 2006, the members whom I have personally heard of are Rocky Himself, A$AP Ferg, and deceased member A$AP Yams. Rocky has three studio albums, Long. Live. A$AP(2013), At. Long. Last. A$AP(2015), and Testing(2018).
In November 2021, rapper A$AP Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Rocky’s former friend, A$AP Relli, accused Rocky of shooting at him and grazing his knuckles. he was arrested in 2022, but he has been free since he paid bail. If Rocky had been convicted, he would have faced up to 24 years in prison.
Rocky was acquitted on February 18, 2025. When they said the words “not guilty,” he immediately jumped up and into the arms of his significant other, Rihanna, also a famous singer and the mother of his two sons, RZA and Riot.
At the beginning of the case, Rocky pleaded not guilty, rejected a plea deal that would have involved very little jail time, and chose not to testify during the case. During the case, the judge allowed cameras in the courtroom and for it to be recorded. “I believe that the public deserves to see what goes on in the courtroom,” is what the judge said. Some key evidence was that a surveillance camera recorded the sound of gunshots, and another camera recorded them getting into a small fight. Then, another video had the incident recorded, but the tape was very blurry. The Jurors also considered the messages that were sent between A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli before and after the predicament. Rocky had a great lawyer, Joe Tacopina. Joe has represented other hip-hop artists like Meek Mill and YG, and he called Relli “an angry pathological liar.” Also, two members of Rocky’s “inner circle” said that he carried a prop gun. During the closing arguments of the case, Rihanna brought their two sons, whom I mentioned earlier, and then they watched the verdict. Then, Rocky ran and sprung into her arms with joy. The jurors decided that he wasn’t guilty because Rocky fired blanks from a prop gun that he gained from a set for a music video and that it was in the act of self-defense.
Rocky and Relli first met in high school, and Relli testified that he brought Rocky to the group of young creators called A$AP, “Always Strive and Prosper.” Their feud started when Rocky became famous. Then, Relli accused Rocky of shooting at him three to four times and a bullet grazed his knuckles on the night of November 6, 2021, in Hollywood. The two ended their friendship after this encounter.
Now that Rocky is free, he has already started to work on his fourth studio album, DON’T BE DUMB, which was set to release in the Fall of last year. A$AP Rocky has released snippets of his new album, and there have been pictures of him and popular producer Metro Boomin together in a studio. Metro is one of the greatest producers ever, so it’s very exciting that he is working on the album with Rocky. I have a feeling that this album will be great and have zero misses on it, and every song on it will be a banger. A$AP Rocky is also supposed to headline the music festival in Los Angeles, Rolling Loud, which is one of the biggest music festivals. Rocky will also be at the Met Gala as a co-chair. He is also set to co-star in a movie along with Denzel Washington. Rocky and Rihanna are also planning to name their next child after his lawyer, Joe. I am glad that Rocky was acquitted because that means more music, hopefully. Rocky also has children, so it is good to see that he can continue to be a father to them and not be behind bars for their entire childhood.
