On Tuesday, Feb. 18, rapper A$AP Rocky leaped into the arms of his partner, Rihanna, after receiving a verdict of not guilty following two charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Previously, he rejected a plea deal that would require him to plead guilty to one of the two charges for a 180-day sentence. By rejecting the deal, he faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted.
According to The Associated Press and The Los Angeles Times, the incident started on Nov. 6, 2021, the day after A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers) and A$AP Relli (Terell Ephron) got into a disagreement. They met outside of the Hollywood Hotel, where prosecutors say things got physical. Mayers then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ephron, saying, “I’ll kill you right now.” Ephron told him to fire the weapon, but Mayers instead walked away. It was then that Ephron started following the rapper and shouted at him about their argument, and Mayers fired his gun at Ephron multiple times. One of the bullets was alleged to have grazed the knuckles of Ephron. Parts of the incident were captured on security footage and presented at the court as evidence.
The main components in this trial were centered around the firearm, the investigation conducted by the police department and Ephron’s injuries as the key witness. The prosecution argued that Mayers deliberately fired his gun at him and went to the police in fear that it would happen again. Ephron testified that his knuckle was scraped by one of the bullets. As evidence, the prosecution presented the shell casings that were found at the scene, as well as audio and video evidence of shots being fired in the security footage.
However, in defense, Mayer’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, told the jury that Ephron was being driven by “jealousy, lies and greed.” He argued that Mayers couldn’t have shot Ephron because he was carrying a prop gun. Tacopina accused Ephron of fabricating the evidence and committing perjury because there wasn’t enough evidence to show that an actual firearm was used. Ultimately, Tacopina insisted that Ephron’s claims were financially motivated and that his testimony had several inconsistencies that damaged his credibility.
During closing statements, the jury was asked to determine if the firearm was a real gun or not based on the evidence presented on both sides. It took the jury three hours to reach their verdict of not guilty, allowing rapper A$AP Rocky to walk free.
Rihanna, musician and founder of the makeup company Fenty Beauty, is the current girlfriend of the rapper A$AP Rocky and mother of two of Rocky’s children. Many speculated if she would appear in court, and she did, including the day the verdict was announced. Surprisingly, the superstar appeared on the last day in court with her and Mayers’ two kids, 2-year-old RZA Athelston and 1-year-old Riot Rose. Many thought of this as a ploy to reach sympathy from the jury; however, Tacopina, in an interview with The Breakfast Club, explained, “She brought them to court because that could’ve been the last time he’d seen his kids for a decade or more…That’s why she brought them.”
A$AP Rocky is said to be performing alongside rapper Playboi Carti at the 2025 Rolling Loud festival in California on March 15 and 16. He will also attend this year’s Met Gala as a celebrity co-chair with LeBron James and Pharrell Williams. Lastly, this summer, he will co-star with Denzel Washington in “Highest 2 Lowest,” a film by director Spike Lee. There have been no updates on new music releases from the rapper.
