Update:
Pop star and entrepreneur Rihanna appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday as her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, continued his trial on assault charges.
The singer, who shares two children with the rapper, sat in the courtroom with A$AP Rocky’s family as the trial delved into allegations that he pulled a gun out on his former friend and opened fire multiple times.
The trial started on Friday and will determine whether the rapper will face penalties on two charges of felony assault. He could face decades in prison.
A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyers have argued the weapon was a prop gun and his former friend is only after money.
January 29.
A$ap Rocky’s former friend to testify in trial
A$ap Rocky’s trial is due to continue on Wednesday with the rapper’s accuser giving testimony.
The trial’s key witness, known by the name A$AP Relli, will provide the trial’s key piece of testimony when he gets back on the stand. On Tuesday, Relli, born Terell Ephron, described the first part of the confrontation and was on the verge of describing the alleged shooting itself when court ended for the day according to AP Entertainment.
Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. His lawyer says the shots he fired were blanks from a starter pistol that he carried as a prop.
Relli, a former friend of the rapper said he and Rocky had been members of A$AP, a crew of creators at a New York high school. He said they had been close but their relationship eroded after fame came for Rocky.
According to his testimony on Tuesday, as reported by AP Entertainment, their relationship had been strained for years and getting worse in the previous days. However, he was still “furious” when Rocky pulled a gun on him after a scuffle that began the moment the two met up near the W Hotel.
“I told him to use it. Because mentally I couldn’t believe it,” Relli testified. “I physically could not believe there was a gun in my face. That was the breaking point for me.”
He said he had expected to argue but reconcile with his old friend, and the last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight that could ruin the modest music management business he had built.
“He’s famous,” Relli said. “I’m nobody.”
Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted of the two felony assault charges in the 2021 incident.
The trial began last week on Friday
Raised in Harlem, Rocky’s rap songs became a phenomenon on the streets of New York in 2011. He had his mainstream breakthrough when his first studio album went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2013. The second one, in 2015, did the same.
He’s set to have his biggest career year as a multi-media star. He’s nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video for his song “Tailor Swif”.
In May, he is set to co-chair the 2025 Met Gala alongside big names like Anna Wintour, British race car driver Lewis Hamilton, singer Pharrell Williams and basketball superstar LeBron James.
Later this year, he is also set to appear in a film directed by Spike Lee called “Highest 2 Lowest” with acting legend Denzel Washington.
The star was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for his role in a brawl in Stockholm in August 2019.
The rapper and two members of his entourage were convicted of kicking and beating a 19-year-old man after an argument. They said they acted in self-defence, but the court rejected their argument.
The case drew worldwide media attention after US President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to secure Rocky’s release from prison as he awaited trial.
Rocky is the longtime partner of Rihanna, with whom he has two toddler sons. She has yet to appear at his trial.
Sources: AP News Entertainment; BBC News
