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A$AP Rocky's trial for allegedly shooting a former friend in 2021 is set to begin on Tuesday in Los Angeles and is expected to last three weeks.
The 36-year-old rapper, born Rakim Mayers, is charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He's accused of firing a gun twice in the direction of Terell Ephron, who was formerly known as A$AP Relli, after an argument in Hollywood, California in November 2021. In January 2024, he pleaded not guilty to the weapons charges.
A$AP Rocky, a father of two toddlers with long-time girlfriend, Rihanna, will begin his trial on Jan. 21 after his legal team requested to postpone it from the original November 12 date. The delay allowed him to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in Thailand in November, as confirmed by his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, to USA TODAY.
In November, during a preliminary hearing that included testimony and surveillance video evidence, a Los Angeles judge ruled there was enough evidence for the Puma creative director to stand trial.
The Harlem, New York-born artist's trial no doubt complicates his life with the Bajan billionaire, with whom he shares sons RZA, 2, and Riot Rose, 1.
"We're ready to go. It’s been a long time," Rocky's defense lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said after a Jan. 15 hearing, according to The Associated Press. "It's been something that’s waiting over Rocky's head and Rihanna and their family's heads for a while. We’re anxious to get this thing underway and get this behind him."
It's unclear what implications the case could have on his career, as the rapper and 2025 Met Gala co-chair is set to release his delayed fourth studio album, "Don't Be Dumb," in early 2025. The "Dope" actor is also set to star in the Rose Byrne film "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," set for release this month, and the upcoming Spike Lee film "Highest 2 Lowest" with Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright and Ice Spice later this year, according to his IMDb page.
He could serve up to 24 years in prison if convicted on all charges. The case follows his 2019 arrest in Sweden for assault, for which he was convicted and spent over a month in jail.
Here's what we know.
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A tentative trial date has been set for Jan. 21 in Los Angeles.
Rocky is accused of shooting a former friend after an argument near a Hollywood, California, hotel on Nov. 6, 2021.
According to authorities, an argument escalated and led to Rocky "firing a handgun" at Ephron, according to the tweeted statement from the LAPD in April 2022.
Ephron received medical attention, sustaining only minor injuries, according to police. Police said Rocky and two other men fled the scene on foot.
Video shown in court in November showed a group of men, two of whom officials identified as Rocky and Ephron, involved in a verbal altercation, according to The Associated Press.
A video prosecutors showed during a November preliminary hearing includes what sounded like two gunshots followed by a man running around a corner and beginning to walk, the outlet reported. The man's identity is unclear, but a Los Angeles Police Department detective said investigators established the individual is Rocky.
The video shows a man whose face isn't visible, in a hooded sweatshirt, holding what appears to be a firearm, AP reported. An image from the video shows the man in the sweatshirt's face while the gun is not visible. The detective said the images are how investigators determined the person in question was the Billboard chart-topping rapper, according to the outlet.
Rocky faces two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in his criminal trial. He is also facing a separate civil lawsuit from Ephron.
Ephron, formerly known as A$AP Relli, testified at the November hearing that he and his childhood friend Rocky belonged to the same group of artists at their New York high school, according to AP. Both are a part of what was known as A$AP Mob, the hip-hop collective featuring chart-topping rapper A$AP Ferg and the late A$AP Yams.
Their relationship later soured and resulted in the Hollywood standoff on Nov. 6, 2021, when Ephron said Rocky first pulled a gun on him.
There was also a later confrontation where Rocky allegedly fired shots that grazed his former friend's knuckles, AP reported. Police did not recover the alleged firearm, a 9 mm pistol, when Rocky was served a search warrant.
In April 2022, police arrested the "Fashion Killa" rapper at the Los Angeles International Airport in connection with the shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed at the time. The rapper was returning from a trip in Barbados with Rihanna when officers detained him at LAX before arresting him for "assault with a deadly weapon."
The "Praise the Lord" rapper was later released from custody after posting bail of $550,000, LAPD confirmed to USA TODAY. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Victoria B. Wilson ordered the rapper to stay away from Ephron.
In August 2022, Rocky pleaded not guilty to the charges. Rocky was required to plead not guilty a second time in January 2024, following a November ruling finding there was sufficient evidence to bring the rapper to trial.
Contributing: Charles Trepany
