On Tuesday, rapper A$AP Rocky awaited the verdict of a three week trial in Los Angeles stemming from a 2021 incident with old friend and collaborator, A$AP Relli. Rocky (whose real name is Rakim Mayers), 36, was facing two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, the star could’ve faced up to 24 years in prison, leaving behind his two sons with superstar partner Rihanna, and a long string of career opportunities that would further push his persona into the limelight. Also known for his charismatic style, fashion lovers gawked at Mayers looking dignified as ever with intricate stitch braids and a pinstripe Armani suit. Surely thinking about the possibility of losing everything, Mayers stood with his hands clasped in prayer and head bowed.
“Not Guilty.”
As the words from the clerk rang through the court, Rocky’s supporters erupted in delight. A visible sigh of relief exits the rapper as he then bolts to his family. In a viral clip, we see Mayers jump over a rail, diving into the arms of Rihanna and his mother.
The display had fans of Rocky and those weary of the LA District Attorney’s Office elated. In fact many took to TikTok to share their amusing takes on Rocky’s viral reaction.
Since the start of the trial in January, this high profile case had locked in the attention of the public. With all the media coverage, it was like the world was in the courtroom. If you take out the celebrity status for a second, what makes this case so interesting to me was how unwarranted it was. If you look at everything, it’s a pretty interesting case that many would say could only happen in L.A. With the celebrity status of the case, a deep thickening plot between Relli and Rocky’s relationship over the years and the characters of attorneys and witnesses, this all seemed like a Hollywood spectacle-very popular, very dramatic and very unnecessary.
Picture a case with a lack of soluble evidence and an extremely unreliable main witness/victim, and yet there’s still a strong push for a felony conviction. After weeks of reviewing this case, it’s easy for me to see Relli (whose real name is Terrell Ephron) as a wanna-be extortionist. Someone else could argue however that Rocky seemingly won a popularity contest with his career being at its highest point and his international superstar billionaire girlfriend swaying sympathy from jurors. I think it’s important however to note the systemic oppression Black men face with the justice system, the overall corruption of the LA District Attorney’s Office and the deep rooted envy Rocky’s accuser seemed to have for him. The rapper could’ve very well had a target on his back from a lot of people that didn’t want to see him win at the height of his success. To me, this story seems like a cautionary tale of entitlement, and also a ridiculous show from the justice department. So, welcome to a deep dive of A$AP Rocky’s not guilty verdict.
First let’s quickly sum up the timeline of events.
Leading up to the incident…
The A$AP moniker came from a high school creative collective known as A$AP Mob. A$AP (which stands for Always Strive and Prosper) was originally formed in 2006 by A$AP Yams with friends A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz in Harlem, New York City. They stood out amongst the Harlem youth for their unique, fresh style rooted in the rising skateboard culture. From around 2006 to 2008, A$AP gained a slew of members such as A$AP Ant, A$AP Twelvey, A$AP Nast, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli-Ferg and Rocky were the last two to join.
A$AP Rocky’s career started to blow up in the summer of 2011 with his single “Peso.” Over the years his career continued to skyrocket, and his fame almost doubled when his relationship with Rihanna was announced in 2020. According to Relli during his time testifying, many members of A$AP felt either abandoned by Rocky or like they couldn’t keep up with his success. Relli felt that once Rocky experienced this fame he “didn’t have time for his friends.”
“I mean it’s always been like that,” Relli said in court. “It’s really hard having a relationship with Rocky, he lies a lot. I called him ‘Mr. Six Month Man.’ I would see him every six months.”
It’s important to note that prior to the incident there was a lot of building tension that I believed stemmed from a sense of entitlement in Relli. He thought that he and other A$AP members deserved a piece of Rocky’s success, and after trying to look through his perspective I can kind of understand it (to an extent). Imagine you’re working with someone and you both started from the bottom together-you’re with each other all the time collaborating and whatsoever. If they blow up and you don’t, you would probably want your friend to put you on game with all this newfound success. This is where A$AP starts to walk the tight rope as mixing business, friendships, emotions and street politics can be a recipe for total disaster.
What was A$AP Relli really entitled to though? A$AP Rocky wasn’t the only member to achieve mainstream recognition. A$AP Ferg (who now goes by just Ferg) also achieved major commercial success; A$AP Bari has his own lane in the fashion realm and so does A$AP Nast. A$AP Ant and A$AP Twelvey have also continued to rap-so for lack of a better word, it seems like A$AP Relli didn’t have as much motion compared to the rest of his friends. Additionally, Rocky also wasn’t the leader of A$AP Mob, it was A$AP Yams (who unfortunately passed away in 2015). When it comes to friends doing business, I think there’s a common trend that we can see time again where once big money is brought into the conversation. If there isn’t the right mentality and ethic amongst everyone, it’s easy to get caught up in the lifestyle and materialism of it all-compile this with jealousy, insecurity or entitlement, and you can create an extremely toxic and self sabotaging mindset.
It’s important to highlight a series of texts from Relli in 2021 leading up to the incident, which I think showcases this possible mindset.
On July 24, 2021, Relli and his team seemingly reached out to Rocky to discuss meeting for a business opportunity. Rocky didn’t reply to a text, which prompted Relli to say, “F*** you and ASAP fake a** n****” on August 5th. Rocky then responded on the August 6th saying he’s free that day or over the weekend.
On September 18, 2021, Relli sent another series of derogatory texts to Rocky saying things like “F*** everything about you” and “I dead hate you.” He even called him a “Sucka a** [homosexual].”
Relli’s underlying animosity towards Rocky showcased itself again in October of 2021 after the passing of fellow A$AP member, A$AP Josh. Josh’s mother asked the group for financial help to assist with costs covering the funeral, which A$AP Rocky then volunteered to take care of. For some reason Relli came to the conclusion that Rocky didn’t follow through on his promise. This prompted him to send a series of text messages that were revealed in court:
“You so f*****g fake it’s sad,” Relli texted the “Praise Da Lord” rapper. “Don’t ever forget who introduced you to this life. When I was at my lowest you looked at me like I was a piece of s**t.”
There were also messages found of him speaking with other members saying he wanted to beat Rocky up.
Ironically however, Rocky had actually paid for the funeral and Relli was under the wrong impression.
About a month later on November 5, 2021, A$AP Bari was on the phone with A$AP Rocky. Bari had Rocky unknowingly on speaker with Relli in the car with him. Rocky had asked Bari if he wanted to go to a ComplexCon event with him, to which Bari turned down and told him to stop having his assistants reach out to him. According to Relli, “out of no where,” Rocky said “F*** that n*** Relli.”
I think Rocky’s response could’ve very well been prompted by Relli’s outspoken hatred towards him, and the very real possibility of Relli talking about him behind his back to other A$AP members.
Relli overheard this though and it prompted him to text Rocky his last thread of texts before the incident took place. On the morning of November 6, 2021, Relli texts Rocky saying the following:
“You got all [this] fake animosity towards me lol beat me up. N**** I wish you would. Give me a reason N****. U been p***y.”
Rocky responds:
“Wya? Let’s get to it. Stop ducking my calls.”
The two then Facetime each other to seemingly meet up and hash out their differences. Allegedly Rocky asked Relli where he was staying, to which Relli responded he was at The W in Hollywood (he was really at Loews Hollywood Hotel). Rocky, who was actually staying at The W, then tells Relli he knows he’s not there because of the background, and the two agree to meet by the hotel.
The incident…
So Rocky and Relli meet up on Selma Avenue and Argyle Avenue. Rocky has A$AP Illz and A$AP Twelvey with him, and the four of them get into this scuffle that is partially caught on low quality security footage from building cameras around them. Apparently the original video had no sound, but the DA was able to pair it with another video that didn’t really capture the scene but captured the sound. They tried to match the sound with the video to the best of their capability. The video was in black and white and there’s no evident flash from the alleged gun shots.
According to the LAPD, Rocky fired a handgun which caused the victim, Relli, to sustain minor injuries. The minor injuries were some knuckle scrapes that Relli alleged were from a bullet grazing him. However, he didn’t go to receive treatment for these scrapes until days later when he was back in New York. His excuse was that he “didn’t trust” Los Angeles.
A bystander that apparently heard gunshot sounds called the police, who then arrived at the scene and surveyed the area-to which they found zero evidence of a crime. That means the police found no bullet marks, shell casings or any sufficient evidence of gun use at the scene. About an hour later, Relli allegedly returned to the scene apparently with his girlfriend, claiming ‘his lawyer’ told him to look for any evidence of the crime. He claimed to have picked up two shell casings in the area.
Later he sent pictures of these shell casings to Rocky’s manager allegedly demanding money from them, to which Rocky responded telling him to stop trying to extort him, and to “call the police if [Rocky] shot [Relli].”
Two days later on November 8th, Relli went to the police with the shell casings. Around this time he also filed a civil suit against Rocky for 30 million dollars, however the civil lawsuit doesn’t work without a crime being established, which could be the reason why Relli finally went to the police two days later.
In April of 2022, the LAPD claimed they had enough evidence and arrested Rocky on felony charges at the Los Angeles International Airport, where he was returning from a trip to Barbados with then-pregnant Rihanna. They raided the artist’s home, and set his bail at $550,000. Rocky was released on bail that same day and maintained his innocence.
What I find interesting about this is why was he taken in on felony charges instead of misdemeanor when police found relatively no evidence of a crime except for some scraped knuckles?
Anyways a preliminary hearing occurred on November 20, 2023, and this was the first time Relli publicly recounted the incident. This was also the first time the surveillance video was shown in court. Defense later argued that prosecution left out a part of the video where Relli allegedly went back to attack Illz. There is also no video footage apparently of Relli returning to retrieve the shell casings.
In the hearing he told Deputy District Attorney, Paul Przelomiec, that he was only “slightly” involved with Rocky’s career after it took off, and didn’t get any credit for his work. He also said there’s no distribution of money amongst A$AP and he mostly gets his wealth from “real estate in Costa Rica.”
When asked about the state of A$AP, Relli responded, “Everybody’s broke or bums.”
In his initial testimony, Relli painted Rocky as the aggressor. He said he wasn’t going to fight him necessarily but instead try to resolve their ongoing beef, and he felt betrayed by Rocky, Twelvey and Illz.
On January 21, 2025, A$AP Rocky rejected a final plea deal from prosecution, which offered 180 days in jail followed by probation. Since he rejected the plea deal, Rocky faced the possible guilty verdict that could result in him facing up to 24 years in prison. His defense claimed the gun pictured in the video was actually a prop gun (starter pistol that doesn’t fire bullets) that he obtained from his “D.M.B.” music video shoot. Rocky’s defense said he carried this prop gun with him as an extra self defense measure. The prop gun defense can be seen as unconvincing because it was brought up later in the case and the defense didn’t have any evidence to show of it.
This sent the media into a frenzy. People were shocked Rocky didn’t take the deal as it seemed like such a gamble on his life. While I understand the shock-since 180 days sound way better than 24 years-we can already tell that this case seems ridiculous, and 180 days plus probation can still cause a nuisance to a man’s life when there’s clearly a probable sense of extortion going on.
Going into the Trial…
Let’s take feelings out of this for a moment because this is the court and we need to be practical. It makes sense why Rocky wouldn’t take the plea from a logical and strategic standpoint due to the lack of evidence on both sides of the main indicator of the crime-the gun. Throughout the trial the jury had to ask themselves, was the gun that was shot in the video real or fake? Besides the (very low quality) video, the only “evidence” of a gun includes Relli’s three slightly skinned knuckles, two 9mm shell casings Relli apparently went back to retrieve after the incident, and a 9mm magazine (a piece the stores ammunition) found when police raided Rocky’s home-which didn’t match the shell casings Relli provided. The police also took Rocky’s DNA, but never ran it.
So the trial was originally set for October, but it kept getting pushed back and it officially started on January 24th. It was moderated by Judge Mark Arnold. Both prosecuting and defense attorneys had very high profile names. Rocky’s defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, has a huge reputation in the industry and is known for being a controversial firecracker on the stand. Some of his past clients include Michael Jackson, Meek Mill, Alex Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Sean Hannity and more. Tacopina was even a part of Donald Trump’s defense team for his hush money trial, but he ended up withdrawing himself from this case.
Adversely, the highlighted prosecutor was Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney, John Lewin. Lewin is known for his work in cold case murders, including the Robert Durst trial where he was famed for his ruthless and lengthy cross examination tactics. Lewin has also been cited for multiple rocky instances with the DA. Going back to the theatrics of this case, the banter between Tacopina, Lewin and Judge Arnold was enough entertainment in itself. To me it sounded like two brothers arguing with each other and then being scolded by their father-with Lewin sounding like the whiny child.
Relli’s Lies
What’s ironic is that going into trial, Relli actually proved to be a key asset for the defense’s argument due to his countless inconsistencies. If we had to take a shot for every time Relli lied under oath, we would all be getting our stomachs pumped right now.
I’m going to note some instances where Relli was caught in a lie-with video proof-that I think pushed the reasonable doubt for this case to the forefront:
Relli lied about having a lawyer tell him to go back to the scene to pick up shell casings. Later he admitted under cross examination that he did not have a lawyer at this point.
Relli lied about being at a gun range and shooting a 9mm pistol in LA a month before the incident.
Relli said his girlfriend was with him to go pick up the shell casings, and when presented with a picture of his said girlfriend, said he couldn’t tell if it was her. His excuse was because “she was wearing makeup.”
Relli lied about a phone call he had with website developer and consultant, Wally Sajimi, which was recorded and then presented by the defense to paint him as an unreliable source. Relli claimed the call was fake and artificial intelligence, which caused the defense to throw it away until Sajimi became a surprise witness. In the calls he boasted about the $30 million lawsuit which also proves Relli’s claim on the stand that he didn’t know how much money the civil lawsuit was for wrong.
Prosecutors tried to paint Rocky as the initial aggressor in this case, citing the texts he sent Relli the day of the incident. However, they failed to initially note all the texts Relli deleted before handing his phone over to the DA, which they re-examined after his cross examination with Tacopina where he acted oblivious to sending said messages.
The defense’s main strategy was to cause beyond reasonable doubt with the jury of the crime, and Tacopina used Relli’s behavior to achieve this. He would highlight all these inconsistencies in Relli’s testimony, and Relli was quick to blame anything but himself. He said the police reports are wrong and would easily get frustrated with Tacopina, even once exclaiming, “You think you’re slick! You’re sneaky!”
Witnesses…
Another only-in-Hollywood moment of this case occurred with the first LAPD officer to testify, Thomas Zizzo jr., who is the son of Real Housewives star Erika Jayne. Some important things to note from Zizzo’s testimony was that he originally said he remembered only three officers on the scene. When asked about other names of officers on the scene that were there, Zizzo responded with “I don’t recall.” Later when the defense presented footage, he eventually confirmed there were in fact seven officers. They all found nothing.
LAPD Detective Frank Flores testified there was “the distinct sound of a firearm” or “some kind of replica firearm potentially,” but then conceded to say there was no evidence confirming the gun pictured in the video was a functioning semi-automatic firearm that discharged bullets.
Defense’s key witness was A$AP Twelvey who supported the defense’s claim that Relli was the aggressor. He also claimed that Relli knew the gun was a prop gun, but may have been intimidated by the sound.
Wally Sajimi as mentioned above was a surprise witness, however defense used longer snippets of the recorded phone call in a cross examination, as Relli did outline the incident to Sajimi on the phone. This aligned with his testimony, which prosecutors believed would help sway the jury.
A$AP Rocky’s manager, Lou Levin, testified about the gun being a starter pistol. He did disclose some information that unintentionally could’ve harmed Rocky’s case which was that the prop gun apparently still ejected shell casings while it didn’t fire real bullets. This was the first time the court heard about this and it kind of weakened the defense argument of a prop gun. Levin also claimed the 9mm magazine found at Rocky’s home was his.
Strategy Analysis, Why I Think Rocky Won
So in order to convict Rocky, the jury had to rely on Relli’s inconsistent story and wish-washy evidence from the LAPD who seem like they didn’t do their due diligence with this case. As the DA tried to prove Relli’s accusation right, it looked like they were reaching to grab at anything to convict this man, which can come across as disingenuous. The irony is that Relli doesn’t even care about locking Rocky up (he said this in the audio with Sajimi) even though he “feared for his life.” In order to file a civil lawsuit for $30 million, again, a crime must be committed. Relli admitted his “game plan” from the jump was to get the money, and he didn’t “give a f*** about no police.”
While it does make sense why Relli wouldn’t care for the police and court parts due to the bad reputation of being a “snitch” in the rap world, Tacopina uses this stance to prove Relli as an extortionist. He also focuses on the lies and inconsistencies to paint Relli as an aggressive liar that the jury cannot trust.
Additionally, Rocky chose not to testify for himself which I think was very strategic. As Relli faced a four day cross examination from Tacopina, he’s caught talking himself in circles, getting feisty with the attorney and looking restless with this case (maybe he thought extorting 30 million dollars would be easier than it panned out to be). As Relli derails his own story, Rocky, in turn, looked composed as he let his attorney defend his case. If Rocky did take the stand to defend himself, he could’ve been subject to an aggressive cross examination from Lewin (which I’m sure Lewin would’ve had a field day).
What made Rocky look even better were the moments Tacopina seemed riled up in back and forths with Lewin, and Rocky is seen evidently calming him down with a light pat on the back. If this was purposeful, I think this was a move that really makes Rocky look like he is above all of this-kind of genius if you ask me.
The presence of Rihanna, the babies and Rocky’s family in the court room definitely gave him a softer, more humanized image in the court as well. Some commentators think that Rihanna’s appearances in court were a huge factor to the jury’s verdict. Lewin even addressed the jury and told them to take her and the babies out of the picture.
While Rihanna’s superstar status definitely had an effect on the case’s popularity, I think what really swayed the verdict was Relli’s behavior and his probable motive for extortion that was highlighted by the defense. My main question is, if you’re really the victim and he really shot at you, why lie? And why lie when you have the country’s largest district attorney’s office (that does have a past of nuanced convictions and wrongful accusations) and bloodthirsty John Lewin on your side? Also the jury was mostly white! With the video and the support of the LAPD, Rocky was the underdog in this case but it seems Relli just completely sabotaged himself, which brings me back to the mindset.
Relli thought he was going to get paid, plain and simple. He was tired of Rocky’s success and whether or not Rocky shot a real gun, he was going to reap the benefits. The $30 million was a flex for him-even Lewin said that $30 million in civil lawsuit was a bit much. This was his get back, and the fact that Relli thought this was going to be so easy even though he kept lying makes me think that maybe the gun was real, because how could you be so dumb to think the jury would still believe you?
TMZ apparently spoke with one of the jurors following the verdict, and what’s interesting is that she said many of them actually believed a crime was committed and didn’t really agree with the prop gun defense, but the lack of evidence caused the jury to reach their verdict.
She also added that all of this could have been avoided which I think is very poignant. Again this case was unnecessary! The moral of the story on both Rocky and Relli’s sides is don’t crash out. Don’t let people take you out of your character, because you can wind up in a very avoidable situation.
What Now?
Following the verdict, Rocky thanked the jury, telling them they “saved his life.” The rapper celebrated Rihanna’s birthday with her this past Thursday. On Friday, Rocky was already named creative director of Ray Bans. Rocky’s fourth studio album, “Don’t Be Dumb,” is set to release this year. He is also set to be a co-chair at the Met Gala and star in a Spike Lee film alongside Denzel Washington. Rocky and Rihanna also apparently promised to name their third child after Joe Tacopina.
As for Relli, he finally broke his silence by posting on his Instagram story on Thursday:
“Gossiping is a form of entertainment for people who have no meaningful goals or purpose in life,” he shared. “Hate me, bring shame to my name, say bad things about me, I don’t care. Your existence doesn’t add any value in my life.”
So it sounds like he’s in great spirits! But in all seriousness though, hopefully as the media around this case dies down, people will leave this man alone. At least everybody walked away from this case seemingly unharmed (except Relli’s knuckles). While everyone is coming at him being a snitch, remember the moral of the story is to not crash out and waste your time or your life. At the end of the day, the man still has a daughter and should be able to live his life as well since Rocky is unscathed.
Hopefully the hip hop community also sees the uselessness in this case, and we can do something to prevent unnecessary hip hop policing instead of being stuck in a state of arrested development.
