Rihanna appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday to watch the trial of her longtime partner, ASAP Rocky, who is accused of firing a gun at a former collaborator. Rocky, 36, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, stemming from an altercation with a former collaborator, ASAP Relli, born Terell Ephron, near a Hollywood hotel in 2021. If convicted, Rocky faces a maximum of 24 years in prison.
The rapper first rose to fame following the 2011 release of the single “Peso,” and his debut mixtape, “Live. Love.” Rocky was part of the influential New York-based rap collective ASAP Mob, with Relli, and has since acted in major studio films and been featured in several fashion campaigns.
Rihanna, the famed singer, actress, and businesswoman, came to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles as the trial resumed with a second day of testimony from Ephron.
Here is what to know about the trial.
What is the trial about?
At a pretrial hearing in November 2023, Relli testified that he and Rocky were high school friends who once belonged to the same rap collective. Their relationship frayed amid Rocky’s rise to fame. Relli and Rocky agreed to meet on the evening of Nov. 6, 2021, to clear their differences, Relli testified.
How has ASAP Rocky responded?
Rocky turned down a plea offer of a six-month jail term with a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation.
Has Rocky’s busy schedule affected the trial?
Rocky has several notable projects on the horizon. He is scheduled to be one of the headliners of the Los Angeles stop of the Rolling Loud festival in March, and was announced as one of the celebrity chairs for the Met Gala, to be held in May. He was also cast to star alongside Denzel Washington in a Spike Lee-directed movie slated to open in summer.
Was Rihanna’s courtroom appearance a surprise?
Judge Mark S. Arnold had asked if Rihanna would attend the trial, saying that she would be welcome as long as the court was given notice ahead of her arrival. In a pretrial hearing, Arnold sought clarification on the relationship between she and Rocky, who have two children together.
I don’t know, but she’s certainly his common-law wife,” Tacopina said.
During jury selection, John Lewin, a prosecutor, asked potential jurors if they could be impartial if Rihanna showed up in the courtroom.
On Wednesday, she did. Ahead of the day’s proceedings, a sheriff’s deputy walked the hallway outside the courtroom, reminding those who had come to be professional “no matter who you see here.”
When the public entered the courtroom around 10 a.m., Rihanna, wearing a dark-colored suit jacket, was already seated in the front row of the gallery that featured around 100 people.
She listened impassively as Relli detailed his dispute with Rocky and testified to his shock when Rocky brandished a gun. Prosecutors showed video footage of the altercation and a photo of Relli’s injury to his hand, which he described as superficial.
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