The Trial of A$AP Rocky Finally Gets Underway

On a November night in 2021, A$AP Rocky and an old friend confronted each other in Hollywood at around 10:15 p.m. The Harlem-born rapper had become an international fashion figure following the 2010s rise of the hip-hop collective to which both men belonged. A$AP Relli met Rocky in high school and, while never reaching similar heights of recognition, remained in his orbit. The altercation, Relli testified in 2023, was related to a dispute about Rocky’s promise to cover the costs of flying the body of a mutual friend who had recently died home to New York.

According to Relli’s testimony, the encounter took a turn when Rocky brandished a gun, with the rapper subsequently firing three or four shots, one of which grazed Relli’s knuckles. Surveillance video from the incident shows the two men arguing and grabbing each other, but a shooting is not clearly visible. Rocky has been charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, to which has pleaded not guilty. More than three years after the disagreement, his trial begins on Tuesday with jury selection.

Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted on all charges, but the case has not significantly dented his public profile in recent years. He and Rihanna have two young sons, and their relationship, a staple subject of tabloid and fashion photography, has amplified his status even as his music career has waned. Last January, they met with French president Emmanuel Macron during Paris Fashion Week, and Rocky is one of the co-chairs for the Met Gala in May.

The rapper’s proximity to one of the biggest pop stars of the century has already made for some fodder in the courtroom-celebrity crossover genre. In a pretrial hearing last week, legal journalist Meghann Cuniff reported, the judge in the case asked Joe Tacopina, Rocky’s lawyer, “Are they legally married?”

The prevailing tabloid wisdom has been that they are not. Though Tacopina said he didn’t know, he described Rihanna as Rocky’s “common-law wife,” and the prosecution insisted that “wife” only be used if the two were legally wed. The judge said he would decide on Tuesday whether he would refer to Rihanna as Rocky’s “wife” or “significant other.”

Tacopina is a regular cable news commentator with a long list of celebrity clients. He chronicles his workouts on Instagram; they have made him a somewhat menacing figure in the courtroom, especially with his preference for suits that strain to be buttoned. In 2023, Tacopina represented Donald Trump in the civil case E. Jean Carroll brought against him. (Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 and later defaming her.)

Speaking to reporters last week, Tacopina said Rocky and Rihanna were eager to put the matter behind them. Relli, he said, alleged the shooting took place because he wanted money from Rocky. (Reached for comment, Relli’s lead lawyers, Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez, said, “We refer you to the complaints filed in the civil actions.” Relli has sued Rocky and Tacopina for defamation, which they deny.) When asked whether Rihanna would attend the trial, Tacopina said Rocky “is very protective of Rihanna and doesn’t want her anywhere near this proceeding.” He added, however, that it’s “a family decision that they will have to make.”

The trial is expected to last three weeks.