The trial of hip-hop artist and fashion icon Rakim Mayers, known more colloquially as A$AP Rocky, finally began Jan. 24 in Los Angeles, Calif. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office charged Mayers with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm resulting from an altercation with Terell Ephron, more commonly known as A$AP Relli.
In 2006, a group of childhood friends and their associates founded the Harlem hip-hop collective A$AP Mob. The group is comprised of various members, including Mayers, Ephron and Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (known as A$AP Ferg). Jordan Terrell Carter, known as the rapper Playboi Carti, became popular through his association with A$AP Mob in the early-to-mid 2010s. As a collective, A$AP Mob found critical success with “Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends” in 2016 and “Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy,” released a year later. These albums were not only electrifying, garnering a massive following, but they also boosted the careers of several members, including Rocky and Ferg.
Alongside the success of the “Cozy Tapes,” Mayers has seen independent success with albums such as 2011’s “Live. Love. A$AP” and 2015’s “At. Long. Last. A$AP.” His hit song “Peso,” released in 2011, helped him rise to prominence as an East Coast rapper. Other hits of his include “Fashion Killa,” “Sundress” and more recently, “Praise the Lord (Da Shine).” Beyond just music, Mayers has found prominence in the world of fashion, creating an image for himself as a well-dressed and confident artist. His relationship with Rihanna has also been a highly publicized affair. The couple, though not officially married, has two sons: RZA and Riot. This is not Mayers’ first publicized legal bout, as he was arrested in Sweden in 2019 on an assault charge. He was later convicted but received no prison time. He claimed he acted in self-defense and the situation ended up garnering the attention of then-President Donald Trump who expressed his concern over the situation.
According to court testimony, on the night of Nov. 6, 2021, Mayers and Ephron met outside of a parking garage near the W Hotel in Hollywood amid an ongoing feud between the two. Once childhood friends, their friendship had slowly begun to deteriorate as Mayers skyrocketed to prominence, particularly after the death of a fellow A$AP Mob member. Ephron felt that Mayers was not providing adequate financial support to his past group members despite his stardom, further souring relations between the two. They met in Hollywood in an attempt to settle the dispute. However, according to Ephron, tensions rose to the point that Mayers pulled out a pistol and fired twice at his former friend, grazing Ephron’s knuckles in the process. There is no clear video evidence of the shooting itself, but there is camera footage of a dispute between Ephron, Mayers and two of Mayers’ crew that accompanied him that night. In addition, police were not able to find any evidence at the scene. However, Ephron reportedly produced two shell casings to the police as evidence.
Attorney Joe Tacopina, who is representing Mayers, said the pistol Mayers used was a prop weapon filled with blanks and that the rapper intended to deter conflict without resorting to violence and bloodshed. Mayers fired in an attempt to stop Ephron from attacking a member of Mayers’ crew. Tacopina views Ephron’s claims as an attempt to profit off of his former friend. Only days into the trial, Tacopina has gotten into several arguments with the prosecution, headed by Deputy District Attorney John Lewin. The prosecution offered Mayers a plea deal of six months jail time, a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation. In a contentious decision, Mayers turned down the plea deal and pleaded “not guilty” to the two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If found guilty, Mayers could face up to 24 years in prison. Mayers is scheduled to headline the Rolling Loud festival in California in March as well as is slated to serve as a celebrity chair for the Met Gala in May. It is unclear how much longer the trial could last or if it would disrupt these obligations.
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