The spotlight has been harsh this year for A$AP Rocky. In April, less than a week after facing rumours of cheating on his then-pregnant girlfriend, Rihanna, the 33-year-old rapper was arrested at LAX in connection to an altercation that reportedly took place last November. (The rumours of infidelity were quickly denied, and Rihanna has since given birth.) The next day, Rocky was released on bond. Now, Rocky is being sued by the Terell Ephron, aka A$AP Relli. Ephron, an ASAP mob member and also Rocky's high school best friend, has revealed himself as the alleged victim claiming to have been shot by Rocky.
Here's everything we know about the incident, the arrest and the new lawsuit.
The Los Angeles Police department put out a statement detailing the case and confirmed the arrest soon after Rocky was detained this spring. Rocky, legal name Rakim Mayers, is facing a charge in relation to a shooting that allegedly took place Nov. 6, 2021 in which there was an alleged argument between Ephron, who's identity was initially kept anonymous, and the suspected Mayers. As the argument escalated, shots were, it claims, fired and Rocky is suspected to have fled the scene along with two other men. Ephron reportedly sustained a minor injury.
A$AP Rocky was arrested at LAX airport on the charge of assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) in a non fatal shooting. The rapper was returning from a trip to Barbados with Rihanna before being detained by authorities. He was released the following day on a $550,000 bond. The case is set to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration.
Through a search warrant, Police were able to search Rocky's home and found multiple guns. According to sources speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the guns were legally registered and not tied to the November 2021 shooting. However, law enforcement sources also confirmed that detectives were able to find some pieces of potential evidence during their search.
Now, about five months after his initial arrest, days before Rocky heads to court over the incident on August 17, he is being sued by Ephron, a former best friend of his and a member of the A$AP Mob. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Ephron’s attorneys Jamal Tooson and Brian Hurwitz announced the suit, claiming that Mayers lured Ephron to an obscure part of central Hollywood under the impression of discussing a disagreement between them. Instead, he allegedly ambushed him, causing the incident to take place.
"Unbeknownst to Mr. Ephron, A$AP Rocky was not just planning for a conversation and came armed with a semi-automatic handgun," the statement alleges. "After arriving at the location, a conversation ensued whereby without provocation, warning, or any justification, A$AP Rocky produced the handgun and intentionally fired multiple shots at Mr. Ephron."
Ephron, or A$AP Relli, claims he suffered minor injuries on his left hand after the shooting and, according to the statement, the entire incident was caught by nearby surveillance cameras. Ephron's attorneys later added that they expected the matter to go to trial seeing as their client endured "multiple death threats and irreparable harm to his career in the entertainment industry as a result of this incident."
Ephron and Mayers go way back, having been friends all the way from their high school days through to their time in the ASAP Mob. While Relli is not a rapper, Rocky credited him with having introduced him to the ASAP Mob, a move that subsequently set his career in motion.
While surprising, this isn't Rocky's first run in with the law. Rocky was found guilty in 2019 for taking part in a street fight in Stockholm, which subsequently led to a pretty bizarre situation involving Kanye West, former president Donald Trump, and a phone call to Swedish authorities. "So, I personally don’t know A$AP Rocky," Trump said at the time, "but I can tell you that he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country and when I say African American I think I can really say from everybody in the country because we’re all one."
In recent years, the rapper has been quiet on the music front, only releasing a few singles and collaborations. Back in March, the Harlem native also announced a new collaboration between Mercedes and his creative agency, AWGE, on a gender-neutral collection of revamped streetwear and lifestyle pieces. Seeing as this news continues to unfold, it's unclear at the moment what is set to happen to Rocky. We'll keep this story updated if further details emerge.
Ammal Hassan is a writer and Esquire's Snapchat Editor. She covers all things culture with a focus on music and pop culture. She is from Nairobi, Kenya and lives in New York City.
