Rihanna Supports A$AP Rocky in Court as Rapper Faces Shooting Trial
In a pivotal moment for A$AP Rocky’s defense, his lawyer on Friday challenged the testimony of his accuser, A$AP Relli, who claims the rapper fired a gun at him in 2021, grazing his hand.
Rihanna, Rocky’s partner and mother of their two children, attended court for a third day, sitting beside his mother. Unlike previous visits where she entered secretly, this time she walked in publicly and later left separately, briefly telling reporters, “I’m good, thank you.”
Relli, a former friend of Rocky, testified that he felt heat when the gun fired, showing photos of scrapes on his knuckles. However, he admitted he didn’t seek medical attention until two days later in New York, prompting Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, to question why he waited and whether he only did so for a civil lawsuit seeking money from Rocky.
“You really don’t care about getting the police involved. Your endgame was getting money from Rocky, correct?” Tacopina pressed. Relli denied it, claiming he sought protection.
Tacopina also pointed out Relli’s brief hospital visit, questioning the severity of his claim: “That’s one hour and 36 minutes for a gunshot, yeah?”
Despite the cross-examination, prosecutors reminded jurors that for the charges—two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm—Relli’s injury is not a necessary factor.
If found guilty on both counts, A$AP Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison—a verdict that could drastically alter his future. This weekend, he’s also up for his third Grammy, with the ceremony taking place just two miles from the courtroom.
During cross-examination, A$AP Relli appeared frustrated, frequently questioning the relevance of inquiries, muttering to himself, and needing reminders from the judge to answer directly. When confronted with recorded phone calls in which he allegedly discussed dropping the case for millions, he insisted they were fake. At first, he claimed not to know the person who recorded them, then admitted the caller frequently checked in on him.
Rocky’s defense team, in a surprising revelation, argues the gun in question was a starter pistol loaded with blanks—a security prop that Relli allegedly knew about. Under questioning, Relli initially claimed Rocky never carried a gun but later hedged, saying, “I don’t really chill with him every day.”
The tension in court escalated when defense attorney Joe Tacopina and prosecutor John Lewin erupted into a heated exchange after the jury left for lunch. Lewin dismissed the defense’s claims as “prop gun garbage,” prompting Tacopina to fire back, “We’ll see what the jury says at the end!” The argument became so intense that the judge, clearly exasperated, walked out.
Rocky and Rihanna, both 36, share two sons: 2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers.