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It was one of the most publicised legal battles, this year. In early July, A$AP Rocky was arrested for a street brawl following a festival performance in Stockholm, Sweden. After spending just over five weeks in a Swedish prison, the American rapper and two members of his entourage were given a conditional sentence after being found guilty of assault. Whilst Donald Trump was extremely vocal in his release, the 31-year-old remained silent. And until recently, stayed silent surrounding the entire ordeal, until now.
Appearing at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, Rocky joined Summit Ideas co-founder Jeff Rosenthal for TED talks-style conversation. Touching on topics such as psychedelics and sexuality, the man who’s real name is Rakim Mayers briefly reflected on his time in jail, as reported by Forbes. Despite what has been alleged as a hellish time, Rocky reveals he felt supported by fans and fellow inmates and wants to “give back” to men he was detained with.
“When I was going through my whole situation,” Rocky explained, “the whole time I used to look on television and see Swedish fans showing me so much love and I want to give it back…most of the proceeds [from performances in Sweden] will go to inmates and prison reformation”. Said to be designing a new wardrobe and uniform for the inmates who remain in jail, he also added, “I’m trying to do what I can with what I can, I just want to keep creating and encouraging whoever is after me to do it better”.
Mayers’ lawyer Noemi Kadas, told Sweedish media outlet Nöjesbladet that Rocky, “expressed a desire to donate jerseys to the inmates on the Kronoberg Detention Center. The jerseys in question would have a print and the color would of course be adapted to the rules of the Prison Service so that the order and safety are maintained.” This will consist of green sweatpants and a sweatshirt with the word PROMENVD across the front and back.
The ‘Babushka Boi’ artist will return to the country on December 11 for a concert. When asked by TMZ yesterday if there was any fear about travelling back, he responded, “When I was in Sweden, I met so many people like myself and all those immigrants didn’t really have the support that they needed. Me being a celebrity, I had worldwide coverage, we had the American embassy you know … they don’t want us to go back but I think it’s brave I’m doing it…”
Stay tuned for any further developments.
