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The long-winding saga that was A$AP Rocky’s Swedish arrest is set to continue filling column inches, with news the rapper is releasing a documentary about the experience. Stockholm Syndrome will explore how the rapper found himself in a Swedish jail while also charting the events before and after his arrest.
Premiering at Tribeca Film Festival, the film will feature appearances from #FreeRocky supporters, including Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, and Tyler, the Creator.
With a runtime of 105 minutes, the film begins with A$AP’s explosion on the hip-hop scene, the Harlem native becoming one of the biggest names in mainstream hip-hop. But his meteoric success is derailed by “a detour into darkness” in July 2019 when A$AP tours to Sweden and finds himself thrust into international news after being charged with assault.
The 32-year-old rapper was touring Europe in the summer of 2019. In June, he flew to Sweden to headline the Smash Festival. A few days after his performance A$AP, and two members of his entourage, found themselves in an altercation with two men near a local burger chain. The two men allegedly followed Rocky and his crew before instigating a brawl. However, A$AP claimed self-defence, and CCTV seemed to back up his argument.
On July 3, A$AP and two others – Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers – were arrested, accused of aggravated assault.
A$AP’s incarceration led to the global #FREEROCKY campaign, which demanded his release from Swedish prison. The case became a truly global news item when on July 19, former US President Donald Trump used the power of his office to lean on Sweden to release the rapper. Trump is also set to appear in Stockholm Syndrome, along with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber.
A$AP Rocky was eventually freed six weeks after his initial arrest. He was found guilty of assault but given a suspended sentence. The judge ruled that the accused were “not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defence.”
But it seems we’re set to hear the final word from A$AP himself when Stockholm Syndrome debuts on June 13, 2021.
