Hey, what’s up, everyone? How’s it going? If your name’s ASAP Rocky, though, you’re starting your first day of court with a bang. His PR team has gone into full overdrive, and honestly, I can’t blame them. They’re letting everyone know exactly why he turned down that plea deal. So here’s the short version: it was terrible. It would’ve basically handed the prosecutors a free pass to harass him or have law enforcement watch him for the next eight years.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “If you’re innocent, why would you care about that?” Well, let me tell you—I wouldn’t want anyone up in my business for eight straight years, no matter what. But let’s dive into this.
By the way, don’t forget, we’re going live at 1:30 today with some solid legal commentary on the ASAP Rocky trial. Make sure you join us for that.
Back to the plea deal. ASAP Rocky’s team is saying that deal would’ve wrecked his career. TMZ reported that he rejected it because it would’ve cost him everything—his career would’ve been over. He rolled the dice instead, taking a chance to fight the charges head-on.
His trial started this morning with opening statements. Rocky’s facing up to 24 years in prison for allegedly shooting ASAP Ri back in November 2021. The plea deal offered him 180 days in jail, a guilty plea for assault with a semi-automatic weapon, a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation, and 500 hours of community service. But here’s the kicker: if he’d accepted, he would’ve lost all his endorsement deals—like Gucci, Puma, and the Met Gala—and most importantly, he wouldn’t be able to tour. His whole career would’ve been gone. It’s no wonder he turned it down.
Catch us later for the live stream—it’s going to be a good one!
So here’s what happened. On Thursday afternoon, they picked a jury, and the prosecutors spent a lot of time grilling the potential jurors about whether they’d be influenced if Rihanna showed up in court. TMZ is thinking Rihanna will be there, which might be true, but let me explain what went down.
Reverend Al Sharpton and a few others pointed out something weird during jury selection in downtown LA. There’s this process called “Vere,” where both sides—prosecution and defense—get to dismiss potential jurors they don’t want. Out of the 112 people in the pool, only five were Black. Now, whether or not that matters, think about it this way: If you’re facing 24 years in prison, you’d want any juror who might understand your side, right?
The prosecution wants jurors who are going to say something like, “Yeah, ASAP Rocky should be locked up.” They’re going to pick those people. But the defense? They’re looking for jurors who might relate to Rocky’s background, who could maybe understand why he did what he did. Keep in mind, Rocky’s saying he didn’t do anything, but you get what I mean.
So during “Vere,” when they went through the 112 jurors, the prosecution had the chance to strike anyone they thought might be too sympathetic. The defense is looking for the opposite—people who won’t judge Rocky too harshly, who won’t be swayed by his past. It’s all about stacking the jury in their favor.
During the “Vere” case, Reverend Al Sharpton raised a concern about the lack of diversity on the jury, pointing out that, despite being in a diverse area, nearly all of the jurors were from one ethnicity. He argued that this could make a big difference in the case. While it could just be the luck of the draw, the defense didn’t make a huge issue of it. Instead, they pointed out that both the prosecution and defense will likely try to influence public opinion through the media, since they can’t directly sway the jury. The jury in this case isn’t sequestered, meaning jurors go home at the end of the day, interact with their families, and have access to social media, so both sides will try to use the media to their advantage.
One common question people have is, “Why didn’t he just take the plea deal?” While this might not be a big issue now, it could come up if the jury is divided. If some jurors believe he’s guilty while others don’t, they might wonder why he didn’t just take the deal to avoid wasting everyone’s time. That’s why it’s important for the prosecution to explain why he turned down the plea. However, as I mentioned earlier, the deal wasn’t great to begin with.
Now, here’s the real story we’ll dive into on the livestream: Legal experts are saying that the plea deal actually shows how weak the prosecution’s case is against ASAP Rocky. Why? Well, one of the key witnesses for the prosecution—there were only two—revealed before the trial that they never saw ASAP shoot anyone. This left the prosecution furious, and they decided they didn’t want this witness to testify. However, the judge ruled that since they were listed as a witness, their testimony had to be heard. This was a huge win for the defense.
So, one of the two witnesses just came out and said, “ASAP Rocky’s lying. That never happened.” Then, at the last minute, the defense team started saying, “First of all, ASAP didn’t have a real gun. It was a prop gun.” You know, like the ones they use in movies? It’s not a real gun, just a fake one that sounds like the real deal. They’re claiming they’ve got the evidence to back it up.
But here’s the thing: scaring someone with a fake gun? That’s not something that should send you to prison for 24 years. At worst, it’s simple assault. Assault is when you put someone in immediate fear of harm, not necessarily causing actual harm. Battery is when you physically touch someone. So, with just simple assault, he’d probably get a slap on the wrist. It’s not even usually probation, you know?
And this really questions ASAP Rocky’s story about being shot and his knuckles getting grazed. Did he make up a fake police report? Did the DA know the story wasn’t adding up but still went after him just because he’s a celebrity? Because remember, ASAP said his knuckles were grazed, but how does that happen in someone’s shoe? Sounds pretty wild, right?
Also, when the police were on the scene, they were looking for shell casings from this gun ASAP was supposedly holding. But they searched the place all day and found nothing. Then, just a few days later, ASAP Rocky comes back to the scene, does his own “investigation,” and suddenly finds some shell casings he says came from his gun. He claims ASAP Ri is trying to set him up and extort him because he’s mad that ASAP didn’t take care of him the way he expected. This is all such a mess, but we’ll be covering it live.
Rihanna is expected to be there, and the judge is already making waves. He even complimented ASAP’s mom, saying she looked like his sister—very old-school style. Plus, he’s curious to know if ASAP and Rihanna are married and if she’ll actually be in court, which it looks like she will be.
By the way, ASAP Rocky showed up to the preliminary hearing dressed in a Matrix-style leather jacket, trench coat, and a sharp suit. I’m guessing it’s Prada or Gucci, or maybe from his BGA collab. Anyway, just wanted to catch you up. We’re going to be live-streaming the trial, so make sure you join me at 1:30. We’ll also be talking about any breaking news or gossip that comes up while the trial’s going on. It’s gonna be a fun time!
