Rapper A$AP Rocky cut a subdued figure as he appeared in court today to hear a former band member describe how the star almost killed him in a hail of gunfire.
While rumors swirl that superstar singer Rihanna is planning a comeback after a five-year hiatus, her boyfriend Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
The Harlem-born hip-hop star, wearing a face mask and a simple three-piece suit, heard his A$AP Mob colleague Terell Ephron tell the court that Mayers, 35, had threatened to kill him before firing at least four shots at him on November 6, 2021.
A shot hit him in the hand, but it wasn’t until the next day that Ephron plucked up the courage to report the shooting, and an arrest warrant was issued for Mayers.
Ephron told the LA Superior Court preliminary hearing how their relationship deteriorated as Mayers’ career exploded and other members of the group were left behind.
Rapper A$AP Rocky – boyfriend of singing superstar Rihanna and father of her children – appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday to hear his former friend Terell Ephron accuse him of shooting him in 2021
He cut a subdued figure as he heard the case, which could result in a prison sentence of eight years
Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two charges. The shooting occurred in November 2021 when his girlfriend Rihanna was four months pregnant
On the night of the shooting, Mayers called him to meet at a hotel in LA, where they argued before Mayers pulled a gun on him, TMZ reported.
“I’m going to kill you right now,” Ephron recalled screaming as Mayers held a gun to his stomach before firing a series of shots as he left the room.
Mayers, the father of Rihanna’s two children, was arrested in April last year as he returned to LAX airport after getting off a private plane from Barbados, where he had been vacationing with his then-pregnant girlfriend.
Officers were also seen outside his LA home hitting the gate with a battering ram before apparently raiding the property. Investigators seized several boxes of evidence from the home.
The couple left three-month-old Riot and 18-month-old RZA at home with a babysitter as they enjoyed a night out at Wally’s Beverly Hills on Saturday.
There have been rumors about Rihanna’s plans for a comeback after her five-year hiatus from the music industry.
It has been claimed that the Grammy Award-winning star is planning a world tour in 2024/2025 after inking a stunning $39 million deal with Live Nation.
In parallel to her tour, the singer and songwriter is said to have created two albums with new material.
A source said: “Rihanna is quietly planning a comeback tour after signing with Live Nation.”
As in his previous appearances, he wore a medical mask when he arrived in court
Mayers stood as Judge Kerry L. White addressed him from the bench
Glamorous: Rihanna looked glamorous as she and her partner A$AP Rocky headed out for a romantic dinner in Beverly Hills on Saturday, showing off her toned legs in an animal print dress, sheer black stockings and black patent leather pumps
Red: The Umbrella artist’s makeup looked natural, with a bold red lipstick for a pop of color. She accessorized with large black sunglasses. Rocky, 35, looked dapper in a classic black suit with a white shirt and dark sunglasses
Tour Rumors: There have been rumors that Rihanna, who has taken a five-year break from the music industry, might be gearing up to release new music and even go on tour. However, a source told Billboard that “no tour has been confirmed for Rihanna” (Pictured in New York in February 2022)
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is said to have shot at least four bullets at his former friend
Horrifying allegations: A$AP Rocky’s high school best friend Terell Ephron, also known by the pseudonym A$AP Relli, has come forward when the man was allegedly shot in November 2021
Rapper A$AP Rocky posted $550,000 bail and was seen leaving jail following his shock arrest on Wednesday
Officers were seen outside Mayers’ LA home hitting the gate with a battering ram before apparently raiding the property
Investigators leave the rapper’s house with a box full of evidence
Mayers’ legal team arrived at his property while the police raid was still underway
It was only four months after his arrest that Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon decided that the charge was serious enough to warrant felony rather than misdemeanor status, which would have carried only a maximum penalty of one year in prison per count.
“Firing a weapon in a public place is a serious offense that could have had tragic consequences not only for the target, but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,” Gascon said after the charges were announced.
“My office conducted a thorough review of the evidence in this case and concluded that the addition of a specific firearms charge was warranted.”
But the alleged attack on Ephron is not Mayer’s first run-in with the law.
The rapper was arrested in Sweden in 2019 after a street brawl broke out between his entourage and two men.
Mayers was convicted of assault, sentenced to probation and ordered to pay more than $1,000 in restitution. He reportedly served a month in prison before his sentence was announced.
The actor, who grew up in New York’s Harlem district, was also charged with attempted murder at the age of 16.
Mayers, who began selling drugs in his youth, was reportedly bullied by an older man. He went to the alleged bully’s house to confront him and ended up shooting him with a gun.
“He tried to attack me in front of some ladies. And I was small. “He was a little older than me,” Mayers described the incident on “Untold Stories of Hip-Hop” two years ago.
The teenager, who was carrying a gun for protection, believed his alleged bully was reaching for a gun after their discussion went wrong. He claimed he never intended to shoot the man.
“I just started letting go,” Mayers said of the confrontation. “I didn’t want to hit him. “First they beat me for attempted murder, then it kept being dropped.”
Mayers was arrested shortly after the shooting and spent time in the city’s notorious jail on Rikers Island. However, due to his age and the nature of the incident, the attempted murder charge was reduced.
Rihanna and Mayers were first linked in November 2020 after it was reported that they were seeing each other following the singer’s split from her ex-boyfriend Hassan Jameel.
The two had been known since the early 2010s when they began performing and touring together.
Mayers first spoke about their relationship in a GQ interview in May 2021, in which he called Rihanna “the love of his life.” The couple is pictured together at Rihanna’s Fenty store in Los Angeles in February 2022
Mayers was having fun in Barbados just days before his arrest while Rihanna watched from the shore through binoculars
The rapper met his girlfriend’s family on the Caribbean island where she was born
Wednesday’s incident is not Mayer’s first run-in with the law. The rapper was arrested in Sweden in 2019 for assault after a street brawl broke out between his entourage and two men. He was also accused of attempted murder as a teenager.
A$AP Rocky’s $4.4 million home in Los Angeles
Rihanna and Mayers remained friends for much of the decade before People confirmed they were officially dating in November 2020. The couple took a romantic vacation to the singer’s native Barbados in December, and the rapper spent Christmas with his girlfriend’s family.
Mayers first spoke about their relationship in a GQ interview in May 2021, in which he called the Barbados-born singer “the love of his life.”
The Fashion Killa hitmaker, who has never faced infidelity claims in the past, said: “She’s probably into a million of the others… I think when you know, you know. “She’s the one .’
Mayers is currently free on $500,000 bail and is due back in court on Thursday.