Man gave us laws, and God gave us time, It’s the art of storytelling and I’m only telling mine.
The quote above comes from A$AP Rocky, “Lines,” from Big Boi’s Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors. Like most rap lyrics the words tell a lesson and they explain much about the person who first uttered the words. A$AP Rocky is an interesting artist. I am surprised it took over ten years to feature the rapper. Especially after reviewing the list of rap artists featured in Weekly Music Commentary to date. Rocky has made a lot of notable music, and he has made headlines outside of music. Yet, here we are.
I worked all week to carefully examine both the library of music and some of the headlines related to A$AP Rocky. That examination provided me with a complex picture of a young man who has reached the international superstar status. Rocky reminded me of some of the guys I grew up with, who claimed they struggled to stay out of trouble. However, trouble always seemed to find them. That is somewhat true, seeing that similar circumstances bring about troublesome situations. The point that many of them can’t readily understand is that a change in how they live is necessary. A change in location as well as association will make a difference.
As with most featured artists, it is always beneficial to look into the background and environment where the artist was born and raised. Sometimes that provides clues into their choice of music and the origins of talent. For those readers who do not know A$AP Rocky, allow me to make an introduction.
Rakim Mayers was born on October 3, 1988, in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. His father was from Barbados. He had an older sister, Erika B. Mayers, who died in September 2016 following a drug overdose. Mayers’ first name was taken from the hip hop artist Rakim, one half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo.
Mayers started rapping at the age of 9, when he moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He learned how to rap from his older brother, who also wore the French braids hairdo that Mayers later adopted. When Mayers was 12 years old, his father went to jail in connection with selling drugs; he died in 2012. When Mayers was 13, his brother was killed in Harlem. The death inspired Rocky to take rapping more seriously. Mayers grew up admiring Harlem-based rap group The Diplomats. He was also influenced by Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, UGK, Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
A$AP Rocky sold cannabis and crack while moving around homeless shelters with his mother and sister. At the age of 15, he was selling crack in the Bronx. After living for a period in a shelter with his mother in New York City, he moved to midtown Manhattan. In 2004, Mayers served two weeks in Rikers Island for drug dealing, where he shared a cell with future rapper Casanova.
Up until this point in A$AP Rocky’s story you might not think he would become an iconic rapper. In fact, it would seem he was headed for a life of hardship and criminal activity. However, a change was on the horizon.
In 2007, A$AP Rocky joined the A$AP Mob crew, a Harlem-based collective of rappers, producers, music video directors, fashion designers, and bikers who shared similar interests in music, fashion, style, and art. It had been formed by A$AP Yams, A$AP Bari and A$AP Illz. In August 2011, Rocky’s single “Peso”, was leaked online and within weeks received airplay on the high-profile Hot 97 New York radio station. After he released a music video for his song “Purple Swag”, he received attention from several record labels. In October, he released the mixtape Live. Love. A$AP to critical acclaim and signed a two-year, $3 million record deal with RCA Records and Polo Grounds Music. Upon his record deal, Rocky started a label, A$AP Worldwide, with A$AP Yams.
While A$AP Rocky was ascending toward hip hop greatness, he was busy dealing with major legal clashes. On July 19, 2012, he was arrested after his alleged participation in a brawl that took place in downtown Manhattan involving 21-year-old artist iRome. Also In July 2012, he was sued for allegedly violently attacking an innocent man after being spotted doing illegal drugs in a clothing store in New York. He was later arrested for assaulting two amateur photographers who took photos of the incident. That incident ended with a plea bargain where he pled guilty to grand larceny for trying to take their cameras.
On August 31, 2013, Mayers allegedly slapped a woman during the Budweiser Made in America Festival. He was charged “with misdemeanor simple assault, a class two misdemeanor”. The case was dismissed after a witness failed to appear in court. The woman later filed a lawsuit in July 2014, asserting that she still suffered certain conditions as a consequence of the alleged assault. Mayers stated that he never touched the woman in question and that she “should have known that there could be trouble in place with so many people”. The lawsuit was settled between the two in April 2015.
In January 2019, Mayers was involved in a scuffle in Toronto. A video shows him holding a bottle while barking at a man kneeling on the ground while holding his face.
If the previously mentioned legal issues are not enough, there is one more that is the cherry on top of the cake. In July 2019, Mayers was arrested initially for aggravated, then for simple assault in Stockholm, Sweden, after an altercation in the street against Mustafa Jafari and another person that involved Mayers and three of his entourage on June 30. This situation became complicated when Mayers made the decision to upload videos of the incident on Instagram. Both Aftonbladet and TMZ have also published videos showing part of the scuffle. The investigation against Jafari was dropped as prosecutors said he acted in self-defense, after being grabbed by the neck and pushed by the bodyguard. Mayers was arrested after being allowed to finish his gig at Stadion. As it was judged there was a risk that he may flee or tamper with evidence, he was kept in custody at Kronoberg Remand Prison until the trial, with two members of his entourage also under arrest. Mayers’ ongoing tour was then put on hiatus due to the trial. If he was found “not guilty”, he could have reportedly been compensated more than $2 million.
After many prominent Americans pleaded for the release of A$AP Rocky, including US President Donald Trump, the hip hop star remained incarcerated and the trial was allowed to continue. The trial began on July 30. The prosecutor said that the trio of suspects “intentionally, together and in agreement assaulted the plaintiff by administering punches and kicks. In addition, Rakim Mayers has, with force, thrown the plaintiff on the ground. During the assault, hits have been administered with a weapon in the shape of a whole and/or parts of a glass bottle.” The victim sought 139,700 Swedish krona (approximately $14,200) in damages. Mayers pleaded “not guilty”. Two of the witnesses against Mayers were afraid to appear in court and gave their statements by video link instead. The trial came to an end on August 2 and Mayers was released from custody, while the verdict was scheduled for August 14.
Sentence was passed on August 14. Mayers was convicted of assault and given a suspended prison sentence and had to pay 12,500 kr ($1,270) in damages to the victim. The court could not decide who used the bottle, but said it was not a case of self-defence. As Mayers had already served over a month in jail for the incident before the sentence was handed out, it was determined that he did not need to serve any additional time.
Will this Swedish incident be the last legal problem A$AP Rocky ever has to face? That’s a tough question to answer. On one hand, he is now 31 years old and seems ready to settle a bit. The other hand shows he is still in an arena where incidents frequently happen, and he finds himself smack in the middle. The good news is that creatively A$AP Rocky has not lost a beat at all. His last album Testing proved to be a hit and more music should be on the way 2020 or soon afterward.