Guilty as charged.
Photo: Daniel Cole-Pool/Getty Images
A$AP Rocky is reflecting on his trials and tribulations … specifically, the high-profile shooting trial he was acquitted in earlier this year. “I knew I was innocent,” he told Elle. “I ain’t no fucking gangster. I’m a pretty boy. I wear that like a badge of honor.” Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, had faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted of two felony assault charges over allegations that he had fired a gun at a former friend and A$AP Mob member in 2021. He was found not guilty of both counts in February.
So was his time in the courtroom the only reason he still hasn’t dropped his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb? Not necessarily. “I don’t want to primarily blame it on my case, but life was lifeing,” he said of the delay in the project’s release. “We don’t plan on having children, but when it happens, you gotta adjust and move with it. I gotta be present for my family because that’s first.” Rocky and Rihanna are currently expecting their third child; he says they are “praying” the baby will be their first daughter.
It’s not like Rocky is pivoting to become a stay-at-home dad — he’s still busy with multiple upcoming projects, including a Harlem- and jazz-inspired collaboration for Puma and the A24 films Highest 2 Lowest and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. But for now, it seems those who’ve been eager to hear a new Rocky album will have to keep waiting. He’s well aware that Rihanna’s Navy can relate to this, given that fans often quip online that he and Rihanna will never drop new music if they keep growing their family. “You know what we joke about?” Rocky told Elle. “She’s like, ‘Yo, I ain’t gonna lie. Your fans might want to kick your ass as much as my fans wanna kick my ass. What saves me is that I’m pregnant most of the time.’” With R9, right?
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