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A$AP Rocky declined a plea agreement from prosecutors ahead of his gun assault trial because he thought it would kill his career.
Prosecutors recently offered the rap star a plea deal that would've required him to plead guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. He'd be sentenced to 180 days in jail with a seven-year suspended sentence. Once released, the father of two would have to spend three years on probation and complete 500 hours of community service. According to a report TMZ published on Friday, January 20, Rocky believed the plea deal would cause permanent damage to his career and way of life.
"This would effectively end his career because he would lose all of his endorsement contracts, including Gucci, Puma, the Met Gala and, most important, he would not be able to tour and his career would be over," a source told the outlet. "They would have him under their thumb for over 8 years."
The New York native, born Rakim Mayers, was charged in connection to a shooting involving his former friend Terell Ephron a.k.a. A$AP Relli in 2021. He pleaded not guilty and is set to face trial with opening statements beginning today. Prosecutors accused Rocky of firing the gun at Relli, who was grazed by a bullet on his knuckles. They plan to show security footage that allegedly showed Rocky with a weapon in his hand. Rocky denied the allegations and reportedly has a witness who will back him up. His legal team plans to call on someone who will testify that the gun Rocky allegedly used to shoot at Relli is a prop gun that he carries for security reasons.
Rocky's trial will begin after 12 jurors were selected earlier this week including seven women and five men with four female alternates. The jurors are a mixture of Caucasian, Asian, and Latin citizens, but no African Americans were selected despite Los Angeles' diverse population. Judge Mark Arnold, who will preside over the trial, is also white.
It's not yet clear whether or not A$SP Rocky will take the stand during his trial. His lawyer said he's "eager to tell his story" but, legally, he has the option to remain silent.