Acclaimed rapper A$AP Rocky has been charged with assault after a fight in Sweden, despite efforts by President Trump and others to get him released.
The 30-year-old, whose birth name is Rakim Mayers, has been jailed in Sweden since July 3 pending the results of an investigation after a street fight in Stockholm. The platinum-selling artist said that he acted in self-defense, but Swedish authorities say the claim is untrue.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutor Daniel Suneson said Thursday that he filed the charges against A$AP Rocky and two other members of his entourage who are “suspected of assault causing actual bodily harm, having come to the conclusion that the events in question constitute a crime and despite claims of self-defense and provocation.”
Freeing the rapper became a salient issue for Trump after a few celebrities, including Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, pushed to have him freed, calling his detention unjust. The president said many in the African American community had called him asking him to push for A$AP Rocky’s freedom.
“I personally don’t know A$AP Rocky, but I can tell you that he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country,” Trump told reporters in the White House last week. “And when I say African American, I think I can really say from everybody in this country, because we’re all one.”
Trump also said he had called Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and would “personally vouch” for the Grammy-nominated artist’s bail.
Videos released from the street fight show A$AP Rocky throwing a man onto the ground. Suneson said that the videos of the incident factored into the charge.
“It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet,” Suneson said. “In addition to video material, the injured party’s statements have been supported by witness statements.”
A$AP Rocky’s defense lawyer, Slobodan Jovicic, said that the rapper, known for hits like L$D, Wild for the Night and F–kin’ Problems, was having a difficult time in Swedish jail.
“There’s been a lot of support from a lot of different people, and Rakim Mayers is of course very thankful for everybody that has reached out,” Jovicic said. “It’s been a very hard time for him.”
