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A Swedish court has found the rapper A$AP Rocky guilty of assault and has ordered him to pay damages to the 19-year-old victim. It was a street fight that became an international incident. NPR's Andrew Limbong reports.
ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: It's been a rough summer for A$AP Rocky, real name, Rakim Mayers. On June 30, he and his entourage were in Stockholm when they were approached by two men. Rocky posted snippets of this part of the incident on his Instagram account. You can hear him trying to de-escalate the situation, asking the men to stop following them.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
A$AP ROCKY: Listen, listen. We won't want to fight y'all. We're not trying to go to jail.
LIMBONG: But other video taken by witnesses appear to show the rapper throwing the victim onto the ground. The fight led to Rocky and two of his associates spending nearly a month in a Swedish jail. Here's where the story starts to pick up steam. Rocky's famous friends started tweeting about him. The gossip news website TMZ posted anonymous claims that the Swedish prison cells were, quote, "inhumane." Then President Trump got involved, spurred by an apparent conversation with the rapper Kanye West. Trump tweeted that he'd be contacting Sweden's, quote, "very talented prime minister" to help A$AP Rocky. At his trial, Rocky claimed self-defense.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
A$AP ROCKY: At this point, we were really scared because I just saw my security guard get cut. He bleeding. You know, I don't know what to expect from these strangers.
LIMBONG: Prosecutors were looking for a six-month prison sentence for Rocky. Ultimately, a judge declared that he and the other two men were free to leave the country after the trial even before a verdict was handed down. Rocky was back in the States in time to play the Real Street Festival in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
A$AP ROCKY: While I was away...
(SOUNDBITE OF FESTIVAL CROWD AMBIANCE)
A$AP ROCKY: Hey. Hold on. Hold the mosh pits. Hold up. This a sentimental moment right here.
LIMBONG: A fan recorded this part of his set where he thanked everyone for supporting him calling the whole ordeal a scary and humbling experience.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
A$AP ROCKY: I'm so happy to be here right now.
(APPLAUSE)
LIMBONG: While the guilty ruling isn't in Rocky's favor, neither he nor the other two men have to go back to Sweden to serve any additional jail time. They do have to pay the victim $12,500 Swedish krona, about $1,300, on top of other court fines and fees. On Instagram, Rocky said he was disappointed, but again thanked his fans and friends for supporting him. Rocky is still scheduled to headline a festival in Finland this weekend.
Andrew Limbong, NPR News.
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