HOW SWEDE IT IS
An elated A$AP Rocky was released Friday from the Swedish prison where he had been held for a month on assault charges, calling the experience “very difficult and humbling.”
And true to his stage name, A$AP quickly boarded a private jet out of the country.
A judge ordered the Harlem-born hip-hop artist and two members of his entourage be released and allowed them to return to the US at the end of a three-day trial, at which Rocky pleaded self-defense.
The judge will issue a verdict on Aug. 14 — at which time Rocky could still be found guilty and, if prosecutors have their way, be sentenced to six months.
Nevertheless, the 30-yearold New York native expressed elation on social media after being freed.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my fans, friends and anyone across the globe who supported me during these last few weeks,” Rocky wrote on Instagram. “I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for all of you this. This has been a very difficult and humbling experience.”
The rapper — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — was arrested after a wild June 30 brawl in Stockholm, where he had gone to headline a two-day hip-hop festival.
Prosecutors said Rocky, Bladimir Emilio Corniel and David Tyrone Rispers “deliberately, together and in agreement” hit and kicked victim Mustafa Jafari, 19, and struck him with a bottle.
Jafari alleged he was attacked by Rocky and his pals when he followed them to ask about a pair of headphones broken in an earlier scuffle with the rapper’s bodyguard.
But Rocky claimed that he and his crew acted in selfdefense, testifying that Jafari followed him and appeared to be on drugs, making Rocky feel “really scared.”
The rapper and his crew got a few good legal breaks at Friday’s hearing, as the judge allowed Jafari’s prior assault conviction to be introduced and two women who witnessed the brawl said they did not see Rocky or the others use bottles as weapons, as was alleged.
Legal experts at the trial said Rocky’s release could point to a not-guilty verdict.
According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the rapper was on his way home, taking off in a private jet from a Stockholm airport around 9:30 p.m. local time.
President Trump, who has publicly demanded the Grammy-nominated artist’s release, cheered Friday’s announcement on Twitter.
“A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!” the president wrote.