Rihanna Makes Rare Court Appearance to Support A$AP Rocky amid Gun Trial

Rihanna is showing support for her partner, A$AP Rocky, amid his trial in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the singer-songwriter was present for the rapper’s ongoing trial, in which he’s accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun at his former friend A$AP Relli during an altercation in November 2021.

Dressed in all black, Rihanna, 36, sat in the gallery at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, between Rocky’s mother Renee Black and his sister Erika B. Mayers.

This is the first time that Rihanna has expressed public support for Rocky (whose real name is Rakim Mayers) since the legal case began.

Her court appearances comes just hours after she and Rocky, also 36, stepped out for a date night in Los Angeles.

On Jan. 21, Rocky turned down a plea deal from prosecutors and opted for a jury trial instead of pleading guilty to one of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He faces up to 24 years in prison if found guilty.

The plea deal included serving 180 days in jail and receiving a seven-year suspended sentence with three years on probation.

During opening statements, Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina claimed that the rapper, 36, was carrying a “prop gun” for the purpose of scaring off potential threats. Tacopina also claimed that Rocky is licensed to carry a firearm in California.

“For Relli, it was never about justice… it’s about a man seeking a profit from a fabricated narrative,” Tacopina said. “Rocky has nothing to hide here.”

Meanwhile, the prosecution team began opening statements by recounting the events leading up to the altercation. He also claimed that Relli showed up the night of the altercation thinking they would just “argue” and this would “repair their relationship.”

“This is not a complicated case,” Deputy District Attorney Paul B. Przelomiec said in his opening statement. “The defense will turn in an alternative explanation to what happened that night… we ask that you do not leave your common sense at the door.”

Relli filed a civil lawsuit for assault, battery and emotional distress against Rocky on Aug. 10, 2022. The “Praise the Lord” rapper has denied all claims.

Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, 2022 and was released on bail the same day, per the Los Angeles Times. At the time, he was returning from Barbados, where he was vacationing with Rihanna. This was only a few weeks before the birth of their first son RZA. Rocky paid a $550,000 bond for release, per the outlet.

Following his arraignment in January, Tacopina told reporters that was “cool as a cucumber” ahead of trial and eager to get the trial “over with so he can start enjoying his family.” 

Rocky and Rihanna have been together since 2020 and share two sons, RZA, 2, and Riot Rose, 17 months. They were last seen stepping out for a date night at Carbone during Art Basel weekend in Miami in December.

In am August Billboard cover story, Rocky opened up about his love of Rihanna.

“I don’t think there’s a more perfect person because when the schedules are hectic, she’s very understanding of that,” he said.

Rocky added that they spend the “most time together” when their schedules are “freed up,” explaining, “It’s all understanding and compatibility.”