1) Fans weren’t sure if he would make it to his own headline performance
Rolling Loud, the annual hip hop festival, announced its 2025 lineup on Jan. 7. Fans were informed of major names including YG, Sexyy Red, Larry June and headliner A$AP Rocky.
However, at the time his trial was still up in the air, with it uncertain if he would be able to perform due to his A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers, faced two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm based on an incident on November 6, 2021. This meant he could face decades in prison and might not be allowed to attend public gatherings. When he was announced as a headliner at Rolling Loud, fans were quick to question his abilities to perform during an active criminal trial.
Mayers opted not to testify in his own defense, with his lawyer Joe Tacopina arguing that witnesses stated Mayers merely fired blanks from a prop gun from a music video set after Relli made threatening remarks at Mayers and other members of the crew. Ahead of the trial, Mayers turned down a recommended plea deal for 180 days in court, maintaining innocence on all charges.
2) The festival will be his first performance since his not guilty verdict.
Mayer’s three week trial ended Tuesday, Feb. 18 with a not guilty court ruling, allowing the Harlem rapper to avoid over 24 years in prison for a 2021 gun charge.
The verdict came from five witness testimonies over the course of eight days, including police officers and former collaborators.
A$AP Relli, former friend and collaborator, accused Mayers of assault with a deadly weapon after a confrontation turned violent in Hollywood. A$AP Relli, real name , alleged that Mayers fired at Relli and that one his knuckles was grazed. There was also surveillance cam footage of the event that included audio of shots being fired, however a lack of evidence, which ultimately led to Mayers’s acquittal.
After a series of stylish court appearances, the -year-old rapper was given a verdict on his felony gun charges by a jury of seven women and five men. The jury argued there was a lack of evidence to support Mayers’ shooting at Relli. Relli is also suing Mayers for $25,00.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” Mayers told jurors in the Los Angeles Courtroom after his verdict.
3) His role as a rapper and fashion icon
The rapper is known for connection with A$AP Mob, a Harlem-based collective of creators that gained popularity in the 2010’s “Swag” era with hits like . Many of the members met in high school, including plaintiff A$AP Relli. Other notable names include A$AP Ferg and the late A$AP Yams.
Mayers has also become a majorly influential force in both the recording and fashion industry. Known for his bold, charismatic personality and carefully-curated personal style, A$AP Rocky (sometimes known unanimously as A$AP or Rocky) has become equally known for both his looks and his music.
His hit songs such as “Praise da Lord (Da Shine)” are known for their dynamic sound combining his own “pretty boy Flacko” swag with classic New York sound. A$AP Mob emerged from New York’s underground scene to hugely influence the lo-fi psychedelic, trap sound of the early 2010’s.
Mayers is also known for blending high fashion and business with streetwear to create a completely unique image that has established himself as one of the most fashionable men in hip hop, pushing boundaries of style to grow and expand with him.
He’s modeled and designed with brands like Gucci and Supreme, as well as appeared at the Met Gala multiple times. He was recently announced as one of the co-chairs of the 2025 Met Gala, along with Anna Wintour and other notable names in celebrity fashion including Colman Domingo and Pharell Williams.
Just a few days after the announcement of the verdict, Mayers was announced as the new Creative Designer of Ray Ban, the luxury sunglasses brand. This is his first time stepping into this role for a major brand, as well as Ray Ban’s first time introducing the position into their company.
Through his years performing as A$AP Rocky, Mayers has created a persona of effortless cool, the type of person who could pull none other than Barbadian singer, businesswoman and fashion icon in her own rite, Rihanna.
4) Relationship with Rihanna
Mayers famously “propose” to Rihanna in the 2023 “D.M.B.” music video, where she co stars as his high fashion bride. In a memorable scene, Mayers can be seen wearing grills that spell out “MARRY ME”, with Rihanna then being scene with response grills that say “I DO”.
Robyn Fenty, known as Rihanna, has been a hitmaker for over decades since her 2005 debut. After years of dominating the industry with her R&B and dancehall infused pop hits, she became a billionaire with her Fenty Beauty makeup line. After several other high profile celebrity relationships including Drake, (who A$AP Rocky can be heard supposedly taking shots at on one of his recent singles “Highjack”) her and Mayers officially confirmed their relationship around 2020.
The artists have two children together: RZA and Riot, born 2022 and 2023. Along with their role as many fans’ celebrity couple OTP, both artists have joint their creative and musical empires together to become a major force. Rihanna could be seen crying and embracing Rocky in the court room after his verdict.
Their marriage came after a decade of friendship and on-and-off dating, which can be seen in the 2014 Fashion Killa music video starring and featuring vocals from Rihanna. With their music, fashion, and business success in the past few years, they have cemented their role as one of mainstream music’s most successful power couples.
5) We might hear songs off of his upcoming album.
A$AP Rocky has announced his fourth album, Don’t be Dumb to come out early 2025. He has released three singles “Highjack” featuring Jessica Pratt “Tailor Swiff” and “Ruby Rosary” featuring J Cole The music video for “Tailor Swif” was nominated at this year’s Grammy’s for Best music video directing
While there is no set release date, fans have been quick to speculate that he might drop or at least tease songs while performing at Rolling Loud.
With confirmed producers including Madlib, Mike Dean, The Alchemist, and Pharell Williams there is plenty of hype for what the sound will be. Like his partner, Rocky has infamously left fans hungry for new sounds.
After an eventful year A$AP Rocky fans are clamoring to see what he’ll do next, with tomorrow’s Rolling Loud Performance marking just the beginning of what we can expect in 2025.
