Rap megastar A$AP Rocky will be released from custody in Sweden pending a verdict. US President Donald Trump had previously attempted to use his leverage to free the troubled rapper.
Trump welcomed the news of the rapper's release on Friday, saying he had “a Rocky Week,” and needed to “get home ASAP.”
Rocky, real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers, was arrested on suspicion of assault following a street fight in Stockholm last month. Video footage of the incident shows the alleged victim following Mayers’ entourage and goading his bodyguard, before the “beatdown.”
The Swedish judge has not yet ruled on the case, and will pass judgement in two weeks. In the meantime, Mayers is free to return to his family and friends. In an in Instagram post on Friday, Mayers thanked his fans and friends "for all of the love and support."
Mayers’ arrest led to him canceling a number of international tour dates and garnered significant media attention. It piqued the interest of President Trump, who reached out to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in a bid to spring the rapper from jail.
Despite Trump’s insistence that he would “personally vouch” for Mayers, Löfven explained that the Swedish government “cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings.”
The reaction angered Trump, who said last week that “We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around,” adding “Sweden should focus on its real crime problem” for good measure.
Also on rt.com Trump ‘very disappointed’ Sweden won’t embrace American exceptionalism & release US rapperThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!