A$AP Relli Explains Why He's Dropping His Assault Case Against A$AP Rocky

BY Cole Blake 1073 Views
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A$AP Rocky Appears In Court For Felony Assault Charges
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 29: A$AP Relli testifies during the A$AP Rocky trial for felony assault charges at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on January 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. A$AP Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm along with allegations that he fired a gun during a confrontation with Terell Ephron (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Despite the move, A$AP Relli is still moving forward with his defamation against A$AP Rocky and his lawyer, Joe Tacopina.

A$AP Relli is abandoning his hopes for a second trial to litigate his case against A$AP Rocky, according to a new report from Billboard. His attorney, Aaron Morris, told the outlet that he is instead “focusing on rebuilding his life.”

The drama stems from Relli's accusation that Rocky allegedly shot him during an altercation in 2021. A jury acquitted Rocky in an initial assault trial, back in February, but until Tuesday's update, Relli was still planning to proceed with his own civil lawsuit. In civil court, the burden of proof would have been much lower than in criminal proceedings.

“At this point, he’s ready to simply move on from the shooting,” Morris said. “The ordeal has been a nightmare for him, and the statements calling him a ‘liar’ and worse effectively eliminated his chances of a career in the industry.”

Despite dropping his assault case, Relli is still pursuing a separate defamation lawsuit that names both Rocky and his lawyer for the assault trial, Joe Tacopina. In filing that case, Relli complained that the two accused him of “extortion” and labeled his case a “get-rich-quick-scheme.”

“He’s going to litigate the defamation action because of the damages it caused, but as to the shooting, he’s thankful he wasn’t hurt worse and is focusing on rebuilding his life,” Morris added.

A$AP Rocky "Don't Be Dumb"

In other news, A$AP Rocky is still working on his long-awaited fourth studio album, Don't Be Dumb. He has already released several singles for the project, including "Highjack" featuring Jessica Pratt, "Tailor Swif," "Ruby Rosary" featuring J. Cole, and "Pray4DaGang" featuring KayCyy. He originally planned to release the album in August 2024, but delayed it indefinitely at the last minute.

Over a year later, Rocky still hasn't narrowed down a concrete release date. He recently concerned fans by joking that it's "never dropping" in a video on social media. In September, he and Rihanna welcomed their third child together.

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.

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