Photo: The Breakfast Club
A$AP Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina is providing more context behind the prop gun at the center of the rapper's felony assault trial.
On Monday, February 24, the defense lawyer, now known as "A$AP Joe," stopped by The Breakfast Club to discuss the case. During the conversation, Charlamagne Tha God brought up an aspect of the defense that had everyone scratching their heads: the prop gun. The plaintiff Ephron Terell, formerly known as A$AP Relli, claimed Rocky fired a bullet that grazed his hand during an argument in 2021. Tacopina said Rocky couldn't have injured Relli because he was carrying a fake gun that shot blanks and two witnesses testified about it.
"He had just recently gotten slashed in the face in a bar," Tacopina explained. "He was jumped. He had a stalker, at that time in July of 2021, an active stalker who actually broke into his house. He had home invasions. He was licensed to possess guns in the home but not to carry. His security detail and his manager A$AP Lou, who's a great guy and a great witness, said 'If you're not going to use us full-time, you can't carry a gun but you should at least carry a prop. We can make it look like a real gun just to deter people in case someone is rolling up on you.' Rocky said 'Sure, fine.'"
Tacopina explained Rocky got the idea to carry the prop gun from his manager Lou Levin. They got the faux weapon from the video shoot for the 36-year-old rapper's 2022 hit "D.M.B." co-starring Rihanna. The small, fake Glock was customized to include an extended magazine and a belt clip to make it look "more intimidating." The story about Rocky's fake gun sparked a lot of conversations among fans and the jury itself. However, Tacopina said a tale about an alleged shooting that happened without any shell casings or other evidence found at the scene was even more far-fetched.
A$AP Rocky was acquitted of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. Although the trial ended, the A$AP Mob leader still faces a civil lawsuit from Relli over the incident. Tacopina believes the lawsuit is on life support as of now, but it shouldn't get in the way of the rapper's future endeavors including his new gig as Ray-Ban's creative director and his upcoming album. A$AP Joe said the album is dropping soon and the songs he heard so far are "fire."
Watch The Breakfast Club's interview with Joe Tacopina below.