A$AP Relli claims that A$AP Rocky threatened his life with a gun, and he was willing to die for his “respect.” With the trial underway, Relli, né Terell Ephron, took the stand on Tuesday (Jan. 28) to recount how the 2021 incident transpired. Days before the shooting, Terell claims that Rocky called A$AP Bari, and the two negatively spoke about him on the phone.
The New York City native alleged that, while he was asleep, Rocky sent him text messages asserting, “Let’s get to it…stop ducking my calls,” which he perceived as a threat on his life. Relli and Rocky then exchanged messages with the latter, asking him where he was staying at, implying that Rock would pull up on him. Shortly after the conversation, Relli claims the rapper, né Rakim Athelaston Mayers, showed up at his Hollywood hotel “with two goons.” An argument between Mayers and Ephron was underway before Rocky allegedly pulled a firearm on his former associate.
Ephron explained to the jury that he feared for his life as Rocky pulled the gun from his pants leading to Relli yelling, “You better use that sh*t, what the f**k you got a gun for?” The former A$AP Mob member claimed that he was “willing to die for my respect. If this is what you want to do, I still have my dignity.”
A$AP Rocky listens to opening remarks in his trial at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on January 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. A$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.
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At this point, Relli recalls Rocky pulling the trigger, causing a bullet to “graze his knuckles.” When asked about the “prop gun” that Rocky and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, claimed he had, the former A$AP member claimed that he had never seen Rocky with a fake or real firearm before the altercation.
Tacopina and his client Mayers have maintained that Relli’s recollection of the event is untrue and that Rocky is looking forward to taking the stand.
“That being said, [A$AP Rocky’s] eager to tell his story and would love the opportunity to do so…He’s very articulate and intelligent, he’s a good human being and that will come out if he testifies,” he said. “But that decision isn’t going to be made yet. And it depends on how the case goes.”
A$AP Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted on one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Defense attorney Joe Tacopina listens to opening remarks during the A$AP Rocky trial at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on January 24, 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.
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