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BBC News, Los Angeles
It was a trial that could have dismantled the future for one of the most popular hip-hop stars.
The assault trial of A $ Ap Rocky in Los Angeles captured world headlines, with outbursts during the procedures and surprise visits in court for his partner, singer Rihanna.
The jury members listened to three weeks of testimony that tells the bitter fall of the friends of childhood and the fight that led the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, accused of accusations that opened fire in the middle of a Hollywood street.
A jury of 12 members acquitted him, allowing the rapper to leave freely with singer Rihanna, who was sitting behind him while reading the verdict.
Here are five great things that we learned inside the courtroom.
Like him Non -guilty verdict He was read in court, the rapper immediately jumped from the defense table and jumped on a wooden barrier to hug Rihanna, who was sitting behind him between his mother and sister.
The couple hugged with force, both crying when the court room exploded in cheers.
Rihanna, a Grammy winning artist, was in court for several days during the trial, even on Valentine’s Day.
In one of the days in court, he brought the two young children of the couple, both dresses with suits with pacifiers in the mouth. You could hear them lulling inside the courtroom while turning the books for children.
Joe Tacopina, the rapper defense lawyer, said Mayers tried to protect Rihanna and his family from criminal procedures, but said that “wild horses could not keep her away” from trial.
Although he was often stoic and looked directly while he was in court, he never shuddered or showed emotion when prosecutors made negative comments about his partner.
After his acquittal, Rihanna expressed his gratitude on social networks, affirming: “Glory belongs to God and God alone! Grateful, humiliated by his mercy!”
The A $ AP MOB is a hip-hop collective founded in 2006 in Harlem by a group of high school friends in New York.
They adopted the title “A $ AP”, which means “always fight and prosper.”
The group, which has had more than 20 members over the years, has been presented as a family, but have been plagued with jealousy, rivalries and disagreements since the death of its founder, at $ AP YAMS.
Although there have been consequences and problems among some members, this trial is the most notable instance of a complete dismantling of a relationship between the members.
A $ AP Fill, whose legal name is Terell Ephron, Once he was a close friend and member of the mafia, he accused Mr. Mayers, known as $ Ap Rocky, to shoot him during an altercation in 2021.
During the trial, his defense team argued that Ephron housed resentment towards his former friend, feeling out of play when the fame of $ Ap Rocky grew and saw the conventional musical success. They argued that Mr. Ephron was after money.
Several members of the Mafia at $ AP testified during the trial in favor of Mr. Mayers.
A $ AP Twelvyy challenged Ephron’s story of the events and suggested that he was the aggressor during the altercation, not Mr. Mayers.
A $ Ap Lou also took the podium, and told the jury that a Gock 43 magazine found during a search for Mr. Mayers’ house belonged to him, not the rapper.
None of the members of A AP publicly testified for FILLI.
Do you know what Awge means? If you know, I think that both the jury and the jury would still love to know.
During the trial, Awge appeared when at $ Ap Twelvyy was on the pod. Prosecutors asked him about his meaning. But before I could answer, a $ Ap Rocky, who was sitting with his lawyers, cut and shouted: “Don’t say!”
Twelvvy fulfilled and replied: “I only know it’s Awge.”
It was a surprising moment. Criminal defendants do not usually say much during judgments, much less stop a witness to answer a question during their criminal trial.
When asked about this exchange after the trial, $ Ap Rocky lawyer Joe Tacopina explained what happened.
He said he was an “acronym for his company that had to do with his family. I’m going to leave him like this.” Tacopina continued explaining that it was something private that the rapper did not want to publicly reveal millions, especially in a case of the criminal court.
But the answer really led to more questions. What does it mean and why is it so reserved?
This is what we know: Awge is to name a mysterious creative collective and record stamp of $ Ap Rocky, and for a long time it has been subject to intrigue.
Founded in 2014, the group operates through music, fashion and art, collaborating with brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Pacsun. Members include artists, designers and directors, and all remain loyal to a rule: nobody publicly reveals what “Awge” represents.
On the company’s website there are two rules listed: ” #1 never reveal what Awge means. #2, when you have doubts, always consult the #1 rule.”
However, $ Ap Rocky fans have some conjectures:
Despite the conjectures, the rapper and his team have never officially confirmed any meaning.
Instead, they have leaning to secret, with members who often answered questions about Awge with the phrase: “If you know, you know.”
A $ Ap Rocky test was developed at a crucial moment in his career, with the rapper riding a wave of creative and commercial success.
The rapper will launch his first solo album in almost a decade and is scheduled for the co-winding of the Los Angeles Rolling Loud Festival in March 2025.
In addition, it star in a summer box office with Denzel Washington. The next film by Spike Lee “Highest 2 lower” is scheduled for a summer launch.
But its influence extends beyond music: its AWGE collective has been collaborating with brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Puma. It has also been celebrated for its sense of fashion, and is known as one of the best music dresses.
In May, he is ready to co -deputy the Met 2025 gala, one of the greatest fashion nights, along with great names such as Anna Wintour, the British car pilot Lewis Hamilton, singer Pharrell Williams and the basketball superstar LeBron James.
His relationship with Rihanna, one of the most famous singers, has further consolidated her cultural relevance.
The couple welcomed their second child, Riot Rose, in August 2023, and their growing family had become a symbol of hip-hop royalty.
The trial was not just a battlefield for the freedom of the rapper, he also saw intense clashes between legal teams.
The defense lawyer of the celebrities, Joe Tacopina, known for his aggressive style of the Court, relentlessly challenged the credibility of the key witness of the Prosecutor’s Office, at $ AP Filli, whose legal name is Terell Ephron.
He painted Mr. Ephron as an opportunist who seeks financial gain and described the case of the Fewish Prosecutor’s Office due to the lack of physical evidence. Mr. Ephron tired of the rapper’s lawyer during the interrogation that called Mr. Tacopina “annoying.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors retreated, accusing Mr. Tacopina to try to intimidate witnesses and dismiss the key testimonies.
Both parties were very liberal with their use of objections in court, sometimes it seemed that both parties tried to throw the other of their game, instead of based on legal guidelines.
He also put personnel between both sides.
In a moment during the final arguments, Mr. Tacopina and prosecutor John Lewin exchanged accusations of misconduct, and Lewin accused Mr. Tacopina to use steroids and tacopine shooting by calling Lewin a “hump.”
After a short break, the judge tried to lighten the mood by presenting lawyers as boxers before resuming the trial.