Before he found himself in legal trouble in Sweden, A$AP Rocky spoke like your typical goofy Negro who assumed he was impervious to the realities of widespread racism and global systemic oppression simply based on the novelties that he was rich and famous.
In 2015, A$AP Rocky did an interview with Time Out where he was asked about whether or not he would speak to some of the current problems — namely Black men, women, and children dying at the hands of law enforcement and other racists — and offered a response that more or less declared himself to be above it all.
“I’m A$AP Rocky,” he explained. “I did not sign up to be no political activist. I wanna talk about my motherfuckin’ lean, my best friend dying, girls, my jiggy fashion and my inspirations in drugs. I live in fucking Soho and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate. I go back to Harlem, it’s not the same. It’s a sad story. I gotta tell you the truth. I’m in the studio, I’m in fashion houses, I’m in these bitches’ drawers. I’m not doing anything outside of that. That’s my life. These people need to leave me the fuck alone.”
Rocky made even more polarizing comments at The Oxford Union that same year. When asked for his opinion of the anti-police brutality protests, Rocky declared: “I have been recording an album in London for a year, so I really wasn’t there [protesting] so I can’t speak about it.”
“Why are we exploiting the beef between the urban community and the police force when 60 people got shot on a Friday and Saturday [on July holiday weekend in 2014] in Chicago in Black-on-Black crime?” he added, making matters worse. “So one cop shoots a Black person… That kind of shit is inevitable. Not to glorify it, but that’s nothing new. Let’s talk about the Black-on-Black crime. If you’re not gonna talk about the main topic, then don’t talk about it all.”
This doesn’t include the disparaging remarks A$AP Rocky made about dark-skinned Black women two years prior to these unfortunate statements.
However, these days, mum’s the word now that his legal troubles related to a fight he had in Stockholm on June 30 are officially over. Swedish prosecutors have recently announced that they will not appeal the conditional sentence for assault handed to A$AP Rocky earlier this month. Daniel Suneson, the prosecutor in the case, said via a statement on Tuesday: “I have accepted the District Court’s evaluation of the evidence, in as much as the use of whole or broken bottles during the assault has not been proven. After due consideration, I have chosen not to appeal the verdict.”
For Rocky, this means he will avoid a harsher sentence. For the people of Sweden, they can be rest assured that President Trump will stop tweeting them about the matter. In July, President Donald Trump personally tried to intervene on A$AP Rocky’s behalf with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, apparently at the urging of Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. Sweden was unmoved by Real Estate Hitler’s pleas, which only made the tyrant tweet more fury.
“Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for being unable to act. Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States,” Trump tweeted. “I watched the tapes of A$AP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly! #FreeRocky.”
He added: “We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around.” What, I don’t know, but spoiler: neither does he. In any event, he argued, Sweden should focus on its real crime problem!”
And then there were his comments to the press in which he claimed First Lady Melania Trump also informed him about Rocky’s plight. Yes, I’m rolling my eyes, too.
When Rocky was released, Trump tweeted out his excitement and terrible attempt at being witty.
Since then, you haven’t heard anything from Trump as it relates to A$AP Rocky but it appears it’s not for lack of trying.
According to Hunter Walker, the White House Correspondent for Yahoo News, the Harlem-bred rapper has ghosted Sweet Potato Saddam. Speaking with two of Trump’s Black conservative “friends,” Darrell Scott and Kareem Lanier, they claim that Rocky’s manager, John Ehmann, was adamant that his client needed Trump’s intervention. “He said if the White House does not get involved, Rocky is screwed,” Lanier recounted. So they offered their assistance on the condition that Rocky thanks Trump.
Yet, the two say they believe Damien Granderson, an attorney working for Rocky, was too “nonchalant” about Trump getting involved. Lanier claims Rocky “snapped” at Granderson and cursed him smooth out. Lanier now feels the whole lot of them are “ungrateful motherfu**kers” because they have not thanked him publicly or privately.
It doesn’t sound like Rocky himself asked for the help of a white supremacist; that was his manager, Kim Kardashian West, and her husband, Hip Hop David Koresh. And when Trump did insert himself into the issue, it didn’t improve matters. So, why would he thank him? Publicly, no less. I wouldn’t even send Trump the emoji chunking the deuce (or I guess that’s a peace sign, but I like my phrasing better) via iMessage.
It’s too soon to tell if Rocky has learned anything from this like say, realizing that in the end, he is Blackity Black Black and prone to the same wrongful persecution that any Negro walking Beyoncé’s Earth might face. He could be just as simple as he was in year’s past. However, if it’s true he started ignoring any Trump-affiliated person’s texts and has refused any offer to publicly or privately say “Thank you, Mr. Trump” to that dimwitted white supremacist, if nothing else, I’m glad he’s smart enough to not do anything that idiotic.
If Rocky allowed himself to be a pawn of President Trump, it would alienate him from Black folks more severely than any of his other astoundingly asinine commentary he’s offered on race in the past. To that end, I’m glad Rocky is out of jail and I’m glad he’s not further embarrassing himself — for the time being anyway. He may not deserve a round of applause for ignoring Trump, but I’ll give him a respectful clap (think church soloist who didn’t quite hit the notes, but you’re in God’s house so you best play nice) for not letting himself be played.