A$AP Rocky wasn’t acting in self-defense, a Swedish judge has determined.
The guilty ruling follows nearly a month of incarceration for the rapper, who is now free and back in the U.S. But what does this judgment mean for the rapper?
First, the court ruled that A$AP Rocky does not have to server further jail time in Sweden. Part of the reason, according to the ruling, is that the assault wasn’t serious enough, and A$AP already served time while awaiting this decision.
Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers, both members of A$AP’s entourage, were also ruled guilty of assault. Both Corniel and Rispers are also free in the U.S.
“The assault has not been of such a serious nature that a prison sentence must be chosen,” the court offered in a statement to Digital Music News. “The defendants are therefore sentenced to conditional sentences.”
The altercation principally involved 19 year-old Mustafa Jafari, who was also held in a Swedish detention center pending the ruling. Jafari was apparently goaded and attacked after an exchange of words with the rapper and his crew. After getting summarily pummeled, Jafari followed the A$AP crew and demanded a new pair of headphones (which were apparently destroyed in the fighting).
Jafari alleged that he was unfairly attacked, and the court largely sided with him. The only problem, at least for Jafari, is that the penalty was ultimately minor. With prison time served, Jafari was awarded 12,500 Swedish krona ($1,300), though it’s unclear exactly how those costs will be assigned to the A$AP Rocky crew. At this point, it looks like all three will simply pay a third of the fine, as well as associated court fees and other legal costs.
“The victim is awarded damages for violation of his integrity and pain and suffering, but less than he requested,” the court said. “The defendants shall, each based on their financial ability, repay the state for its expenses for public legal counsels.”
Basically, A$AP Rocky and his crew simply need to pay the fine and forget this ever happened. As for future touring, the rapper had previously promised to boycott the country, though it’s likely that a Swedish festival will cut a big fat check to lure him back.
And let this be a lesson to all you kids out there: don’t beat people up on tour, especially in a foreign country!