What A$AP Rocky's Life In Prison Was Really Like

A$AP Rocky shot to fame in 2007 as part of the A$AP mob. According to Songkick, the crew shared two things: they were all called A$AP [insert secondary name] and were all fanatical about hip-hop music and culture. Rocky's gold Grillz, French braids, and cool couture set him apart from the others, though, and it didn't take long for him to become the king of the crew.

His debut mixtape received rave reviews. Pitchfork raved "LIVELOVEA$AP" was "sweat-free cool and stellar," and "a triumph of immaculate taste." The only way was up, and by 2011, Rocky (whose real name is Rakim Mayers), was signed to Sony/RCA for a cool $3 million. Not bad for a boy from Harlem who'd previously been locked up in Rikers Island on attempted murder charges as a teen, according to NewsOne. Once the truth of Rocky's deal hit the streets, he came under fire from all sides. But haters gonna hate, and the rapper was flying high — until he wasn't.

BBC reports that Rocky was arrested in July 2019 after he and two men from his group of friends, Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers, got into it with two men outside of a burger bar in Stockholm. The three were quickly arrested on charges of aggravated assault and thrown in the slammer. They were held at Kronoberg remand prison for two weeks, kicking their heels while they awaited trial. So, what was A$AP Rocky's life in prison like?

A$AP Rocky has been to one of the toughest correctional facilities in the U.S., so you'd think Swedish prison would be a cakewalk, but that's apparently not the case. Sources told TMZ the facility was "inhumane," and that a U.S. consulate official claimed it was like "walking into a toilet." According to TMZ, there were "feces hurled about and not cleaned up," unsanitary drinking water, "wretched" chow, and the prison wasn't "fit for human beings." All in all, it was "filthy and disease-ridden."

The musician talked about doing time in an interview with "Desus & Mero." Rocky confessed that being incarcerated overseas was more frightening than in the United States because "they rules is different. There's no bail system, none of that stuff. That s*** was trash." However, despite all that, he did see some positives. "The IKEA furniture was nice in there, that was amazing," he quipped, adding that the meatballs were okay too. A$AP Rocky shared that he was forced to sleep on a cot but admitted the overall conditions "were clean in comparison to Rikers," (which, in fairness, isn't setting the bar too high).

He said there were "mad people" locked up with him, and he couldn't read any of the documentation given to him because it was in Swedish. Luckily, Rocky was only held for two weeks before heading to court. NME reports he was found guilty of assault, given a suspended sentence, and ordered to pay restitution.

Following his stint in a Swedish prison, A$AP Rocky should have learned his lesson, especially since welcoming a child with Rihanna. Rocky told Dazed he couldn't wait to be a hands-on dad to their little boy. However, shortly before the baby's arrival in May, A$AP Rocky was arrested again — for a really disturbing reason.

According to The Cut, the musician was accused of shooting at an ex-acquaintance "three to four times" in November 2021. In April, he was arrested by cops as he returned home from Barbados with Rihanna. Per TMZ, Rocky was dragged off in handcuffs to be questioned by the LAPD. He was released within three hours after paying $550,000 bail and subsequently charged with assault on August 17. Following his court appearance, the LAPD announced in a news release that the rapper and his former acquaintance had been embroiled in an argument, which "escalated and resulted in the suspect firing a handgun."

However, Rocky's legal situation got even more serious after People revealed that he'd been charged with two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm just two days before his August court appearance. George Gascón, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, told the outlet that Rocky could be in some really hot water as "discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences."