Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. Photo:
The Hollywood JR/BACKGRID
Rihanna is thankful A$AP Rocky has been acquitted in his felony assault trial.
In a post shared online just moments after a jury reached their verdict on Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Grammy-winning singer, 36, expressed her extreme gratitude.
“The Glory belongs to God and God alone,” the “Diamonds” singer wrote on her Instagram Stories in all caps, adding, “THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!”
Rihanna’s reaction to A$AP Rocky’s not guilty verdict. rihanna/Instagram
Rocky, also 36, (real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers) was accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun at A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli during an altercation that happened in November 2021.
If found guilty, he could have faced up to 24 years in prison.
The couple, who have known each other for many years but confirmed their relationship in November 2020, are parents to two toddlers — sons, RZA, 2½, and Riot, 18 months.
After the verdict was announced at Los Angeles’ Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Tuesday, the “Praise the Lord” rapper also shared his gratitude.
“Thank y’all for saving my life. Thank y’all for making the right decision,” Rocky told the jury before hugging his family members and Rihanna.
He also gave a speech after his verdict during a post-conference.
“I gotta thank God first,” he began. “And I really want to thank the jury for making the right decision, you know? And I’m just so thankful. This is crazy right now. This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years, but I’m thankful, nonetheless. I’m thankful and blessed to be here as a free man talking to you all.”
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, October 2022. Jesse Grant/Getty
Additionally, once he left the court room he posted a simple message to his X account, seemingly warning others to learn from his mistakes. “DON’T BE DUMB,” he tweeted.
Rihanna was previously present for his court dates during the civil trial, bringing the couple’s two children — which did not sit well with prosecutors.
“I want to make sure that no matter how famous his [partner] is, no matter how cute his kids are, no matter how much they giggle during closing arguments … he needs to be treated like any other person. Because in the end that’s what he’s entitled to,” District Attorney John Lewin said in court on Friday, Feb. 14.
Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, on February 18, 2025. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty
After a break, the pop star returned to the courtroom, where a judge addressed Lewin’s previous comments.
“From here on out, there should be no mention of Rihanna being in the courtroom or the babies being in the courtroom,” he said.
Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina previously denied claims against his client, saying the weapon at the center of the civil trial was a “prop gun.”
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“For Relli, it was never about justice … it’s about a man seeking a profit from a fabricated narrative,” Tacopina continued. “Rocky has nothing to hide here.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s outcome, the “Fashion Killa” rapper turned down a plea deal from prosecutors and opted for a jury trial instead of pleading guilty to one of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Additional reporting by Daniela Avila.
