There is ongoing strife in the Harlem-bred A$AP Mob collective. According to TMZ, a defamation lawsuit has been filed against hip-hop recording artist A$AP Rocky and his attorney, Joe Tacopina.
The suit was brought by A$AP Relli (real name Terell Ephron), a former friend of the rapper, who was a part of the A$AP Mob collective. It’s based on comments and statements Relli said Tacopina told media outlets about a 2021 incident when Rocky was accused of shooting Relli.
Relli alleges that Tacopina called him a liar, a money grabber, and an extortionist at the direction of Rocky. In the legal paperwork, he stated that Tacopina told TMZ and other outlets that “Rocky didn’t commit a crime. It was an extortion attempt by a former associate, who threatened to make false, criminal accusations if Rocky didn’t pay him.”
Last summer, Rocky was charged with two felonies for an incident involving Relli that took place two years ago in Hollywood. The 33-year-old father of two, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, allegedly pulled out a gun on his former friend.
Prosecutors claimed on Nov. 6, 2021, Rocky pointed his weapon at Relli, and during the confrontation, Rocky allegedly fired his gun twice in the direction of Relli. He reportedly suffered minor injuries.
Rocky’s charges were two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm with allegations of personally using a firearm.