ASAP Rocky’s first trip to Sweden this year made headlines for all the wrong reasons as the Harlem rapper got into a street brawl, went viral for said brawl, got arrested for assault, and spent most of the month of July in jail awaiting trial. Well, he’s back in Sweden this week and although he’s made relatively few statements about his time there over the summer, he used his show last night to make as big a statement as any, performing inside and atop a cage packed with people suspended over the stage.
Rocky was found guilty of assault in August and given a suspended two-year sentence — meaning he wouldn’t actually face prison time unless he got into trouble again. It’s a good thing Sweden doesn’t have any laws against free speech. During Rocky’s incarceration there over the summer, his plight became a cause célèbre, prompting responses from all over the music world. Rocky’s peers G-Eazy, Travis Scott, Tyler The Creator, and others spoke out in his defense, while Kanye West and Kim Kardashian reportedly got Donald Trump involved. Rocky’s name later came up during Trump’s impeachment hearing, while it seemed Trump himself was upset he never received a “thank you” for his efforts — however ineffectual they may have been.
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Rocky seems to have taken the whole ordeal in stride. In November, he said he’d designed new uniforms for the prisoners where he was held and said he wished he could perform there ahead of his latest trip. This performance was probably the next best thing. Check out video above.
