Rihanna‘s reasoning for attending boyfriend A$AP Rocky‘s trial his felony gun assault trial – amid resistance from both her beau and prosecutors in the case – has been revealed exclusively to Dailymail.com.
A$AP Rocky, 36, wanted to shield the Umbrella singer, 37, from the stress of the tense legal proceedings, the rapper’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said Tuesday.
The attorney opened up about the case outside of the courthouse in Los Angeles after securing an acquittal for the rapper on pair of counts of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Tacopina told reporters outside of the courthouse after the conclusion of the criminal trial that the F*****’ Problems artist ‘didn’t want’ Rihanna on hand for the trial, as he ‘was very protective of her.’
Tacopina said: ‘He didn’t want her there … I was sort of supporting his decision to keep her away – the trial is not about Rihanna.’
But Rihanna was insistent on being present and showing her support for her partner during the critical time, Tacopina said.
Rihanna ‘was a rock’ for her partner A$AP Rocky amid his felony gun assault trial, his attorney told Dailymail.com exclusively Thursday. Pictured attending the trial in LA last month
A$AP Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina (R) told Dailymail.com that Rihanna, 37, showed herself to be ‘a very special person’ throughout the arduous legal process. Pictured Tuesday in LA
‘She called me one day and she said, “You know, Joe, wild horses aren’t gonna keep me away,”‘ Tacopina said the Barbados-born beauty told him, paraphrasing the 1971 Rolling Stones classic .
Tacopina expounded to Dailymail.com exclusively Thursday on the incredible backing Rihanna provided for A$AP Rocky, the father of her two children.
Rihanna brought with her a ‘sense of calm that was obvious’ when she attended the legal proceedings in Los Angeles, Tacopina said, adding that ‘as far as support, she was a rock for Rocky.’
Rihanna ‘obviously is enormously devoted and protective of her beautiful family, which included Rocky,’ Tacopina said.
The nine-time Grammy winner let out an audible sigh of relief after the verdicts were read, as A$AP Rocky faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted.
‘After the verdict, her emotions came to the forefront, crying, hugging Rocky, hugging me, hugging Rocky’s family,’ Tacopina said. ‘With me, she could not have been more appreciative of the work we were doing and was always gracious.’
Los Angeles prosecutors directed the jury to ignore Rihanna’s presence amid the trial, as there were concerns during jury selection if the superstar singer’s presence could lean jurors toward a not guilty verdict.
Deputy District Attorney John Lewin told jurors in closing arguments that he believed that the SOS songstress brought their children to the legal proceedings, on occasion, to influence jurors.
The Take A Bow songstress hugged the rapper after the verdict was announced Tuesday
A$AP Rocky and his attorney Tacopina embraced after the verdicts were read Tuesday
‘You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids,’ Lewin told jurors. ‘We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.’
Rihanna remains down to earth amid her massive success in entertainment and fashion, Tacopina told Dailymail.com Thursday, as she ‘treats everyone with respect and makes everyone feel good and important’ around her.’
Tacopina, who has past represented high-profile clients such as President Donald J. Trump, baseball slugger Alex Rodriguez and the late Michael Jackson, said that among the stars, Rihanna shines bright like a diamond.
‘I have gotten to know Rihanna over the last three years and I have to tell you she is one of the nicest, most genuine, most real, superstars ever,’ Tacopina told Dailymail.com.
Rihanna showed herself to be ‘a very special person’ throughout the arduous legal process, Tacopina said.
Rihanna had past channeled the words of another musical staple to show her devotion to partner A$AP Rocky, who wanted to shield her from the stress of the trial, Tacopina told reporters outside of the courthouse Tuesday.
‘He didn’t want her there, he didn’t want her there,’ Tacopina said. ‘He was very protective of her. I was sort of supporting his decision to keep her away – the trial is not about Rihanna.
‘But you know, she called me one day and she said, “You know, Joe, wild horses aren’t gonna keep me away,’ paraphrasing the 1971 Rolling Stones classic.
Rihanna, pictured in LA in 2015, quoted the Rolling Stones in telling her beau’s lawyer that wild horses couldn’t keep her away from the trial
Rihanna, who shares two children with A$AP Rocky – 2-year-old RZA and 1-year-old Riot Rose – ‘obviously is enormously devoted and protective of her beautiful family,’ Tacopina said
Rihanna was insistent on being present and showing her support for her partner during the critical time, Tacopina said.
Tacopina said Rihanna told him to let A$AP Rocky she was ‘coming and [to] deal with it,’ adding, ‘I’m like, “OK.”‘
Tacopina chat with the media in Los Angeles outside of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, where both Rihanna and A$AP Rocky celebrated after the not guilty verdicts were announced.
On Tuesday, the jury reached a unanimous decision on A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, after deliberating for about three hours following the conclusion of closing arguments in the case last week.
The Harlem, New York-born entertainer, before going into the trial, had declined an offer from prosecutors of a six-month jail sentence and probation.
Under that offer, A$AP Rocky would have had to plead guilty to one count in the case, the AP reported.
Prosecutors in the case said that the entertainer shot twice at his former pal A$AP Relli, who had been associated with A$AP Rocky dating back to high school as part of the musical ensemble A$AP Mob. A$AP Relli testified in the case that he was unharmed in the shooting, aside from a bullet grazing his knuckle.
A$AP Relli – who had been associated with A$AP Rocky dating back to high school as part of the musical ensemble A$AP Mob – testified in the case that he was unharmed in the shooting, aside from a bullet grazing his knuckle. Pictured January 29 testifying in the case
A$AP Rocky’s legal team said that the shots the rapper fired were actually blanks from a prop gun he obtained from the set of a music video he was working on, the AP reported.
The jury was instructed by the court that under the law, A$AP Rocky could not be found guilty, if they found him to be defending himself in the incident.
The Barbados-born superstar songstress and fashion mogul had drawn attention during her outings to the court to support her boyfriend, who she shares two children with: RZA, two, and Riot Rose, one.
In multiple outings, Rihanna was seated between A$AP Rocky’s mother Renee Black and sister Erika B. Mayers.
The Diamonds artist had brought their young children to the court for closing arguments in the felony case.
The fashion mogul, who founded the company Fenty Beauty, was mentioned multiple times as attorneys conducted jury selection, amid speculation how her larger-than-life presence could sway jurors.
Following the verdict, jurors were led out of the courtroom and didn’t talk to the media as they departed, the AP reported. Tacopina in a post-verdict statement said jurors ‘saw through this mirage of a case’ in their swift verdict.
The attorney noted that the rapper ‘turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.’
A$AP Rocky was seen praying prior to being cleared in the felony case Tuesday
Tacopina and Rocky pictured during closing arguments last week in the trial
Tacopina has past represented high-profile clients such as President Donald J. Trump, baseball slugger Alex Rodriguez and the late Michael Jackson
A$AP Rocky on Tuesday had been more than a half-hour late in arriving for the verdict reading – and ‘looked shaken and tense as he waited for it,’ the AP reported.
Tacopina said that ‘there was a moment when before we heard the words from the clerk, he didn´t know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail or going home.’
Tacopina said A$AP Rocky’s physical reaction to the verdict – leaping in celebration after hearing he was legally cleared – was ‘insane’ in a wonderful way.
‘I didn´t know how athletic he was,’ Tacopina said. ‘That was raw emotion, you guys got to see that. Even for us it was insane.’
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman’s office released a statement on Instagram after A$AP Rocky was cleared in the case.
‘While today’s verdict is not the outcome we sought, we respect the jury’s decision and the integrity of our justice system,’ Hochman said. ‘Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence.
Hochman said that Hollywood celebrities should not expect special treatment if they break the law.
‘Fame does not place anyone above the law, and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community,’ Hochman said. ‘Our mission remains clear: to uphold the law, protect public safety, and ensure justice for all.’
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman’s office released a statement on Instagram after A$AP Rocky was cleared in the case
A$AP Rocky, whose recent singles include Highjack, Tailor Swif and Ruby Rosary, has a busy slate professionally following the conclusion of the case.
Next month, he will be at the Rolling Loud music festival in Los Angeles, as he’s one of the principle headliners along with Playboi Carti and Peso Pluma.
This May, he’s slated to be a celebrity co-chair at the Met Gala, where Rihanna has made for multiple memorable moments in the past.
He also appears this summer in the upcoming Spike Lee motion picture Highest 2 Lowest, along with an impressive cast headlined by Denzel Washington and featuring Jeffrey Wright, Dean Winters and Ice Spice.
