Why A$AP Rocky will forever be indebted to Kanye West
A$AP Rocky hasn’t released a lot of music since becoming a father in 2022. Before then, however, he was very active and collaborated with Kanye West on a number of occasions, including on the 2015 hit ‘Jukebox Joints’.
Although the Yeezy founder is now considered a cultural pariah, prior to his divorce from Kim Kardashian, he was still involved in music and had a lot of connections in the industry and politics and was close to A$AP Rocky.
Obviously, a lot has changed since then. The two MCs aren’t the closest of friends and have been on very different musical journeys. Still, when Rocky found himself in a Swedish jail, it was Kanye West who pushed extremely hard to get the Harlem rapper freed and managed to do so with one phone call.
In 2019, Rocky found himself in a fight with some fans in Stockholm who were harassing him, taking pictures of him and stalking him. Along with members of his entourage, Rocky was caught on camera assaulting a man in the street, which landed him in jail.
The man, Mustafa Jafari, was allegedly beaten with broken bottles, and the charge against Rocky was of aggravated assault. News outlets at the time were suggesting that he could spend up to six years in a Swedish prison due to Rocky being a high-profile visitor.
This wasn’t the first time the A$AP Mob member had had brushes with the law. From 2012 to 2016, he was involved in troublesome lawsuits and had various legal issues to battle. However, this was the first time he had ever faced charges outside the US and merely the thought of spending prison time in a foreign country would have been scary for him.
While he was detained in Stockholm, hip-hop fans worldwide were outraged, but there was little they could do, especially when it came to the functioning of the Swedish government. Various United States officials and diplomats based in Sweden tried to free Rocky as they knew he was a renowned figure. However, the Swedish government didn’t care, didn’t listen and was stern in its refusal to free the rapper. Fortunately, during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, one iconic producer and hip-hop legend helped the businessman boost his popularity among African American voters. Kanye West.
The two had a faux rapport that was mutually beneficial. The College Dropout creator had given Trump a lot of publicity, and in turn, the President did many things when asked directly by Ye. As such, in July 2019, when Rocky was in a cell in Sweden, expecting to face a sentence. West called the then-president to reach a deal with the Swedes.
According to a report, West “called Jared Kushner at the White House. Donald Trump called less than an hour later after the producer had climbed out of the pool and was eating breakfast.” After the call, Trump reportedly reached an arrangement with Swedish government officials that would see Rocky released, on the condition he remained in the country for the duration of his trial. The Live.Love.A$AP creator received a hefty fine but was ultimately saved by Kanye West, who made the heroic call. As such, he is indebted to him.