A$AP Rocky is Facing Potential Jail Time

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​​Travis Scott was in Paris playing even more unreleased music. In other news:

• Song streams & revenue 💰️

• A$AP Rocky is in big trouble 😬

• Ye is creating new lines for Yeezy 👀

• New Music Friday releases 💿️

• Industry Insights 📈

Song Streams & Revenue

It’s a new week and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Daily Double, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from January 10 to 16.

Tracks from Kendrick Lamar’s GNX like “Luther” are still holding on strong as songs from Tyler the Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA, including “Sticky,” are getting plays thanks to a major boost from TikTok. Meanwhile, the surprise hit “Tweaker” from Gelo is climbing its way up the song revenue chart as “Timeless” from The Weeknd and Playboi Carti makes a comeback.

Everything to Know About A$AP Rocky’s Assault Trial

On November 6, 2021, in Hollywood, A$AP Rocky allegedly fired shots from a handgun at A$AP Relli, a fellow member of the A$AP Mob and Rocky’s childhood friend. Relli testified in 2023 that the bullets grazed his knuckles and that he had to seek medical treatment after returning to New York.

Rocky was arrested over the incident in LAX in April 2022 and was eventually charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. Now, nearly four years later, A$AP Rocky is finally in the courtroom and maintaining his innocence.

What happened back in November 2021?

Security footage from the day shows a group of men (including A$AP Rocky) pushing and shoving one another until, eventually, the group scatters and one of the men sprints away from the scene. However, there isn’t an apparent shooting in the video.

In November 2023, A$AP Relli appeared in court to share his side of the story.

Relli testified that “he believed Rocky had promised to pay for the funeral expenses of one of their friends and failed to deliver. So, he sent him a text on Oct 28, 2021, that said, ‘You so fucking fake it’s sad.’” He later found out after the incident that Rocky did actually pay for the funeral expenses. 

With bad blood between the former friends now brewing, Rocky asked Relli to meet on November 6, 2021 in Los Angeles to talk everything out. With A$AP Illz and A$AP Twelvyy allegedly alongside him, Relli stated that Rocky pulled out a gun and said “I’ll kill you right now,” but put it away since people were nearby. 

Relli continued to bad mouth Rocky, saying “how he failed friends from back home, and one was suffering from a crack addiction while another was living in the projects.” This allegedly pushed Rocky to pull out the gun and fire shots — one that grazed Relli’s knuckles and arguably two or three more missed shots were let off before Rocky allegedly sprinted away.

A$AP Rocky isn’t backing down

The trial officially kicked off with jury selection on January 21. But before it got underway, Rocky had a potential plea deal on the table. The prosecution offered him a deal that would have included three years of probation, a seven-year suspended prison sentence, and 180 days in county jail in exchange for a guilty plea to the first charge. However, Rocky “respectfully declined” the offer.

Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, revealed to Rolling Stone that they have two witnesses who will testify that the gun seen in the security footage, which Rocky allegedly used during the incident, was actually a “starter pistol prop gun” intended for security purposes.

If convicted of all charges, the rapper can face up to 24 years in jail. The trial is already making headlines, with civil rights activist Al Sharpton pointing out the alleged lack of Black representation in the jury. 

“…Out of one hundred and six (106) people called to potentially sit as jurors in A$AP Rocky’s trial in Los Angeles, there are only 4 black people, I have been closely in touch with A$AP Rocky’s friends, and though I do not know the particulars of the trial, I do know he deserves to be judged fairly by his peers, as is his Constitutional right…” Sharpton posted on X on January 22.

Ye is Ready for War in the Fashion Industry

Ever since Ye first dabbled in the fashion industry, he’s been pushing the envelope. However, his numerous controversies over the years have overshadowed his creative vision and led to losses in popularity and partners like Adidas. Nevertheless, Ye is still determined to grow Yeezy and is putting his competitors on high alert.

Who wants smoke with Ye?

In a since-deleted Instagram post, the Chicago native revealed that he was preparing to launch a Yeezy women’s clothing line. Under a picture of a black bodysuit, Ye went on a typical rant against “the corporations.” 

“For anyone in clothing that doesn’t work at Yeezy be afraid. Be very afraid. No corporations leveraging my platform using me to get to us. Overcharging our community while ignoring my vision and direction…” the caption read.

Making sure to throw Adidas under the bus, Ye continued, “...People tried to tell me to go back to adidas. Of course they were people close enough to ask for money from me. They didn’t care about my freedom or vision … Now my vision is coming to life and I have a John Wick vendetta against every fashion company as my fellow Gemini Tupac said Die motherfucker Die. Now play off the grid.”

The rapper started off the year on January 8 by going after Adidas (again) and their new partner, Jerry Lorenzo (who owns the brand Fear of God), reemphasizing how Yeezy changed fashion.

“When you google Yeezy.com, the Adidas site comes before the Yeezy site. Members at Adidas, stop doing this. Stop doing your moves to hold me back. Our partnership is done. You’re a 60-billion-dollar company that froze my accounts … Y’all know Jerry was corny and disloyal for doing work with Adidas after the way they handled things. I still showed up to his show that was a copy of my Hollywood Bowl show being the so-called bigger man, but I’m never doing that again for no one. It’s Yeezy over everything,” the rapper said on Instagram.

Despite the drama on social media, Ye is looking to not only repeat his past success but be an even bigger fashion icon on the scene. He also is locked in with his daughter, North West, creating music and hopefully getting ready to drop BULLY.

New Music Friday

Here’s all the music you can listen to now—categorized by 💿️ for albums and 🎶 for singles:

• 💿️ The Party Never Ends (Deluxe) by Juice WRLD

• 💿️ JumpOut by OsamaSon

• 💿️ Can’t Rush Greatness by Central Cee

• 💿️ For Us by Hunxcho

• 💿️ Permanent Ink by Boldy James

• 💿️ Take Care (Deluxe) by BigXThaPlug

• 💿️ Before I Disappear Again (Deluxe) by NoCap

• 🎶 “4×4” by Travis Scott

• 🎶 “TBA” by Bruno Mars, Sexyy Red

• 🎶 “Pop It Off” by Lil Wayne, Tyga

• 🎶 “One Take Freestyle (Remix)” by 1900Rugrat, Kodak Black

• 🎶 “Not What You Think” by REASON, BAS

• 🎶 “Sorry Not Sorry” by Joey Bada$$

• 🎶 “Presidential” by 41

• 🎶 “Just Goin” by Luh Jasper

• 🎶 “MF Boss” by Lil Gnar, Rich Homie Quan

• 🎶 “Mírame Baby”by DeeBaby (out now)

• There have been updates in the 2Pac murder case. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, charged with the rapper’s murder, will still have their murder charge upheld.

• Chris Brown filed a major lawsuit. He is suing Warner Bros. Discovery and others involved in the documentary ‘Chris Brown: A History of Violence’ for $500 million dollars in damages. 

• Roc Nation just solidified a major partnership. They are planning to offer Americans “the chance to invest in music royalties through what they describe as the first Music Equity Service Provider” in the country.