A$AP Rocky requests judge that the n-word not be used during his trial amid A$AP Relli's testimony

On Thursday, January 30, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli were in court in LA as part of their ongoing trial. As Rocky's lawyer, Joe Tacopina questioned Relli on the stand, some text messages from his phone were brought up during which Tacopina said the N-word.

At the mention of the N-word, A$AP Rocky interjected, saying, "Your Honor, can we refrain from..." as the judge cut him off mid-sentence, asking him to speak to his counsel. Later, the judge told everyone just to say "N-word" moving forward.

The incident comes days after A$AP Rocky's trial began, stemming from a confrontation four years ago—in November 2021. According to Relli, the Sundress rapper allegedly pulled a gun on him and fired. Relli claimed that he was shot twice, with one of the bullets grazing his knuckles.

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A$AP Relli had an outburst while being questioned by A$AP Rocky's lawyer

Besides A$AP Rocky addressing the usage of the N-word in the court, another incident that took place in the court on Thursday was A$AP Relli's outburst.

Attorney Joe Tacopina started his cross-examination by asking Relli about his life outside of the alleged shooting. Relli responded to most of Tacopina's questions with "I don't recall." One such question was about Relli telling people that he was a millionaire in November 2021, to which he replied:

"Yes, no, I don't know... I don't know, it's been so long, I can tell people whatever I want. If I'm a millionaire, not a millionaire, like, what? I'm not a millionaire, but what has that got to do with this case?"

The attorney then went on to show the plaintiff an old Instagram story, which caused the latter to seemingly lose his calm. Relli asked Joe:

"Why are you showing my Instagram? I'm already getting death threats... [People] threatening my daughter, like, what's going on here?... Because you're saying I'm an extortionist. You putting my whole life on... This is getting really annoying. What does this have to do with the case?"

A$AP Relli testifies during the A$AP Rocky trial for felony assault charges at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on January 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Image via Getty)

Nancy Dillon—the Rolling Stone reporter—shared that the plaintiff also called Rocky out for allegedly "staring" at him as the judge proceeded to call a recess. Some of the hearing clips circulating online also show the judge explaining to A$AP Relli how to conduct himself in court.

Before the 2021 incident, A$AP Rocky and Relli were long-time friends and members of A$AP Mob—a hip-hop collective. Per Relli, the other Mob members felt abandoned after Rocky's career took off, which led to friction in the group.

Talking about the day of the alleged shooting incident, Relli claimed that he felt like Rocky "wanted a fight or something."

The two were accompanied by two more A$AP members as they met near a parking garage across from the W Hotel in Hollywood, with the Holy Ghost rapper allegedly shouting profanities at him from the start. Their alleged confrontation soon turned into a scuffle, at which point Rocky pulled a gun on Relli.

However, the Goldie rapper's counsel claimed that he used a starter pistol during the confrontation and only fired it later to defuse the fight. Officers who responded to the alleged shooting didn't find any physical evidence of a shooting.

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Rihanna—the Jukebox Joints rapper's long-time partner—also made an appearance in the court to support him from the front row. The songstress was seen sporting a white top, accessorized with a pair of gold hoop earrings. A courtroom sketch of RiRi began circulating online soon after.

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If A$AP Rocky is convicted of the charges against him in the ongoing trial, he might face up to 24 years in prison.