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A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers,
and two members of his entourage were convicted of assault in
August for beating a 19-year-old in Stockholm after an argument.
Mayers, who was in Stockholm to do a show, said he was acting in
self-defence and was given a suspended sentence after being held
in custody for over a month.
"Thank you to everybody who showed up here today in Sweden," the
31-year-old performer, producer and model, told a packed arena
of thousands from the stage at the Ericsson Globe Arena in
Stockholm on Wednesday.
Performing from a cage on stage with dancers dressed as prison
inmates, he added, "I didn’t bring you here together so we can
talk about Swedish authorities, politics or American politics. I
brought you here today for love and unity."
Earlier on Wednesday, A$AP Rocky posed with students at a school
he visited in Husby, a Stockholm suburb listed by police as a
troubled area and the epicentre of week-long riots in 2013.
In a video clip posted on the artist's Instagram account, he
said he was happy to be back in Sweden and that his fans from
the suburbs would get in for free.
"We came to the slums," he said. "We're here checking out our
people, letting them know we care about them. Whoever's from the
hood get in free."
After being released in August, A$AP Rocky promised fans he
would return to Stockholm as thanks for the support he received.
Last month he asked the Stockholm jail where he was incarcerated
if he could do a show for the inmates. The request was turned
down as the jail said security could not be guaranteed.
While he was in jail, celebrity TV star Kim Kardashian and her
husband, American rapper Kanye West, lobbied Trump to help.
The case drew global attention, particularly after Trump offered
to vouch for the rapper's bail and asked Swedish Prime Minister
Stefan Lofven to help free him. Sweden does not have a bail
system and Lofven pointed to Sweden's independent judiciary,
saying he could not intervene.
At the time of the trial, Trump tweeted messages saying he was
disappointed in Lofven and to "Treat Americans fairly!"
A$AP Rocky shot to fame with his 2011 debut mixtape "Live.Love.A$AP",
gaining recognition as much for his experimental approach to
music as for his unpredictable fashion style that made him the
first person of colour to front luxury brand Dior Homme.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Diane Craft)
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