Sunday night, ASAP Rocky made his welcomed return to the stage Sunday night following a Sweden case that’s dominated headlines in recent weeks for reasons ranging from fan-led criticism of the government’s handling of the case to debates on how a certain White House administration's purportedly attempted involvement may have had the opposite of its intended effect.
Rocky was among those who took the stage as part of the inaugural edition of Real 92.3's Real Street Festival at the Honda Center Grounds in Anaheim, California.
"I'm so happy to be here right now," Rocky told the crowd at the festival, which also saw performances from Cardi B and Big Sean. "Y'all don't understand. I'm so happy to be here right now. That was a scary and humbling experience . . . I can't thank y'all enough."
Rocky requested attendees to assemble by means of the mosh pit method and welcomed crowd-pleasing guests including ASAP Ferg, Tyler, the Creator, and YG to the stage during his set.
As announced earlier this month, Rocky was released from custody overseas and allowed to leave the nation ahead of his expected verdict in the alleged assault trial Aug. 14. Rocky and two co-defendants pleaded not guilty to the assault of a man Rocky previously said had been following him and others while he was in the region on tour. As detailed in arguments presented by Rocky's defense team, the Testing artist says he acted only in self-defense.
In a note to fans shared shortly after news of his temporary release broke, Rocky thanked his supporters during this "difficult" time, and also thanked the court for allowing the release.
When speaking on the impending verdict during his Real Street Festival set this weekend, which also saw some new music teasing, Rocky reiterated that gratitude.
"Hopefully with God's will I'm not guilty and shit," he said. "I get the verdict on Wednesday . . . Hopefully we ain't gotta go back to jail or nothing like that, nothing crazy. I don't got nothing against Swedish people." Rocky added that he saw fans outside the court room during the trial who had gathered to express their support.
According to the most recent tour routing update via ASAP Mob, Rocky's next scheduled stop is at Blockfest in Tampere, Finland on Aug. 16, though it remains to be seen whether the next developments in the controversial Sweden case will have an effect on that and additional previously scheduled dates.
