A$AP Rocky Issues Short Message to Journalists Before Going Into Court

Rapper A$AP Rocky had a message for the media Tuesday while entering a Los Angeles courthouse ahead of his ongoing felony assault trial.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press! Listen listen! I don't wish to quarrel. I don't want no smoke. But don't step on my toes," the 36-year-old rapper said to the crowd of reporters.

Why It Matters

Last week, A$AP Rocky, 36, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, pushed through the crowd of media members awaiting his arrival at the courthouse.

Tuesday marks only the second time the "F--kin' Problems" rapper muttered anything to reporters outside the courthouse in this trial.

Why Is A$AP Rocky On Trial?

A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. A$AP Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, claims Rocky, his friend since high school, fired shots at him in Hollywood, which grazed his hand.

Is A$AP Rocky Going to Jail?

If convicted on both counts, A$AP Rocky, who shares two children with girlfriend Rihanna, could get up to 24 years in prison.

He declined one last plea deal last week. If he were to plead guilty to Count 1, prosecutors would have asked that A$AP Rocky receive 180 days in county jail, with three years' probation and a seven-year suspended prison sentence.

What To Know

On Friday, A$AP Rocky responded to a TMZ videographer who asked if he had a message to his fans.

"I love you," Rocky said as he got into a car after court.

Rihanna Could Appear in Court This Week

Joe Tacopina, A$AP Rocky's attorney, told the judge on Tuesday: "This week, Mr. Mayers' significant other may appear here."

Rihanna, 36, has not yet appeared in court to support him. A$AP Rocky's mother, Renne Black, and his sister, Erika B. Mayers, sat in the courtroom gallery last week.

Gag Order in A$AP Rocky Case

Following a heated discussion between prosecutors and Tacopina, Superior Judge Mark Arnold ruled no one in this case is allowed to speak to the press.

"I don't want any attorney saying anything to the press while the case is going on. That's it. You can call it a gag order," Arnold said.

What People Are Saying

After it was revealed that the jury included a female juror who is a firearms instructor, Tacopina told Newsweek on Thursday that the rapper's legal team is OK with having the firearms instructor on the jury because they have "nothing to hide" and wanted a juror familiar with firearms.

High-profile Attorney Gloria Allred to Newsweek on whether Rihanna could sway the jury:

"Although jurors are instructed by the judge to consider only the evidence admitted by the court, it is human nature for many jurors to look at a celebrity sitting in the courtroom."

"Even though jurors should not take those facts into consideration and even if jurors state that they will not consider that, some jurors will not be able to ignore it."

What's Next

Los Angeles Police Officer Tommy Zizzo, the son of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, will finish his testimony on Tuesday.

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