LOS ANGELES — Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to felony assault with a firearm charges stemming from a 2021 confrontation in Hollywood.
He is accused of drawing a gun and firing it twice in the direction of a former friend during an argument in Hollywood in November 2021. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and ordered to return to court on Nov. 2.
Los Angeles Superior Court Victoria B. Wilson ordered the rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, to stay away from the former friend.
Mayers and two other men fled after he fired the gun, police said. He was first arrested in the incident at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, and was released on bail the same day.
A member of the Harlem hip hop collective A$AP Mob, A$AP Rocky first made his mark in music with the single “Peso” in 2011. His 2013 debut album, “Long. Live. A$AP,” went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as did its 2015 follow-up, “At. Long. Last. A$AP.” He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards.
He is in a relationship with Rihanna, and the two had a son in May. Both have become as known for fashion trendsetting as for their music.
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Months after his aphasia diagnosis, Bruce Willis found good company in a harmonica and musician Derek Richard Thomas.
Wife Emma Heming Willis shared an Instagram video of the "Die Hard" actor playing the blues on his harmonica with Thomas. The black-and-white clip, shared Monday, shows Willis on the floor by a staircase while Thomas strums his guitar and sings in front of him.
"Their talent is speaking for itself," Heming Willis captioned her post. "I'll just leave this here."
Heming Willis also shared the video on her Instagram story, writing that the video was an "impromptu jam session with @derekrichardthomas." Instagram followers were more than glad to see the 67-year-old actor showcasing his musical talents.
"Bruce can rock that harmonica," one follower said in a caption that also featured fire and heart emojis.
The comments section also saw many nods to Willis' turn in the 1987 film "The Return of Bruno." In the mockumentary-style comedy, directed by Jim Yukich, Willis played fictional blues musician Bruno Randolini. Naturally, the film made way for a companion album of the same name, in which Willis performed a number of songs including a cover of the Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk."
In 1989 Willis also released the album " If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger," featuring yet another Drifters cover: "Save the Last Dance for Me."
The video comes months after daughter Rumer Willis announced that her father was ending his more than four-decade acting career after being diagnosed with aphasia.
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Olivia Rodrigo will help sing the praises of Alanis Morissette.
The 19-year-old Rodrigo will present Morissette with her induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame during the Sept. 24 ceremony in Toronto, organizers announced Tuesday.
“I remember hearing Alanis for the first time when I was about 13,” Rodrigo said in a statement.
“I was in the car with my parents when Jagged Little Pill came on,” she said, referring to Morisette’s seminal 1995 album. “I heard ‘Perfect,’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God. … You can write songs like that?’ I just looked at music and songwriting in a completely different way.”
The Canadian-born Morissette, 48, is a seven-time Grammy winner known for hits such as “You Oughta Know” and “Ironic.”
The rocker is one of five new inductees announced by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on Tuesday, joining Bryan Adams, David Foster, David Lavoie and Jim Vallance. The ceremony will take place at Massey Hall.
The California-born Rodrigo won three Grammys this year, including best new artist.
From combined wire service
