ASAP Rocky and Rihanna have allegedly made a big promise to lawyer Joe Tacopina after the rapper was found not guilty following a 2021 shooting incident.
Tacopina, who represented Rocky in court, claimed that the couple promised to name their next baby after him during an interview with Extra published Wednesday, February 19.
“They grabbed me and they said, ‘Listen, our next baby A$AP Joe,’” Tacopina told the outlet. “I said, ‘I’m gonna hold you to that!’”
The lawyer added that Rocky “told me he loved me and we’re family.”
ASAP Rocky Dives Head First Into Rihanna’s Arms Following Verdict: Watch
The Los Angeles court’s verdict was delivered on Tuesday, February 18, after which the rapper could be seen leaping into Rihanna’s arms. (The power couple, both 36, began dating in the summer of 2020 and share two young sons together, RZA, 2, and Riot, 18 months.)
“He didn’t know if he was going to go home and see his two babies that night or start a decade-long prison sentence literally that day,” Tacopina told Extra. “He grabbed me and he said, ‘Joe, I want you to know, I know how hard you fought here. I know everything you’ve done, and I just appreciate you so much.’”
He continued: “It’s obviously a very serious moment for him, and he has the wherewithal and the thought to think, ‘Let me thank this guy.’ It was special that he did that.”
Rocky had been charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. Tacopina got worried when the first count was read and Rocky immediately ran toward Rihanna.
Rihanna Claps Back When Asked How ASAP Rocky Feels After Not Guilty Verdict
“I told my partner, ‘Get him back here, we have another count,’” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘My God, if the second count doesn’t go well, this is gonna be embarrassing.’ But of course it did, and I was confident it was going to.’”
Rihanna took to social media on Tuesday to break her silence on Rocky’s verdict, writing via her Instagram Story, “The glory belongs to God and God alone! Thankful, humbled by his mercy!” The “We Found Love” singer added a prayer hands emoji to the post.
While she didn’t testify during the trial, she showed her support by appearing in the courtroom on multiple occasions. Prior to her Instagram Story, Rihanna had not publicly commented on the trial or Rocky’s stance.
Five witnesses had testified for the prosecution over eight days about the case in which Rocky was accused of firing four or five shots at childhood friend-turned-enemy ASAP Relli (born Terell Ephron) on a Hollywood street in 2021. Relli took the stand during the trial, testifying that his knuckles were grazed during the confrontation, but he was otherwise not hurt.
