Jurors Share Behind-the-Scenes POV From A$AP Rocky's Trial

Lil Baby is back on road with his WHAM World Tour. Openers are BigXThaPlug, NLE Choppa, and Loe Shimmy. In other news: 

• Song streams & revenue 💰️

• Jurors share what they thought of A$AP Rocky’s defense 👀

• Ye wants to squabble up with Nike 😡

• New Music Friday releases 💿️

• Industry Insights 📈

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Songs Streams & Revenue

It’s a new week and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Daily Double, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from February 7 to 13.

The Super Bowl effect is shown in the chart above, which is why Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s songs enjoyed a profitable boost. Meanwhile, Doechii is still getting her moment in the spotlight thanks to the viral “DENIAL IS A RIVER” along with The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s collaboration.

Jurors from A$AP Rocky’s Trial Share Their POV

On February 18, the jury in A$AP Rocky’s trial reached a verdict, finding the rapper not guilty. Had he been convicted of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, he could have faced decades in prison.

Understandably, Rocky was overjoyed upon hearing the news. In a moment of celebration, he (literally) leaped into the arms of his partner, Rihanna, and his mother. Outside the courtroom, the rapper spoke directly to the jury, expressing his gratitude.

“I really want to thank the jury for making the right decision. I am just so thankful. This is crazy right now,” Rocky said.

In the aftermath of the trial, one juror has stepped forward to share their perspective on what transpired during the three-week proceedings.

The main goal was justice

Following the verdict, an anonymous juror spoke with blogger Nique at Nite during a YouTube livestream, shedding light on the deliberation process.

While deciding on the case, some jurors, including the interviewee, initially had unanswered questions about the alleged crime. However, they emphasized that the group was committed to reaching a fair outcome.

“Everybody was really focused on delivering justice,” the juror explained. “We discussed all the issues, all the questions that we had, clarified those, and reviewed some pieces of evidence more closely. I think we did the best we could with the instructions and the evidence we had.”

During the trial, Rocky’s defense argued that the gun allegedly used against A$AP Relli was a prop carried for security purposes. However, the jury didn’t entirely accept that explanation.

“I think most of us felt it was a real gun,” the juror revealed. “Just from the behavior on the videos and from some of the testimony. Unfortunately, a lot of the witnesses—we didn't consider all of their testimonies to be reliable … I didn't really believe it. I didn't think that … they had really convincing evidence that it was a prop gun.”

Despite what they may have thought behind the scenes, the jury voted for A$AP Rocky to be back outside, to the delight of Rihanna and his fans. 

Some of Rocky’s closest friends have also shared their reactions. “I almost passed out when they read the verdict that my brother Rocky is not guilty!” said Tyler, the Creator. “24 years to who? A$AP forever y’all n***as is bugging,” said A$AP Nast. 

Hopefully, Rocky finally releases DON’T BE DUMB to celebrate this significant victory. 

Ye Takes Aim at Nike

In the past few weeks, Ye has made a loud return to social media, taking aim at anything—and anyone—that crosses his mind. As expected, his posts have been completely unfiltered, sparking plenty of double-takes along the way.

Despite claiming he was done with social media, much like an annoying ex who can’t let go, Ye quickly went back on his word. His latest outburst targeted yet another major sports brand, accusing them of stealing his designs. 

Ye vs. Nike 

On February 18, Ye posted a picture of Nike’s upcoming GT Future sneaker with a blatantly sarcastic caption. 

“THIS NEW NIKE DESIGN REALLY MOVED US / REALLY INSPIRED US AT YEEZY WE APPRECIATE YOU GUYS WORK TO THE TEAM TEAM BEHIND THESE THANK FOR MAKING SOMETHING NEW AND SPECIAL, LOVE YE,” he said. 

Nike and Ye previously collaborated on Air Yeezys, but their partnership ended in 2013, and the rapper teamed up with Adidas the following year. Nike has not commented yet on Ye’s newest post.

The timing couldn’t be more ironic: on the same day Ye criticized Nike for allegedly ripping off his designs, his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, announced that her apparel brand, SKIMS, will be collaborating with Nike on a new women’s line. 

Titled NikeSKIMS, it’s set to offer “an extensive line of training apparel, footwear and accessories designed to meet the unique needs and preferences of women athletes around the world” and launch in America this spring. 

Adidas is usually the target of Ye’s rants, and the rapper has been spotted wearing the rival athleisure brand multiple times over the last few years. However, he seems to have changed his tune, and time will tell if he has more specific critiques of the brand’s link-up with his ex-wife. Meanwhile, he continues to post online and promote upcoming products like the YZY SL-01 shoes. 

New Music Friday

Here’s all the music you can listen to now—categorized by 💿️ for albums and 🎶 for singles:

• 💿️ Long Story Short by Morray

• 💿️ Pardon Me (EP) by Joey Bada$$

• 💿️ WICK by Nardo Wick ft. Lil Baby, Sexyy Red, Future and more

• 💿️ nothings ever good enough II by iann dior

• 💿️ FESTIVAL SEASON by SAINt JHN

• 💿️ The Purple M&M 2 by BlocBoy JB

• 💿️ The Final Cell by Dave East, Ransom

• 🎶 “Hol’ That” by REASON

• 🎶 “LV Bag” by Don Toliver, Speedy, j-Hope, Pharrell Williams

• 🎶 “Trappa Rappa” by Quavo

• 🎶 “EXTRA L” by JENNIE, Doechii

• 🎶 “Forever Yung” by Yung Lean

• 🎶 “MARiO COINS” by IDK

• 🎶 “The Pre-Game” by Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, ILL Tone Beats

• 🎶 “Miss Me” by Southside Vic

• 🎶 “Call My Phone” by Lil Mosey

• 🎶 “Hey Hey/Of Late” by NBA Youngboy

• 🎶 “Apex” by Lil Tjay

• 🎶 “Turnt in Real Life” by VonOff1700, Rio Da Yung OG

• 🎶 “Bad” by 310Babii, James Brown

• 🎶 “Beachside” by Lazer Dim 1700

• Osheaga Festival has some major headliners. Doechii, Tyler, the Creator, Shaboozey, and more will be making their way down to Montréal this August.

• Once again, Kendrick has a new record. He is officially the first rapper with over 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

• The U.K. is excited to see Drake. This year’s Wireless Festival, with three headlining nights of Drake, sold over 135,000 tickets in minutes—the fastest the festival has ever sold out. 

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