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Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault with a firearm in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last November.<\/p>\n
The star, real name Rakim Mayers, is alleged to have pointed the gun at a former friend during an argument.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say he later fired the weapon twice in the direction of the victim, who sustained a minor injury.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old, who has had two US number one albums, could face up to nine years in prison if found guilty.<\/p>\n
The rapper, who had a baby with singer Rihanna in May, appeared in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The star was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in April, as he returned from a holiday with Rihanna. He was released three hours later \u2013 after posting bail of $550,000 (\u00a3421,000).<\/p>\n Terell Ephron, who is part of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective, identified himself as the victim and took legal action against his former friend last week \u2013 alleging assault and battery, negligence and emotional distress.<\/p>\n Mr Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, alleged that Mr Mayers had \u201clured\u201d him to an obscure location in Hollywood to discuss a disagreement.<\/p>\n The lawsuit claims that, after a verbal altercation, Mr Mayers \u201cpulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of [Mr Ephron] and fired multiple shots\u201d.<\/p>\n Mr Ephron was \u201cstruck by bullet projectile\/fragments\u201d in his left hand and required medical attention, according to the court papers. He is seeking at least $25,000 (\u00a320,750) in damages.<\/p>\n At Wednesday\u2019s hearing, judge Victoria B Wilson put a restraining order in place, ordering Mr Mayers to stay 100 yards (91m) away from Mr Ephron at all times, and set a preliminary trial date of 2 November.<\/p>\n Mr Mayers was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for his role in a brawl in Stockholm in August 2019.<\/p>\n As A$AP Rocky, he was one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2010s, earning eight platinum singles in the US, including Wild For The Night, Everyday, LSD and A$AP Forever.<\/p>\n He rose to fame after being championed by Drake, and has worked with artists including Alicia Keys, Lana Del Rey, Skepta, Selena Gomez and Kendrick Lamar.<\/p>\n Last year, he confirmed he was in a relationship with Rihanna, calling her the \u201clove of my life\u201d and \u201cthe one\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n![\"A$AP](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1660814447_9_image-136.png\" "\\"A$AP")
![\"A$AP](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-137.png\" "\\"A$AP")