ASAP Rocky is about to hit the peak of his career—or rather, the worst year of his life.

The 36-year-old Brooklyn rapper and Rihanna lover is about to release his first solo album in nearly a decade and has been announced as a co-headliner at Los Angeles' Rolling Loud music festival this March. The self-proclaimed "fashion killer" is also expected to serve as the celebrity chair at New York's prestigious Met Gala alongside LeBron James and Pharrell Williams, and he also stars in a Spike Lee film that is expected to It will be released in theaters and on streaming services this spring.

But his success could be derailed in the coming weeks if he is convicted of a 2021 Los Angeles shooting that could land him in prison for nearly 20 years.

Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial in which Rocky, whose legal name is Rakeem Meyers, faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He allegedly shot and wounded Terell Ephron, a founding member of ASAP Mob, the Harlem rap group that helped Meyers Started his career.

Meyers has denied any wrongdoing, and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, has repeatedly attacked what he sees as weaknesses in the case in court documents and media appearances.

Nearly a dozen Los Angeles police officers responded to the scene of the 2021 Hollywood shooting but found no evidence of a crime, court documents show. Efron later returned to the scene and found two shell casings, but there was no forensic evidence linking Meyers to the shooting and there were no witnesses other than the victim, Tacopina said.

Efron's injury was a scratch, and Tacopina argued publicly for the first time on Tuesday that the weapon involved was actually a "prop gun" that couldn't fire real bullets.

On Tuesday, prosecutors offered Meyers a deal that would have allowed him to be sentenced to seven years of probation and serve just six months in prison, but the rapper rejected the deal. Meyers, wearing a knee-length leather trench coat and a black surgical mask, appeared calm as he walked through the courthouse, pausing to thank passers-by for compliments on his jacket.

"The case against Rocky is fundamentally weak," Tacopina said. "It relies on the testimony of people who are not credible and I believe the defense is very, very strong."

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the strength of the evidence in the case.

Prosecutors allege that Meyers shot Ephron, also known as ASAP Relli, after a heated argument over Meyers' failure to pay for the funeral of another founding member of the group.

When Efron testified at a preliminary hearing last year, he denied being jealous of Meyers's star turn, but he also said that with the exception of Meyers, nearly all ASAP Mob members were "broke or homeless." Several people have died from drug overdoses since the organization was founded in the late 2000s.

“It’s so fucking sad that you’re pretending,” Efron texted Meyers in October 2021, according to evidence presented in court last year. “Never forget who introduced you to this world. … When I was at my lowest, you looked at me like I was a piece of trash.”

Efron later admitted that Meyers did pay for Josh's funeral. A month later, while staying at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, Efron woke up to find that Meyers and two other founding members of the group had not answered their calls: Illijah Ulanga, according to preliminary hearing testimony , nicknamed ASAP Illz) and Jamel Phillips (nicknamed ASAP Twelvyy).

Meyers asked Efron where he was, then sent a follow-up text: "Let's do it."

The group eventually collided on Argyle Boulevard near the W Hollywood Hotel. Efron said that during a confrontation that was partially captured on surveillance video, Meyers grabbed him by the collar, pulled a gun from his waistband and pressed it against his old friend's chest, abdomen and on the head. Efron testified that he screamed and shot Meyers, but the fight was paused as several men walked by.

Efron said Meyers put the gun in his waistband and started walking away. Efron then began yelling insults at Umhlanga and Phillips while cursing at Meyers, saying he “let him know how everyone feels — because no one is brave enough to say how they feel about this guy. "

Efron responded: "Loki turned around and shot me."

Video of the incident appeared to show Meyers holding a gun but did not capture the shooting.

At a preliminary hearing last year, Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Przelomiec showed a photo of several of Efron's fingers being skinned, apparently showing the extent of his injuries.

Efron claimed Meyers fired three or four shots. He said he later texted the rap star accusing him of trying to kill him. Meyers scoffed at the accusations, accusing Efron of extortion and telling him to "stop making up stories" and "if I 'shoot' @you weirdo, call the cops."

Efron did just that two days later, walking into the LAPD's Hollywood station with two shell casings that he said came from the scene, but officers at the department apparently failed to find evidence.

Tacopina previously defended President Trump against a civil defamation lawsuit filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape. Tacopina noted that Efron also filed a civil lawsuit against Meyers and described the entire ordeal as a financial crisis. By Ephron.

Tacopina said in court on Tuesday that he plans to argue that the gun involved was a prop and was incapable of firing bullets.

"There's a reason why 10 officers conducted a search and found no shell casings," Tacopina said last week.

The most successful of his vast New York rap crew, Meyers rose to prominence in 2011 with his suave braggadocio and self-mythologizing style that brought to mind old-school legends like Rakeem and Wu-Tang Clan. He quickly achieved commercial success, opening for Drake on his 2012 arena tour alongside Kendrick Lamar. His next two albums, "Long.Live.ASAP" and "At.Long.Last ASAP", debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

In recent years, he has become a tabloid celebrity as Mr. Rihanna. The two artists made their relationship public in 2021. In 2023, they welcomed their first child, RZA Mayers, and later their second son, Riot Rose. Meyers appears to have successfully transitioned into a healthy dad, enjoying both underground rap and high culture acclaim, including a famous 2023 Vogue cover showing him with a pregnant Rihanna ) walked hand-in-hand on the beach while Meyers held their first child.

It's unclear whether Rihanna will attend the trial to support Meyers. Tacopina called it a "family decision," and a representative for the "Umbrella" artist did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The trial is not the first time Meyers' career has been threatened by a run-in with police. The artist was arrested in Sweden in 2019 after a man accused him and members of his entourage of assaulting him on a Stockholm street. His jailing became a minor international incident, with President Trump tweeting: "Get Rocky Free ASAP." Meyers was convicted of the assault and sentenced to probation.

The trial could also create courtroom sparks between two bombastic lawyers. A brash, bruised Tacopina called his thick Brooklyn accent "ridiculous" as he spoke to potential jurors in court Tuesday, while across the aisle, the district attorney's office added to the case in the deputy district One of the most important figures. Atty. John Lewin was charged with murder in 2021 against notorious New York real estate tycoon Robert Durst.

Spokespeople for Lewin and the District Attorney's Office declined to comment on why he joined the case at the last minute. It was not until January 15 that he intervened in the matter. Meyers was first charged in August 2022.

Lewin is a decorated prosecutor who typically handles cold cases for the Major Crimes Unit but has been ostracized for years due to a public feud with his former bureau. Atty. Georges Gascon-Lewin was a political ally of the newly elected district. Atty. Nathan Hochman, who recently settled a lawsuit against the county, accused Gascón of demoting him in retaliation for criticism of his policies.

"I don't care," Tacopina said with a laugh when asked about Lewin joining the case last week and encouraging Hochman to try the case himself.

Times staff writer Matthew Omseth contributed to this report.