A$AP Rocky's family: "I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep" after rapper's Sweden arrest
American rapper A$AP Rocky is expected to learn by Thursday whether Swedish prosecutors will charge him with assault. The rapper has been detained in Sweden for three weeks, along with his cousin and friend, following a street brawl last month.
Their case has since gained worldwide attention, including from President Trump. The families of the detainees say they just want justice.
"I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I cried," said Nikita Rispers, A$AP Rocky's cousin. She and her husband say Rocky, their son Dave, and Bladimir Corniel are victims, not instigators.
Video from June 30 in Stockholm shows Rocky, Dave and his friend tell two men following them to walk away several times. But minutes later, a second video shows Rocky and the others throw one man to the ground, and punch and kick him repeatedly. That man has since been cleared of wrongdoing.
Nikita's husband, David, said the men were just defending themselves. "I don't know what else you can do to allow someone to stop," he said.
The families thanked celebrities like Kim Kardashian West -- and especially President Trump and the first lady -- for advocating for their immediate release. "For him to actually hear what they were saying, and then doing something about it… that made me feel proud," Nikita said
Bladimir Corniel's parents are simply asking for their son's safe return. "As a mother I don't want to see him there…" his mother, Daisy Rodriguez, said through tears. "I just want him to come home."
David Rispers plans to fly to Sweden if the news goes against his son. But he and Nikita believe the video should be enough to clear them of any wrongdoing.
