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Fans welcomed A$AP Rocky with open arms when he returned to Sweden for the first time since being arrested in the European country seven years.
On Monday night, September 21, the New York native invaded the Avicii Arena in Stockholm for the latest stop on his "Don't Be Dumb World Tour." In videos posted to social media, you can see Rocky make his grand entrance on his helicopter. He landed in the middle of the crowd on the floor of the arena while his backup dancers waved a Swedish flag. His girlfriend Rihanna was also spotted at the show, supporting her children's father during his performance.
A$AP Rocky hasn't performed in Sweden since he celebrated his released from a Swedish jail cell seven years ago. The 37-year-old artist, who's now a father of three, was arrested in Stockholm after he and his security team reportedly got into a physical altercation with a man on July 3, 2019. In a video posted by TMZ, Rocky was approached by a man named Mustafa Jafari outside of a restaurant. In the next scene, the rapper allegedly threw Jafari to the ground. Rocky and his crew allegedly surrounded the man as they punched and kicked him. Rocky later shared his own video of the moments leading up to the incident, in which he asked Jafari and another man to not follow him.
Following his scheduled performance at the Smash festival, Rocky and his two associates were arrested and charged with aggravated assault. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were thrown in jail, where they spent over a month in custody after they were denied bond. Rocky was forced to pause his tour until after the trial. In the weeks leading up to the trial, calls were growing for the U.S. government to help release Rocky. The discourse prompted support from President Donald Trump, who tried to use his position to get the rapper released (and failed).
Rocky and his crew were convicted of assault, but were given a suspended sentence and required to pay damages to the victim. Following his release in August, Rocky returned to Stockholm four months later for a special concert at the Ericsson Globe. A portion of the proceeds from the show was donated to the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups (FARR).
Check out more scenes from A$AP Rocky's grand return to Sweden below.