The artist submitted his plea on Monday. If found guilty, the artist could face three to 12 years in state prison.
A$AP Rocky once again pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm on Monday, at the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Rocky's court appearance comes two months after Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar ruled that the artist will have to stand trial for allegedly firing a gun at his childhood friend, A$AP Relli, outside the W. Hotel in Hollywood on Nov. 6, 2021.
Rocky -- whose real name is Rakim Mayers -- previously pleaded not guilty to the two charges in August 2022. A preliminary hearing was subsequently held to determine if there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial.
In the wake of the judges' ruling that Rocky would have to stand trial, he was obligated to resubmit his no guilty plea on Monday. A pre-trial hearing has been set for March 6.
Rocky entered the courtroom on Monday in a gray suit, a long dark coat, gloves and a pair of sunglasses. The artist removed his glasses as his case was called and he briefly addressed the judge, helped the judge correctly pronounce his name, and acknowledged that he understood the charges against him.
During the hearing in November, one Los Angeles detective testified about surveillance cameras in the area where the shooting allegedly took place. Footage was played that shows a man who looks like Rocky carrying a gun. The police detective testified he believed the man in the video is the rapper.
Under cross-examination by Rocky's lawyer, the detective said officers did not locate any bullet casings at the scene of the altercation. But the victim, Terell Ephron, aka A$AP Relli, claimed to have returned to the scene and found casings himself.
Ephron -- who claims to have been close friends with Rocky when they were younger -- says he was left with grazed knuckles and other minor injuries from the incident.
In April 2022, the "Holy Ghost" singer was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in connection to the ongoing matter. Rocky had just returned from a vacation in Barbados with his then-pregnant girlfriend, Rihanna.
Rocky and Rihanna now are parents to two sons -- 1-year-old RZA, and 5-month-old Riot.
During the first appearance in court on Nov. 8, Rocky's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, alleged Ephron was fabricating the entire situation for financial gain as the former friend has also filed a civil lawsuit against Rocky.
If found guilty, the rapper could face three to 12 years in state prison, according to Shouse California Law Group.
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