Following their win in court this week, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have pledged to name their baby A$AP Joe as a thank-you to their lawyer, Joe Tacopina, as reported by a February 2025 publication by Daily Mail.
Joe Tacopina spearheaded A$AP Rocky's felony shooting trial, which culminated in a not-guilty verdict this Tuesday, February 19. Speaking with Extra during a video interview a day after the three-week trial came to an end, Tacopina revealed that A$AP jokingly promised to name their next son in his honor.
Joe Tacopina is a senior partner and lead trial attorney at the Tacopina Seigel & Deoreo firm. An expert in criminal defense and civil litigation, among other things, he also serves as a faculty member of Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop, where he teaches trial skills and cross-examination.
He is renowned for having represented several prominent figures, including President Donald J. Trump, the NFL team Washington Commanders and its former owner Daniel Snyder, Michael Jackson, executive director of the NFLPA DeMaurice Smith, and Rapper A$AP Rocky, among others.
Everything we know about A$AP Rocky's relationship with Joe Tacopina as the latter reveals he once took care of his baby while the former was getting a pedicure:
During the interview with Extra, Joe Tacopina jokingly revealed:
“Rihanna and Rocky said to me in the courtroom yesterday, they grabbed me and they said, ‘Listen, our next baby is A$AP Joe. I said, ‘I’m gonna hold you to that!’”
The rapper was hit with a potential of up to 24 years in prison stemming from an incident that took place in November 2021, in which he allegedly fired a gun twice at his former friend, A$AP Relli. He was then charged with two felony counts of assault with a firearm.
However, his highly publicized trial ended in a not-guilty verdict by the jury. In videos circulating online, the moment his verdict was announced, he hopped over the defendant's stand and ran straight for the mother of his sons for a warm embrace.
“THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE! THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!” Rihanna penned on Instagram shortly after the trial.
Tacopina also gushed over his relationship with the rapper, revealing that they got closer during the trial. According to him, the rapper “said some very nice things,” adding, “He told me he loved me and we're family.”:
“All of a sudden, Rocky said, ‘Can you just take care of a baby? I’m getting a pedicure,'” Tacopina recalled. “There was a different type of relationship with him than with most clients.”
Joe Tacopina went on, reflecting on what it was like for the 36-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers:
“He didn't know if he was going to go home and see his two babies that night or start a decade-long prison sentence literally that day,” Joe shared. “He grabbed me and he said, ‘Joe, I want you to know, I know how hard you fought here. I know everything you've done, and I just appreciate you so much.’ It’s obviously a very serious moment for him, and he has the wherewithal and the thought to think, ‘Let me thank this guy.’ It was special that he did that.”
As for how he felt the moment A$AP Rocky was found guilty of the first count, Joe went on:
“I told my partner, ‘Get him back here, we have another count,” he recalled. “I'm thinking, ‘My God, if the second count doesn't go well, this is gonna be embarrassing.’ But of course it did, and I was confident it was going to.’”
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During his court proceedings, Rocky's children, Riot and RZA Mayers were not present, though Rihanna sat dutifully in the gallery.
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