ASAP Rocky is opening up about the frightening shooting at the home he shares with Rihanna.
In a new interview with VIBE, the rapper reflected on the frightening experience that took place outside of their Los Angeles residence in early March.
Near the 14-minute mark in the video linked here, journalist Jeff Ihaza asked the rapper about his immediate reaction following the incident.
“It was fucked up. it was hurtful,” Rocky said. “It was scary, all that shit. you know? Somebody attempted at me and my family. That shit was just fucked up and it was unprovoked. It was out of nowhere."
The conversation shifted to celebrity culture and whether increasingly intense online fandom has made situations like this more common. Rocky pushed back on that framing, arguing that devoted fans have always found ways to get close to public figures.
"Nah, bro. They've been on that before I was even famous, bro,” Rocky explained. “Robert DeNiro would land in London and you’d already have 30 fans at his hotel. Leonardo DiCaprio, fucking whoever, Kanye ... that was before internet. Fans that [are] real loyal fans, and stans [who] love you that much-they gonna figure out a way to get to you, welcome you."
Rocky added that most fans simply want a brief interaction.
“Sometimes they want a hug. They want an autograph, They want a ‘what's up?’ They want a picture. They want simple shit, you know?” he said. “And I don't want that one incident to set a precedent."
While acknowledging the shooting changed aspects of his life, Rocky distinguished the incident from the behavior of ordinary supporters.
"There are mentally challenged people out there, obviously. And there are people who are mentally ill and shit, and there are lots of people who are normal and are just fans," he said. "And that incident definitely had changed a lot. But it took away a lot of peace and happiness of being able to just be free. But in my own city, I do not feel afraid or threatened."
The interview comes as the criminal case tied to the shooting continues.
Ivanna Ortiz, a 35-year-old Florida woman accused of opening fire at Rihanna's Los Angeles-area home in March, is scheduled for a competency hearing this month. The hearing will determine whether she is mentally fit to stand trial after her public defender reportedly raised concerns about her competency.
Ortiz has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and shooting at an inhabited dwelling or camper.
Both Rihanna and Rocky were on the property at the time of the shooting, along with their three children. No injuries were reported.
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty and could face a life sentence if convicted.
