ASAP Rocky says that former President Donald Trump “didn’t free” him from Swedish prison, adding that if anything, “he made it a little worse.”
In the new Stockholm Syndrome documentary directed by The Architects, which chronicalizes ASAP’s 2019 assault trial and July 2019 experience in prison in Sweden, Rocky opens up about the whole ordeal with Trump, as reported by Rolling Stone. And the film, as ET shares, also features appearances from Tyler, The Creator, Rihanna and others.
“I’m sleeping in my halfway dream,” he says in the film. “I heard my name. I kind of opened my eyes and closed my eyes again and then they said my name again. And I opened my eyes and I’m like, ‘Yo, what the fuck?’”
Rocky also discusses what it was like to see Trump mention his name and his case so publicly—when he tweeted for Sweden to “free” the rapper from prison in late July.
“Many, many members of the African American community have called me — friends of mine — and said, ‘Could you help?’” Trump could be heard saying in the film. “So I personally don’t know ASAP Rocky but I can tell you that he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country … I have been called by so many people asking me to help ASAP Rocky.”
The film, which premiered Sunday night at the Tribeca Film Festival, follows Rocky’s month in prison, while highlighting how Kim Kardashian and now-former husband Kanye West reportedly informed Trump of his situation, as Rocky says he felt “scared that Trump was going to fuck it up.”
“But then on the other hand, I’m just like, ‘That’s what’s up, man.’ You want the most support you could and it’s like, ‘Oh, the president supports you.’ That felt good. Cause for the most part, I don’t think he ever knows what’s going on in the urban communities … I was thankful for that, I can’t lie. I was also scared that it would jeopardize me being in [jail] longer.”
As Rolling Stone reports, Rocky admits at the end of the film that “it was a chess move and they tried to strong arm a lot.”
“In reality, I had no problem saying thank you to the man, especially if he helped me,” Rocky says. “That’s the narrative they pushin’: That he got me out. And he didn’t free me. If anything, he made it a little worse.”
At the film’s red carpet, as reported by People, Rocky shared that despite everything, he’ll always have a “connection” to Sweden.
“Listen, I have a connection with Sweden,” he said. “… the architecture, I like innovations – I love all of it all. So for me, fashion, art – it all correlates to me and my style and my taste preference personally, so that’s why I am always going to continue to go back.”
