A$AP Rocky made his first return to Sweden following his arrest in the country last summer for a lively performance at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm on Wednesday. The rapper donated a portion of the ticket proceeds to Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups, which is a volunteer organization that works with refugees and asylum seekers.
A$AP Rocky tweeted that he had originally wanted to perform for his former fellow inmates as a way to spotlight issues that immigrants and the poor face as well as give back to those that supported him, but he was not granted permission to do so and held the Ericsson Globe concert instead.
EVEN WHEN IM DENIED ACCESS TO DONATE OR PERFORM FOR THE INMATES IN SWEDEN I STILL WANT TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR THE IMMIGRANTS AND POOR PPL OF OUTSIDE SURROUNDING AREAS , THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT JOURNEY , BUT I FEEL ITS MY TASK TO GIVE BACK TO PPL WHO SUPPORTED ME WHEN I WAS DOWN
— LORD FLACKO JODYE II (@asvpxrocky) December 9, 2019
While the rapper’s legal ordeal in Sweden has been settled, the experience was a theme during his concert on Wednesday. A$AP Rocky performed atop a long cage where his dance crew was imprisoned. He later joined them inside the cage for “Babushka Boi.”
“Purity,” “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2),” “A$AP Forever,” “Buck Shots,” “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” and “Distorted Records” were among the songs he performed on Wednesday. Swedish artists Jireel, Z.E. and Dree Low opened the set.
In July, the rapper was arrested and taken into custody in Sweden on an assault charge following an altercation with two men in the street. In August, A$AP Rocky was found guilty of assault in Sweden, but did not face additional jail time.