ASAP Mob co-founder ASAP Bari (real name Jabari Shelton) pleaded guilty to one of two sexual assault charges stemming from a July 2017 incident at The Curtain hotel in Shoreditch, London. The 27-year-old fashion designer must pay a £4,000 ($5,000) fine and £2,500 ($3,500) in compensation to the victim, according to the Daily Mail. At the sentencing, Judge Zoe Smith QC stated, “The court does have concerns in this matter because it has exposed a very unpleasant attitude by you towards women.”
Nearly two years ago, a disturbing video circulated on social media of Shelton yelling, “You fucked my assistant. Now, you’re going to suck my dick,” to a naked woman in bed as he slaps her butt. The woman in the video yells, “Stop it, Bari, honestly stop.” Shelton called the video “misleading” in a statement to The Fader upon its release. Prosecutor James Lofthouse explained that Shelton met the woman at the Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park, where she denied his advances, reports the Daily Mail. A day later, she was awoken at 4:30 a.m. by Shelton, who saw her in bed with an associate. Shelton was arrested for the assault in May.
Shelton is best known for being the co-founder of the streetwear brand VLONE. His highly sought out apparel led to collaborations with Nike and working with Kanye West. After the release of the assault video to social media, Nike severed ties with the designer. West defended Shelton after the allegations, stating, “Bari challenged me when no one else did and, when he got in trouble, I was scared to say he was my friend just like I did with xxx and that was some pussy shit on my part. Jedis never let perception and cancel culture get between them.”
Shelton’s company Vlone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.