Swedish prison chief balks at accusations of inhumane jail conditions for A$AP Rocky

An official with Kronoberg Prison in Stockholm, says his facility treats inmates humanely, but others close to the rapper's case say that is not so

Melanie Eversley

Jul 11, 2019

A prison boss in Sweden is defending accusations that rapper/actor A$AP Rocky is imprisoned in conditions that the U.S. Consulate likened to “walking into a toilet.”

The tensions stem from a TMZ report in which sources close to the MC’s case told the news organization of feces tossed around by a neighboring inmate with mental issues, horrible food, as well as having to sleep on a yoga mat, being fed only an apple daily and given dirty drinking water.

Fellow rapper A$AP Ferg has also claimed that A$AP Rocky is being held in solitary confinement at Stockholm’s Kronoberg Prison

A$AP Rocky, 30, whose given name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested on suspicion of assault when a fight broke out after his performance at the Smash Festival in Stockholm. He quickly took to his Instagram account to share two video clips linked to the incident as proof of his innocence.

In the videos, the A$AP Mob member and his entourage can be seen interacting with two men who appear to be arguing over a set of headphones, they are apparently asked to stop following the group. However, TMZ posted video of the rapper punching someone.

Prison chief Fredrik Wallin tells the BBC that the jail facility was renovated in recent years and the cells reconstructed. He says that the prison is in “good condition.” He says that all cells at Kronoberg are equipped with a bed, desk and television.

Wallin said that all inmates in Sweden receive three meals a day and a professional cleaning company immediately takes care of food spillage or incidents involving blood, according to the BBC.

“This is done for the sake of the prisoners as well as for our staff, for them to have decent working conditions,” he said.

After a hearing on Friday, Swedish authorities opted to keep Rocky in jail for two additional weeks while they investigate the alleged fight. The delay has cost the rapper about $1 million in lost earnings because the extended detainment has forced him to miss scheduled performances at Longitude in Dublin, Ireland, and the Open-er Festival in Dublin, according to the BBC.