Dating back to the 1800s, artist renderings have been used to capture the scene from inside of court hearings and it’s a practice that still carries on today. While courtroom art is mostly used in federal cases where cameras are not allowed, it has also been used in some highly televised hearings in the past. Over the years, many rappers caught up in legal issues or testifying in court cases have found themselves stamped in history via courtroom sketches.
A$AP Rocky’s 2019 assault trial in Stockholm, Sweden was documented visually via courtroom art. The Harlem rapper’s sketch shows him and his lawyers looking on intently during the proceedings. The A$AP Mob founder wound up being convicted but was given a suspended prison sentence as he had already served over a month in jail fighting the case.
Last August, Tory Lanez’s sentencing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion was captured via courtroom art, which showed the Los Angeles jail jumpsuit-clad rapper pleading with the judge for a lighter sentence. Tory ended up being sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Diddy has yet to be seen by the public since his arrest in September of 2024. However, his courtroom visits have been brought to life via court sketches drawn by seasoned courtroom artists Jane Rosenberg and Christine Cornell who were on hand to capture the embattled media mogul’s likeness. Many of the sketches have shown Diddy with a stoic look on his face.
See nine courtroom sketches featuring rappers below.
A$AP Rocky
Anna Harvard/AFP via Getty Images
