A woman has revealed what A$AP Rocky said to her before he jumped over a barricade as fans crowded the streets during Monday's Met Gala.
The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, was by his partner Rihanna's side as she shut down the Met Gala red carpet at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, arriving in a white Valentino hooded gown, adorned with large camellia flowers.
Hours before the show-stopping moment, A$AP Rocky turned heads in a different way when he was seen scaling a barricade outside The Carlyle Hotel, where fans had gathered in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the stars attending the Met Gala.
In video footage posted on social media, A$AP Rocky can be seen wearing a black ensemble that includes a hoodie and shades, as he speaks with men behind him. He then climbed over the barricade, using the shoulder of a seemingly unimpressed woman to hoist himself over.
The "A$AP Forever" hit maker then turned to face the confused crowd and removed his hood to reveal his face, prompting the throng of bystanders to break into screams.
After the moment went viral on Twitter, the bystander whose shoulder was used to aid the musician's fence leap shared a photo of herself in the crowd, writing: "Hello I'm the girl."
"You were so mad until you saw who it was," wrote one Twitter user, prompting her to respond: "He tapped my shoulder and was like 'sweetheart I need to get through' and I went 'no' and then he just shoved."
he tapped my shoulder and was like “sweetheart i need to get through” and i went “no” and then he just shoved😭
— maddy (@youareasapmadz) May 1, 2023The woman, later revealed to be Madelyn Llanes, 21, from Long Island, New York, spoke with U.K. newspaper The Independent about the experience.
"I went to The Carlyle early in the day just so I'd be able to see everyone's outfits up close as they'd head out," she recalled. "What happened with A$AP Rocky is that I had felt someone tapping my shoulder, so I turned around and saw that it was him but my brain didn't fully comprehend that it was him.
"He said: 'Sweetheart I need to get through' and I just told him 'no' because the barricade was right in front of me, there wasn't really anywhere to go."
She continued: "He just pushed his way up and then hopped over and grabbed me and the guy next to me as he did. After he hopped over, he was like 'thank you' and then just laughed and flipped me off and then he went inside and that's when I fully realized it was him."
Llanes added that the crowd "freaked out" once they realized that a celebrity had been in their midst.
"Everyone sort of had the same reaction. Everyone just freaked out that he had walked right through all of us," she said.
Later on Monday, A$AP Rocky emerged on the Met Gala red carpet in an eye-catching recreation of one of Karl Lagerfeld's most iconic looks—with his own twist. The musician sported a red tartan kilt over a pair of baggy embellished jeans, as well as a tailored blazer, a button-down shirt and black tie.
The theme of this year's Met Gala was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," a tribute to the late German fashion designer.
Newsweek has reached out via email to a representative of A$AP Rocky for comment.
Update 5/2/23, 5:33 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and a new picture.
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