ASAP Rocky and Rihanna transitioned from working relationships to friends, to lovers, and to welcoming two children together. Breakdown of their relationship explored.
For years, the two celebrities have faced dating accusations and continuously shut them down. They’ve essentially assured fans over the course of a decade that their relationship was strictly on a friendship level– despite the flirting and natural chemistry often captured by the media.
The truth finally came to light in 2021 when the two started to be seen out and about together at an increasingly frequent rate. What really finalized the rumors, however, was A$AP referring to RiRi as the love of his life.
Fast forward a year later, the two are open (insofar as paparazzi often catch them out together), but still quite private, about their relationship. They went low-key and welcomed their first child.
On February 12, 2023, all attention was on Rihanna following her buzzy performance at the Super Bowl halftime show that saw the Kansas City Chiefs shockingly defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. She performed while pregnant.
The biggest news about Rihanna throughout 2023 has been about her second pregnancy with A$AP Rocky. Ever since their relationship popped up in the media, both their fan bases have been extremely excited to see what would be to come in their future. On August 21, 2023, TMZ reported Rihanna had secretly given birth to baby number 2 – another son – with A$AP Rocky.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane to see how far the two stars have come together.
How did Rihanna and A$AP Rocky meet?
The pair go way back with the stars first meeting in 2012. They transitioned from collaborators who worked together on their individual projects including the ‘Work’ songstress starring as the love interest in A$AP Rocky’s music video to lovers.
The musical pair were close friends for nearly a decade before their longtime friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
Rihanna and Asap Rocky transitioned from working relationships to friends
September 2012: A$AP Rocky was featured in Rihanna’s song “Cockiness (Love It).” The song was ultimately about Rihanna being dominant in the bedroom with her partner.
September 2012: The duo performed their rhythm-thumping song at the MTV Video Music Awards. During the performance, Rocky grabbed a handful of Rihanna’s booty and planted a kiss on her cheek. This moment was so iconic in pop culture history because it is what initially sparked the idea of them being an item, and quickly went viral across the internet.
March 2013: Rihanna kicked off her Diamonds World Tour. The Barbadian superstar toured across North America and brought A$AP Rocky along. He was her opening act.
September 2013: One of A$AP’s most notable songs is “Fashion Killa.” Rihanna played his love interest in the song’s music video, perhaps inevitably, as he referenced her in the lyrics by saying, “Her attitude Rihanna, she get it from her mama.” In the past twenty-four hours, social media users have hypothesized this song foreshadowed the two’s eventual relationship.
Rihanna and Asap Rocky went off and they dated other people from 2014 to 2017.
October 2014: A$AP Rocky dated Victoria’s Secret Model Chanel Iman for over a year. The two ended up getting engaged in April of 2014 but later split that following fall.
May 2015: During an interview with HOT 97, A$AP Rocky denied all allegations regarding a romantic relationship with Rihanna. He stated, “It never happened. If it happened, then it would have happened. We never did that.”
May 2017: Rocky must have a thing for models. The pretty boy reportedly began dating Kendall Jenner and they went public after attending the Met Gala. However, they broke up three months later.
June 2017: Rocky wasn’t the only one playing the field. Rihanna snatched up billionaire businessman, Hassan Jameel. The two were together for two years before calling it quits in 2020.
Riri and Asap reconnected and they’ve been together since 2018.
June 2018: A$AP and Rihanna are icons in the fashion industry. So the two appearing front row at the Louis Vuitton Runway show during Paris Fashion Week came as no surprise.
January 2020: Here come the rumors again. After Rihanna split from her billionaire boo, she began being seen with A$AP more frequently. The two were first spotted together in New York at a concert as reported in The Sun. This first date night is what sparked the latest batch of rumors concerning their fling.
August 2020: Rihanna’s Fenty line has expanded in recent years making her one of the richest superstars ever. Her advertising campaign for Fenty Skin featured the pretty boy himself, A$AP Rocky, as a model.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s romance became official in December 2020
As the Christmas holidays approached, the stars decided to spend time with each other. They took a cruise in Barbados and spent time with Rihanna’s family according to PopSugar.
It was around this time that a source confirmed to People Magazine that their romance was official, after months of romance rumors following Rihanna’s split from her boyfriend of three years, billionaire Hassan Jameel, in January 2020.
January 2021: Rihanna had to support her man’s endeavors, even if the relationship is low-key. In a New Year’s post, she was seen wearing shoes from Rocky’s collaboration with Amina Muaddi.
May 2021: In an interview with GQ, Rocky finally expressed his true feelings for his girlfriend. He referred to her as his “lady” and the “love” of his life, thus confirming with the world that they were indeed an item.
June 2021: Rihanna and Drake also have their fair share of love stories to tell (and of course, this pregnancy has sparked some responses to that). The two got matching camo-shark tattoos back in 2016 as a symbol of their rumored relationship at the time. Five years and a relationship with A$AP later, RiRi got her ink completely covered up– so we know it’s real.
July 2021: After being seen in the studio together, the couple was spotted once again in New York shooting a music video. People in the area snapped pictures of the two holding hands and looking as stylish as they always do. Of course, this is just one of several NYC-based dates the two were spotted on.
Riri became a billionaire and was still with Rocky, the couple has been spotted out together frequently, on dates and on vacation together.
August 2021: Back in August, Rihanna officially became a billionaire from her numerous endeavors like Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. It seems that, perhaps as a way to celebrate, she and her boo, Rocky, went on a shopping spree around New York City.
September 2021: The two stars arrived at the infamous Met Gala as a couple– making this their first public outing and confirming their relationship wholly for the media. They both coordinated with chic, baggy outfits, and quickly stole the show.
November 2021: A$AP Rocky performed at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California. While he was on stage rapping and engaging with the crowd, Rihanna was in the audience hyping him up and being his biggest fan.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky began making their family and welcomed two babies.
Rihanna revealed she was expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky on Jan. 31, after she was photographed showing off her baby bump in New York City.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child, a baby boy named RZA in Los Angeles on May 19, 2022. “Rihanna is doing well,” said the source. “They are very excited to be parents. Rihanna is already a wonderful mom.”
In August 2023, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their second child together. TMZ, who was the first to report the baby news, reported that Rihanna gave birth to a baby boy on Aug. 3.
A$AP Rocky opens up about fatherhood nearly one month after Rihanna gives birth
A$AP Rocky opened up about fatherhood to Dazed magazine just a few weeks after Rihanna gave birth to their first child. In an interview published on May 30, 2022, Rocky shared how he hopes to raise his kids and the type of father he plans to be.
“I will always remind my children to never lose their imagination, even as adults, no matter what,” Rocky said. He added that he hopes to “raise open-minded children” and “not people who discriminate.” He continued, “And I’m not trying to describe a saint, but realistically, I just want a cool child with cool parents.”
What has Rihanna’s parents said about her being a mother?
Singer Rihanna’s father Ronald Fenty told Page Six that he found out hours before the world did. “I just got the news from her last night, and she sent me some photos,” Ronald said. “I’m just over the moon. She’s beautiful inside and out.”
He added that Rihanna will be a good mom. “Rihanna always said that she wanted children, she loves kids,” Ronald said. “She always takes care of her cousins’ kids… she’s going to be a good mom.”
@rihanna hacked
♬ original sound – Rihanna
Ronald met Rocky in December 2020 and was impressed with the rapper. “I like him,” Ronald said.
Monica, Rihanna’s mother, hasn’t publicly commented on the singer’s first and second pregnancy just yet, but she’s most likely just as cheerful about the news.