A$AP Rocky Says Relationship with Rihanna Stems from a 'Lot of History
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In a 'W' magazine cover story interview, the rapper reflects on his earliest moments with his future girlfriend
By Jade Gomez
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A$AP Rocky fondly remembers the moment he knew he wanted to be with Rihanna, and it all started with being kicked out of a club.
In a cover story interview with W magazine on Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Harlem-born rapper (whose real name is Rakim Mayers) opened up about some of his earliest moments with his now-partner, 36, including a serendipitous encounter early on in his career.
“It’s a lot of history between us," Rocky, 36, told the publication. "I was kicked out of this nightclub. They wasn’t giving me no access to it. This is when I’m just starting out, so nobody knows me. I was with Matthew Williams and Virgil [Abloh]. I was getting into it with the bouncers, and she came out. We just locked eyes. She didn’t even know us, but she was like, ‘Yo! Why y’all not letting him in? What’s wrong with you?! Let that man in!'"
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As for when he knew the "Needed Me" singer would be the perfect mother for his future children, Rocky said it was just a feeling. "I knew from when we were younger. We both did, I think. So it was only right when we got older. We just kind of reconnected.”
Rocky and Rihanna's friendship began in 2012 early in the rapper's career, and he even opened for her on her Diamonds World Tour. But it wasn't until 2019 — after Rihanna split from her boyfriend of three years, billionaire Hassan Jameel — that she made it official with the rapper. The couple welcomed their first son RZA in 2022 and had their second son Riot in 2023 after the "Work" musician revealed her pregnancy at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.
The "Fashion Killa" rapper, who was shot for the cover of W magazine by Rihanna herself, noted that the Mercer Hotel in New York City — where the shoot was taking place — is where they fell in love.
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“Virgil Abloh shot the music video for ‘Fashion Killa’ in 2012, and that was the same couch where Rihanna and I sat in the first scene,” he explained. "That was the same room."
In the video, the pair can be seen shopping and cuddling. He even namedrops her in the song almost a decade before the pair made it official: "Her attitude Rihanna, she get it from her mama."
Elsewhere in the interview, Rocky revealed that his forthcoming album Don't Be Dumb, which arrives this fall, will touch on his new life as a father but not explicitly.
"I don’t have a song purely dedicated to fatherhood," he explains. "I do have songs where I’m talking about my life, and fatherhood is one of the things that I bring up, though — adapting to changes and having a work-family balance."
Due to a myriad of issues including sample clearances and leaks, Rocky shared on X (formerly Twitter) in August that the follow-up to 2018's Testing had been delayed. However, he reassures fans that the album is a departure from his older work. "If you take indie, mix it with classical, mix it with vintage Memphis meets Dipset meets Wu-Tang, that’s where I grab a lot of inspiration from,” he explained.
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While Rocky's album is on its way, a timeline for Rihanna's new music remains a mystery. At a Fenty Puma release event in April, the businesswoman confirmed that her new songs are "so good."
Rihanna also revealed that the pair work on music together, and a possible reason for the delay is because "me and Rocky are really trying to figure out who is going to use what."
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