A$AP Rocky and Rihanna manage to grab everyone's attention while simultaneously being quite a private couple. The two high-profile artists top the charts, run successful businesses, perform at the Super Bowl, and share two children, yet manage to keep themselves out of any drama. Whenever they're photographed in public, they look fashionable and very much in love.
Rihanna opened up about their relationship in a cover interview with Mel Otternberg for Interview Magazine. The music and fashion icon discussed becoming a mother, falling in love with Rocky, and how her career is progressing. She even detailed what's in her bag—a YSL duffle bag she converted into a diaper bag (complete with Riot's rag, RZA's pacifier, Fenty perfume, and Vicks cough drops).
Until now, it had been unclear when the pair started dating, as they only spoke out about their relationship in 2021 when Rocky called Rihanna "the one." But she revealed that things turned from friendship to more back in 2019.
"We’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve seen him in relationships. He’s seen me in relationships," Rihanna explained. "We’ve seen each other outside of relationships. We knew what we’re capable of, and the trouble that we could bring to each other’s lives. We can make or break each other’s hearts. And so, we started dating with a lot of caution."
"I just let whatever was supposed to happen, happen. It was just, 'This is a flower. It’s either going to die or blossom. But I’m going to let it decide itself,'" she continued.
Their relationship took off right before COVID-19 hit, which definitely changed the game for dating. But in their case, the pandemic only fueled their burgeoning romance. "COVID sped up our relationship, which I felt like God knew we needed because we were going to start a family," Rihanna said. "And had it not been for COVID, we would’ve taken a lot more time to get comfortable with each other, to even know that we were ready."
Rihanna has dated several other celebrities in the past, including Chris Brown and Drake. But she shared how this relationship is so different and how much she can be herself with Rocky: "Because in previous relationships, I tried and tried and tried my best, and you still feel like it’s not enough," she said. "So when someone sees you completely, and believes in you, and thinks you’re worthy of being the mother of their kids, it’s a great feeling. I felt the same about him. I knew he would be a great dad."
The pair welcomed their first son, RZA, in May 2022 and their second son, Riot Rose, in August of last year. The singer revealed her second pregnancy at her record-breaking Super Bowl performance, although she has since specified that this was not her intention. Her outfit wouldn't zip up over her bump, leaving her with no choice.
When asked how many kids Rihanna wants to have, she responded that she'd like "as many as God wants me to have." When further pushed, she specified that she'd like more than two if possible. "I would try for my girl. But of course, if it’s another boy, it’s another boy," she said.
Starting as friends may be why Rihanna and Rocky make such a great parenting team. She explained that they share the workload and consistently support one another. "Rocky has never shied away from [changing diapers]. He does the shirt up over the nose with a stinky diaper. He gets through it. It’s kind of funny," she said.
Rihanna also shared what son RZA's first word was, telling the publication "I used to try to get his attention all the time, and I would say, 'Hey, hey, hey,'" Rihanna explained. "And one day he said it back to me in the same melody and I kept singing it and he kept following it over and over again."
Perhaps he'll be a musical prodigy like 10-year-old North West?
Rihanna also sings to her kids, but nothing from her own albums. Instead, she sings "Penguins Salute," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." (You know, the classics.)
When asked whether she could have imagined her life turning out this way 10 or 15 years ago, Rihanna expressed that she would have been surprised. "I wouldn’t have had any idea," she answered. "The only thing that I knew I wanted, or that I could imagine, was motherhood. I didn’t know how it would come, but it is the best part of my journey so far. Everything else was a surprise."
But one question in particular made her pause briefly to really consider her answer. When asked what she was afraid of, Rihanna needed a second to respond. "I’m actually afraid of shit," she admitted. "The well-being of your kids, you worry about that constantly. Nobody warns you that having kids means you’re going to worry every second of your life. Right? And betrayal, because disappointment is one of the emotions I don’t handle well. I feel like I’m just allergic to that shit."
