rihanna
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Asap Rocky and Rihanna are seen at the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2022/23 on February 25, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jacopo M. Raule/Getty Images for Gucci)

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have a relationship timeline that reads like a Hollywood blockbuster romance. Two top-of-their-game music artists, friends for years, suddenly realise they’re meant to be? Sign us up for that kind of romance.

Given their longtime friendship, the couple’s dating history spans more than a decade, even though they haven’t officially been together for that long. Here, we take a look back at where Rihanna and A$AP Rocky first met, how they fell in love, and their wonderful, blossoming romance.

2012

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky blew away the MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of ‘Cockiness (Love It)’. While this was a strictly professional appearance, fans picked up on their searing on-stage chemistry.

March 2013

A$AP Rocky landed the coveted spot of opening act for Rihanna’s Diamonds world tour. While the rapper was also incredibly successful as a music artist in 2013, Rihanna was a global sensation.

He was present for the March through May performances, and then again for some shows in October and November.

September 2013

Rihanna starred in A$AP Rocky’s music video for his hit track ‘Fashion Killa’. She even got a mention in the lyrics,, with A$AP rapping “Her attitude Rihanna, she get it from her mama.”

rihanna a$ap rocky
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 10: Rihanna (L) and A$AP Rocky are seen filming a music video in the Bronx on July 10, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

2015

In an interview with radio station Hot 97, A$AP Rocky was asked about whether he’d ever struck up a relationship with any of his female music artist friends (which included Rihanna). “It never happened,” he said. “If it happened, then it would have happened. We didn’t do that. That’s not what I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to the friendship that I already have with all these females.”

2018

For Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week show, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky sat side-by-side on the front row. However, they were still very much just friends.

Later that year, A$AP Rocky attended the ‘Umbrella’ singer’s Diamond Ball for her education and disaster response foundation, Clara Lionel.

December 2019

In a move that set the internet into a spin, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna appeared together on the red carpet for the British Fashion Awards.

rihanna a$ap rocky
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: ASAP Rocky and Rihanna arrives at The Fashion Awards 2019 held at Royal Albert Hall on December 02, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images)

While the couple didn’t confirm or deny they were together romantically, they posed for plenty of photos together, A$AP even wearing a Fenty suit.

January 2020

News broke that Rihanna had officially split with her long-term boyfriend, Hassan Jameel. The couple had been together three years. The Sun is quick to report that her friendship with A$AP Rocky had turned into something more.

“They shared a hotel suite during that trip in New York,” a source told the outlet. “Rihanna is reluctant to put a label on it as it’s so soon after Hassan. They’re really enjoying each other’s company and taking things easy as it’s still early days. It’s really casual between them and she’s not thinking about whether there’s a future with Rocky. She’s a newly-single girl having fun.”

August 2020

For a GQ video promoting the launch of Fenty Skin, Rihanna invited A$AP Rocky to answer 18 questions. The video is still more friendly than it is romantic, though – Rihanna mainly asks her friend about skincare, but they also discuss working together professionally.

“I think the hardest part about working with you is not goofin’ off and laughing the whole time. Like this s**t is comedy,” A$AP Rocky said. “That’s the hardest part. You know, people be so cool it’s hard not to, not to laugh. That’s all. But it was fun. The hardest part is not having too much fun. You just forget that it’s still work at the end of the day.”

He also starred in the Fenty Skin campaign alongside its founder.

rihanna asap rocky
Credit: Instagram / Fenty Skin

December 2020

By the end of 2020, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were reported to be an official couple. People reported that a source had confirmed their romance, after Page Six alleged that the couple were seen with a group of friends out to dinner in New York.

Later in the month, TMZ release paparazzi pictures showing the couple taking a stroll together, and People again reported on their relationship, with a source telling the outlet “They’ve been inseparable the past few weeks. It’s a new relationship, but they both seem very into it.”

By Christmas Eve, A$AP Rocky was in attendance at Rihanna’s family celebrations, which included a very romantic-seeming cruise in Barbados. People again had the scoop, reporting “Rihanna has been in Barbados since [last] Thursday. … A$AP joined her and they are spending Christmas together with Rihanna’s family.”

January 2021

Continuing to flirt with fans by dropping tiny clues to their relationship, Rihanna posts a promotional snap of herself wearing A$AP Rocky’s footwear collaboration with designer Amina Muaddi.

rihanna A$AP rocky
Credit: Instagram / Rihanna

April 2021

The couple started to head out more in public in early 2021, most notably being photographed at restaurant Delilah in Los Angeles. At the same time, a report via Us Weekly suggests that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had actually gone official way back in the summer of 2020 (mid-year).

“Things changed over the summer and they finally hooked up. They’ve been together ever since,” the insider told the outlet.

May 2021

A$AP Rocky makes it official – like official-official, in his cover story with GQ

He revealed that yes, they had gotten together in the summer of 2020, after renting a tour bus and self-driving across America. “I met myself,” he told the magazine. “Being able to drive and do a tour without feeling like it was an occupation or an obligated job agreement, I feel like that experience is like none other. I never experienced nothing like it.”

He also called Rihanna “The One”, and “the love of my life”. “She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She’s the One.”

June 2021

A$AP Rocky gushed about his relationship on the red carpet for the premiere of his documentary Stockholm Syndrome at the Tribeca Film Festival. “”It’s amazing and I’m honestly truly blessed, for real,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

September 2021

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky famously made their Met Gala debut at the 2021 event, which had the theme ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.’

Rihanna A$AP Rocky
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: ASAP Rocky kisses Rihanna at the 2021 Met Gala benefit “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

The couple arrived late, Rihanna wearing a black Balenciaga gown, and A$AP Rocky in a patchwork coat by Venice Beach-based designer ERL.

January 2022

After months of keeping their relationship on the down-low after the GQ article, the couple debuted Rihanna’s pregnancy on a walk out in Harlem, New York.

rihanna
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Asap Rocky and Rihanna are seen at the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2022/23 on February 25, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jacopo M. Raule/Getty Images for Gucci)

This was also the start of Rihanna’s impeccable pregnancy style. For the trip, she wore a vintage 1996 Chanel puffer coat buttoned over her bust, with layered statement necklaces, including a vintage 1980s Christian Lacroix cross, plus a vintage Chanel chain belt over ripped denim.

February 2022

A source spoke to People about Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s baby news, saying “Having a baby is something she was never focused on, but being with Rocky opened her up to the idea. Everything Rihanna does, she does it her own way on her own time table, and having a baby is no different.”

The source continued, “They’re just like any other pair of parents-to-be. Yes, they happen to be famous but they’re just the cutest, giddiest young couple that’s expecting kids.”

March 2022

As reported by Entertainment Tonight, couple hold a ‘Rave Shower’ instead of a baby shower, inviting close friends from Barbados to celebrate. We don’t know a lot about the party, but photos did leak of these (incredible) party favours.

April 2022

For her Vogue cover story, Rihanna got candid about her relationship with A$AP Rocky and its relationship timeline, acknowledging their long friendship. “People don’t get out of the friend zone very easily with me,” she said. “And I certainly took a while to get over how much I know him and how much he knows me because we also know how much trouble we can land each other in.”

The singer also noted that her mother loved A$AP Rocky. “My mother has a really good read on people. She observes first and then she’ll move slowly. I guess I’m like that too. There are some guys that I’ve dated that she won’t even look at to this day. But she was charmed by him from the jump.”

rihanna a$ap rocky
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: (L-R) Rihanna and ASAP Rocky attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/MG21/Getty Images For Met Museum/Vogue)

It wasn’t all smooth sailing in April, however. Footwear designer Amina Muaddi had to shut down rumours that surfaced about an alleged affair with A$AP Rocky during Rihanna’s pregnancy. “I’ve always believed that an unfounded lie spread on social media doesn’t deserve any response or clarification, especially one that is so vile,” she wrote in an Instagram Story. “I initially assumed that this fake gossip — fabricated with such malicious intent — would not be taken seriously. However, in the last 24 [hours] I’ve been reminded that we live in a society that is so quick to speak on topics regardless of factual basis and that nothing is off limits. Not even during what should be one of the most beautiful and celebrated times in one’s life.”

May 2022

TMZ announced that Rihanna had given birth on May 13, 2022 to a baby boy.

August 2022

While the couple stayed relatively quiet through 2022, a source told Us Weekly exclusively that this was due to devotion as parents. “They rarely leave their baby’s side. They’re being very private about their newborn out of concern for his safety and really just want to keep him away from the public eye for the time being. … They both feel really blessed and couldn’t be happier.”

October 2022

The couple make another red carpet appearance, this time for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

rihanna
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 26: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever” Premiere at Dolby Theatre on October 26, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

December 2022

Rihanna released the first imagery of her baby on TikTok, but while it’s adorable, it’s also sadly something the artist had to do due to pressure from paparazzi.

@rihanna

hacked

♬ original sound – Rihanna

According to CEO of Hollywood Unlocked, Jason Lee, Rihanna didn’t want unauthorised photos of her son released, so she got the jump on them.

January 2023

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attended the Grammy Awards together, where the artist was nominated for Best Original Song for “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

A$AP also opened up to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about fatherhood, saying  “I can’t even explain it, man. You come home to heaven every day. I’m so thankful. God is good, man.”

rihanna asap rocky baby
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 10: 80th Annual GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS — Pictured: (l-r) A$AP Rocky and Rihanna attend the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. — (Photo by Christopher Polk/NBC via Getty Images)

He also gushed over Rihanna’s upcoming Superbowl performance. “This is as huge. This is incredible. I’m so glad that my lady’s back making music again and whatnot, and getting back out there. It’s just incredible. … I’m more excited than everybody else, honestly.”

February 2023

Rihanna revealed her second pregnancy onstage at the Superbowl, initially unveiling the baby bump and later confirming to media that she and A$AP Rocky were expecting their second child.

Rihanna pregnant
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 12: Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Later that month, Rihanna discussed parenthood with British Vogue. “We’re best friends with a baby,” she said. “We have to be on the same page, but we’ve always kind of had that in our relationship. Everything changes when you have a baby but I wouldn’t say it’s done anything but made us closer.”