Getty Rihanna & A$AP Rocky
From friend-zone to end-zone! Rihanna and A$AP Rocky first sparked dating rumors in 2020 after Rihanna split from her long-term boyfriend and Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel.
Shortly after she called things off with Hassan, the “Umbrella” singer attended a concert with A$AP that was being held in honor of his friend A$AP Yams, who passed away from a drug overdose in 2015, Us Weekly reported. After Rihanna attended the event alongside A$AP, fans began to speculate that the two were an item.
In honor of Rihanna’s highly anticipated Super Bowl performance, here is a look back at her and A$AP’s love story.
Relationship Timeline: They Started as Friends
2012
Nearly a decade before they became an item, Rihanna performed a remix of her song “Cockiness (Love It)” with A$AP at the MTV VMAs in September 2012.
Rihanna kicked off the number in red pants, a sheer red top, and black sunglasses. A$AP joined the number later on and the songstress greeted him with a wink. The two delivered a flirty performance that certainly caught fans’ attention.
At one point, the rapper leaned over and planted a kiss on Rihanna’s cheek.
2013
The following year the two teamed up for a variety of projects. In September 2013, Rihanna appeared in A$AP’s music video “Fashion Killa.”
The pop sensation wore a zebra-print ensemble and kissed a mannequin while the lyrics, “We’ll go shoppin’ like mañana. Her attitude Rihanna, she get it from her mama.”
According to Cosmopolitan, romance rumors began to swirl later that year after the two were seen getting cozy in New York. A$AP denied the rumors at the time, telling Distracitfy, “I don’t even look at her like that. She’s sexy, but I’m good.”
2018
According to People, Rihanna and A$AP were spotted together once again when they attended the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2018.
Relationship Timeline: Romance Rumors
January 2020
In January 2020, the same month Rihanna split from her boyfriend Hassan, rumors began to circulate online that the “Love on the Brain” singer was dating A$AP.
A source told The Sun the two were an item but keeping things casual.
“They shared a hotel suite during that trip in New York,” the source revealed in January 2020. “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.”
July 2020
Rihanna and A$AP chose not to address the romance rumors but after they collaborated on a Fenty skin campaign in July 2020, fans couldn’t ignore their natural chemistry.
Rihanna shared a photo of her and A$AP in July 2020 to promote the campaign.
“That’s right baby…@fentyskin is for my fellas too! No matter who you are, you deserve to have great skin! 👌🏿 More product details soon come,” she wrote in the caption.
August 2020
In August 2020, the two appeared in a GQ video to promote the campaign.
In the video, Rihanna asked A$AP 18 rapid-fire questions.
The two exchanged a few laughs and shared the most challenging part of working together on the Fenty campaign.
A$AP said it was hard not to goof off while working with the popstar.
“This s*** is comedy,” he said. “That’s the hardest part. We so cool, it’s just hard not to laugh, that’s all.”
May 2021
In May 2021, A$AP gushed about his relationship with Rihanna in an interview with GQ.
In the interview, the rapper called Rihanna “the One” and said his romantic life is “so much better” with the singer.
“So much better when you got the one,” he said. “She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She’s the One.”
September 2021
In September 2021, Rihanna and A$AP attended the Met Gala together in New York City.
The theme for the star-studded event was “In America: The lexicon of fashion.”
According to Glamour, Rihanna’s look was designed by Balenciaga, while A$AP went with a multicolored ensemble by Eli Russell Linnetz.
January 2022
In January 2022, Rihanna confirmed she was expecting her first baby with the rapper after she posed for a photo showing off her baby bump, People reported.
May 2022
Rihanna and A$AP welcomed their first child together in May 2022, People reported.
That same month rumors that the two were engaged began to circulate after A$AP released the video for his song “D.M.B.” In the video, the couple flashed their grills at each other. A$AP’s grill said, “Marry Me?” while Rihanna’s said “I do.”
A source close to the couple put the rumors to rest in May 2021, telling TMZ that Rihanna and A$AP did not get engaged and that the grills were just “for fun.”