A$AP Rocky talks about the unexpected person who helped him experience a life-changing romance with his mother, Rihanna.
During a recent appearance on the January 15 episode of Pop broadcastthe rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, revealed that his mother, Renee Black, was the first to suggest he date the global superstar long before their friendship became romantic.
Looking back, A$AP shared that his mother was surprisingly blunt about it.
“My mom used to say things like, ‘I know you like this girl you’re with right now,'” he recalled, adding that she would then say, “‘But I want you with Riri.'”
At the time, he had ignored her, insisting they were just friends.
“‘Mom, why do you keep saying that? This girl doesn’t even want me like that. Like you’re cool, Mom. Like she’s just my friend. Relax,'” he remembers telling her.
But his mother didn’t back down. “‘I’m telling you, she’s real,'” A$AP said, before adding with a laugh, “And mothers know best.”
Their bond eventually evolved into a romantic relationship in late 2019, and since then, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have started a family together.
The couple now share three children: RZA, 3, Riot, 2, and Rocki, who is only three months old.
For A$AP, the connection always felt natural, even inevitable.
“It felt like we were on the same page,” he said. “Born the same year. My dad is from his country. My family, when I go back, I see both sides of my family. There are so many similarities, it’s just funny. We laugh about it a lot.”
Even before romance came into play, he admitted there was always something special about it.
“She’s always been my sweetheart, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “Like I’ve always fucked with her.”
Still, A$AP believes the timing was important.
“I’m grateful that she was put into my life at that time,” he shared, explaining that neither of them were ready sooner.
Rihanna echoed that sentiment, later saying the pandemic played a role in accelerating their relationship. “Covid accelerated our relationship,” she told Interview Magazine in 2024. “There was no denying it… It just happened.” »
In the end, it seems her mother saw the romance coming long before either of them.
