Rihanna, 36, and A$AP Rocky, 35, were very cautious at the beginning of their relationship.
In the spring 2024 issue of Interview Magazine, Rihanna talked about her relationship with Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, and said they didn't rush into anything when they first started dating.
"We knew what we’re capable of and the trouble that we could bring to each other’s lives. We can make or break each other’s hearts. And so, we started dating with a lot of caution," she said.
"I just let whatever was supposed to happen, happen. It was just, 'This is a flower. It’s either going to die or blossom. But I’m going to let it decide itself,'" the "Diamonds" singer continued.
Since the couple started dating, they have forged a reputation as one of the music industry's ultimate power couple. For so long, the duo appeared to define their relationship as being a good friendship.
Then, in January 2022, Rihanna was seen with a baby bump in New York City and Rocky by her side. Soon after, in May 2022, the “Angels” rapper confirmed his relationship with the fashion icon in an interview with GQ when he declared that the singer was his “lady” and the “love of my life.”
Multiple news outlets then reported that Rihanna and Rocky had welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in May of that same year. Then, in August 2023, they welcomed their second child, son Riot Rose Mayers.
In an interview with Dazed magazine, Rocky said he hopes to “raise open-minded children” and “not people who discriminate.”
“I’m not trying to describe a saint,” he said at the time. “But realistically, I just want a cool child with cool parents.”
Read on for a full timeline of Rihanna and Mayer's relationship.
2012: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky collaborate on 'Cockiness' remix
In 2012, Rocky jumped on the remix of Rihanna’s hit single “Cockiness (Love It).”
The original tune was a part of Rihanna’s sixth studio album, “Talk That Talk.” For the remix, Rocky lent his skills to the song’s first verse, which he rapped. Later, the two would go on to perform the remix at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, where they leaned into a flirtatious performance.
Soon after their collaboration for the “Cockiness (Love It)” remix, Rocky joined Rihanna during the North American leg of her Diamonds World Tour in March 2013. According to Billboard, the rapper appeared as his future girlfriend's opening act.
September 2013: Rihanna plays A$AP Rocky's girlfriend in his 'Fashion Killa' music video
Rocky and Rihanna got even more face time together when the “Diamonds” singer starred in Rocky’s 2013 music video, “Fashion Killa,” as his very stylish girlfriend.
In the song, Rocky raps, “Her attitude Rihanna (Uh) / She get it from her mama (Yeah) / She jiggy like Madonna, but she trippy like Nirvana (Woo).”
The word on Rihanna and Rocky's relationship status was still up in the air at this time. Still, there was no doubt that their flirtatious dynamic in the video spelled out their chemistry.
September 2018: A$AP Rocky attends Rihanna's Diamond ball
Since 2014, Rhianna has held the Diamond Ball, an event that allows her nonprofit organization, Clara Lionel Foundation, an opportunity to raise funds for its worldwide efforts.
Providing help to communities in the Caribbean and the U.S. to prepare for and withstand natural disasters are among these endeavors.
In September 2018, Rocky attended the annual charity event to show his support rocking an all-black suit and white sneakers. At the same time the next year, for the second time in a row, Rocky showed up to support Rihanna at her annual ball.
December 2019: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky make their red-carpet debut
In December 2019, romance rumors started to heat up between Rihanna and Rocky when they made their red carpet debut at the British Fashion Awards.
For the event, they both wore looks from Rihanna's fashion brand Fenty, according to Complex.
In fact, Rocky loved Rihanna's look so much that he told GQ in an August 2020 interview that Rihanna's outfit was one of his all-time favorite looks, describing it as “fire.”
July 2020: A$AP Rocky wears makeup to promote Rihanna's Fenty Skin line
In the summer of 2020, Rihanna and Rocky collaborated on the launch of her Fenty Skin band. The ad campaign drove home the message that makeup is for everyone. To help her promote her gender-inclusive line, Rocky sported makeup and nail polish while smiling and having a good time in for a Fenty ad.
May 2021: A$AP Rocky confirms he and Rihanna are dating
In May 2021, Rocky spoke to GQ, and called Rihanna “the love of my life.”
When asked how it feels to be in a relationship, Rocky gushed over Rihanna, and said it is “so much better when you got the One.”
“She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones,” he said, before going on to add, “I think when you know, you know. She’s the One.”
It was during this interview that the rapper also said that the two went on a pivotal road trip in the summer of 2020 that allowed their relationship to evolve, which Rihanna echoed during an interview with Vogue.
“I met myself,” he said of the trip, during which he and Rihanna rented out a tour bus and drove around the U.S.
“Being able to drive ... without feeling like it was an occupation or an obligated job agreement, I feel like that experience is like none other,” Rocky said. “I never experienced nothing like it.”
September 2021: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend the Met Gala together
In September 2021, Rihanna and Rocky appeared at one of the entertainment industry's biggest events for power couples when they took on the red carpet at the Met Gala.
That year, the theme of the fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art was American Independence.
In keeping with the evening's subject, Rihanna wore an all-black puffy coat dress by Balenciaga. Rocky donned a custom quilt by ERL designer Eli Russell Linnetz.
However, one sentimental detail of Rocky's quilt set him out: It was made by a fan's great-grandmother, who didn't know that her family's donated quilt would one day end up at the Met Gala.
January 2022: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reveal they're expecting a child
Rihanna debuted her baby bump for the first time in January 2022, when she and Rocky were spotted walking hand-in-hand in New York City.
April 2022: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky face cheating rumors
During Rihanna’s pregnancy, gossip started to spread on Twitter in April 2022 that Ri and Rocky broke up after she allegedly caught him cheating with designer Amina Muaddi.
In response to the unverified claims, Muaddi released her own statement on Twitter, where she called the rumors an “unfounded lie” that was spread on social media with “malicious intent” to hurt the couple.
“In the last 24h 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,” she wrote in a tweet at the time.
“Therefore, I have to speak up as this is not only directed towards me, but it is related to people I have a great amount of respect and affection for,” Muaddi continued.
The designer, who has worked on Rihanna’s Fenty brand, ended her statement by wishing everyone a “beautiful Easter weekend.”
Despite the statement issued by Muaddi, the couple never addressed the rumors.
April 2022: A$AP Rocky is arrested in connection with a shooting
April 2022 proved to be an even more difficult month for the couple when Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting that occurred in November 2021, according to NBC News.
The outlet reported that Rocky was taken into custody after he arrived in Los Angeles from a vacation with Rihanna in Barbados, where she is from. After spending three hours in jail, Rocky was released after posting bond.
According to NBC News, the shooting victim told police that Rocky approached him with a handgun in Hollywood on the street near Vista Del Mar and Selma Avenue around 10:20 p.m. and shot at him three to four times.
The “Praise the Lord” rapper is being charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
He pleaded not guilty the charges.
May 2022: A$AP Rocky's 'D.M.B.' music video hints at marriage and his jail time
In May 2022, Rocky released the music video for his single “D.M.B.”
“D.M.B.” is an abbreviation for “dat’s my b****” and in the song’s lyrics, Rocky shepherds listeners through the history of the couple’s romantic relationship.
The music video, which debuted at the same time as the single, follows Rocky and Rihanna around New York City as they visit a hair salon, a flea market and have dinner on a fire escape.
Towards the end of the video, the two appear to commit to getting married, with Rocky flashing a set of grills on his teeth that read “Marry Me” and Rihanna sporting a set of her own that says “I Do.” Later, the music video shows Rihanna picking up Rocky from jail with a smile and then shows the two at a wedding celebration and sharing a kiss.
A press release shared by People described the video as an “ode to the classic love story.”
They are not publicly engaged or married.
May 2022: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky become first-time parents
In May 2022, multiple news outlets reported that Rihanna and Rocky welcomed their first child, a baby boy, together.
December 2022 proved to be an exciting time for Rihanna and Rocky's fans because that was when Rihanna shared a video of their baby with the public in a TikTok video for the first time.
In the clip, the couple's sweet baby boy smiles in a car seat while Rihanna is heard videotaping him in the background.
Rihanna captioned the TikTok "hacked," and her fans couldn't get enough of it.
One person commented, "That little man doesn’t even realize his mama is RIHANNA."
Another said, "he looks exactly like Rihanna omg, that’s so adorable."
The couple has not yet revealed their baby's name.
February 2023: Rihanna reveals she's pregnant with baby No. 2 during the Super Bowl
In February 2023, Rihanna revealed she was pregnant with baby No. 2 when she showed off her baby bump while performing a medley of hits at the Super Bowl LVII.
While taking the stage during the halftime show, she would sometimes place her hand on her stomach.
After the performance, Rihanna’s reps told NBC News that the "Umbrella" singer was indeed pregnant with her second child with Rocky.
August 2023: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcome their second child
In August 2023, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their second son, Riot Rose Mayers, together.
Shortly after their child was born, a source close to the couple told NBC News that Rihanna and Rocky were "overwhelmed with happiness."
According to a birth certificate obtained by Access Hollywood in September 2023 and viewed by TODAY.com, the baby boy was born at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 1, 2023.
April 2024: Rihanna says she and Rocky started dating with "a lot of caution"
Rihanna opened up about her early relationship with Rocky in the spring 2024 issue of Interview magazine. Rihanna, who appeared on the cover, said she and Rocky approached their relationship with "a lot of caution" when they first started dating.
"We’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve seen him in relationships. He’s seen me in relationships. 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," she said. "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 added.
Rihanna explained that her relationship with Rocky was fast-tracked because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"COVID sped up our relationship, which I felt like god knew we needed because we were going to start a family. 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," she said.
Looking back, Rihanna says she's thankful for how her relationship played out with Rocky.
"I let god lead and just let go," she said. "Because in previous relationships, I tried and tried and tried my best, and you still feel like it’s not enough. 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."