In a super sweet cover story for W Magazine, rap superstar A$AP Rocky opens up about his deep love for Rihanna, his two adorable sons, and gives a little insight on his upcoming album, “Don’t Be Dumb.” This latest spread is particularly special, as it features Rihanna herself behind the camera, capturing stunning shots of the Fashion Killa.
Rocky begins by reminiscing about the first time he and Rihanna crossed paths. He recalls, “It’s a lot of history between us. I was kicked out of this nightclub. They wasn’t giving me no access to it. This is when I’m just starting out, so nobody knows me. I was with Matthew Williams and Virgil. I was getting into it with the bouncers, and she came out. We just locked eyes. She didn’t even know us, but she was like, ‘Yo! Why y’all not letting him in? What’s wrong with you?! Let that man in!’ “ the Magazine quotes. After reuniting later in life, the connection they formed blossomed into something beautiful.
Discussing his feelings for Rihanna, Rocky reveals how he knew she was the right person to be the mother of his children. He shares, “I knew from when we were younger. We both did, I think. So it was only right when we got older. We just kind of reconnected,” around 2019 and 2020.
The couple welcomed their first child, RZA, in 2022, followed by their son Riot in 2023. Rocky describes his sons, saying, “I think RZA is going to keep to himself. He’s an introvert. Riot’s an extrovert—he’s just like his mom. RZA is more so like his dad, like me. And he’s my twin. He got his mom’s forehead, but he got everything else from me. I love my boy’s big forehead! I loved it on his mother. Listen to ‘Jukebox Joints.’”
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As he embraces fatherhood, now two years in, Rocky is also focusing on his other passion: music. He is preparing to release his new album, “Don’t Be Dumb,” and while he feels confident about this project, he acknowledges that it differs from his previous work.
“I’m more concerned with the new introduction to my fans,” he explains. “They changed. I changed. We changed. And you got to get familiar with yourself first and then start to introduce it to others. I don’t have a song purely dedicated to fatherhood. I do have songs where I’m talking about my life, and fatherhood is one of the things that I bring up, though—adapting to changes and having a work-family balance. It’s been quite the roller coaster figuring out what songs I like and what songs I got tired of quick. If I get tired of a song in three months or six months, maybe the fans will too.”
Describing the vibe of his music, Rocky says, “If you take indie, mix it with classical, mix it with vintage Memphis meets Dipset meets Wu-Tang, that’s where I grab a lot of inspiration from.”
For more insights from his W Magazine cover story, click here.