Explosive rows & mighty ego wars almost finished off Rihanna & A$AP Rocky – but ‘light switch’ moment changed everything
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna may be seen as one of Hollywood’s power couples - but their journey to true love has seen fireworks, to put it lightly.
Incredibly, the two superstars overcame heated arguments and a clash of mighty egos before committing to each other, insiders can reveal.
A Los Angeles source insists that the 37-year-old Barbadian pop maestro and fashion influencer "was the one causing the blow-up and the dramas".
But the insider told The Sun: "A$AP has an edge too and an arrogance of thinking he will get his way no matter what. And he snaps, because he does have a short temper.
"It caused quite a few rough patches when, although they were just hanging out together, it looked like they may never be friends, let alone anything else."
The source claims that Rihanna, 37, openly told acquaintances in the late Noughties that her attitude to dating was: "I am not easy to handle or control and I do what I want to do when I want - and that is how you have to deal with me."
The Umbrella and We Found Love hitmaker is believed to have warned suitors like Rocky, "You will never be able to handle me".
Things were good for a week and then they’d have a blowout. Much of it centred on ego and being dominant around each other.
Harlem-born A$AP, who she says wallows in his "cool, tough, no-nonsense street raised guy-style", always countered his future baby mama with lines like: “You can’t handle me anyway."
Rihanna and A$AP had been partying and hanging out on and off since 2016, after meeting on his 2012 video shoot for Fashion Killa - but the relationship did not become serious until three years later.
The pop star's previous relationship with rapper Chris Brown was turbulent, ending in 2009 when it was revealed he had assaulted her.
And other romances, with the likes of Drake and Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel, were brief while rumoured flings with Lewis Hamilton, Leonardo DiCaprio and footballer Karim Benzema fizzled out.
The music executive source said: "They were attracted to one another, but when they started hanging out, there was talk of them blowing very hot and cold.
"Things were good for a week and then they’d have a blowout. Much of it centred on ego and being dominant around each other.
"Quite a few people close to her felt Rocky was never the right match. He was too much like her - combative, provocative and self-confident that everything had to be done his way. But she has been the same for a while and is very much her own woman.
"If he p***ed her off, she would let him have it. People forget she grew up with her dad, who battled drug addictions and has little time for games."
She previously told Rolling Stone how dad Ronald, would beat her mother, and in 2013, quietly paid for him to go through a rehab programme.
The source added: "At one point in 2018, they [Rihanna and Rocky] stopped talking after some argument about something small and everyone thought the whole thing was done. But Rocky refused to give up and came back for more."
Smiling, the executive laughed: “Maybe a key to their attraction is that very few people in their lives have ever challenged them like or been so competitive."
The source noted that Rihanna has a dark determination of “no f**ker will ever dictate to me what I do".
'No angel'
A$AP is said to be “no angel” either, boasting run-ins with law enforcement around the world after a deeply troubled early life.
When he was just 12 his dad was jailed. Just a year later his brother Ricky, who had inspired him to rap, was shot dead in Harlem.
Living in shelters and temporary housing he managed to start a fledgling rap career - but in 2006 he served a two week jail term in notorious Rikers Island prison.
In 2012, he reportedly served three days of community service for a reported guilty plea to attempted grand larceny after a street fight with photographers in New York City.
A year later, US reports alleged police were examining potential charges after claims he slapped a fan at the Made in America Festival.
The case was dismissed after a state witness failed to appear.
US media outlet TMZ claimed the alleged victim settled a civil suit against A$AP privately in 2015.
In July 2019, A$AP spent three weeks behind bars for gross assault with two friends following a street brawl with Mustafa Jafari, 19, in Sweden.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, avoided further jail time as the court ordered a suspended sentence as the crime was not "of such a serious nature" as to warrant more time behind bars.
It was like a switch went off and they both realised what life could be without one another.
The LA music executive claims that the Swedish criminal case “scared the s***” out of both A$AP and Rihanna.
He says: "It was like a switch went off and they both realised what life could be without one another."
A fashion source also revealed how Rihanna was the driving force behind her vision of family and the perfect work and life balance.
They told The Sun: "Rihanna told Rocky that she had a vision for how parenting came first and profession second.
"He supported her all the way, and obviously it's paid off, because she's put pop on the back burner and focused on her lifestyle brand, and that has flourished as well.
He still tells friends publicly, "I always felt she would end up with me."
They added: "A$AP and Rhianna have done their best to forge a life away from cameras where they privately raise their children and have a small intense inner circle of close friends who've allowed them to build a support network and have an upbringing in the way that they would wish to have an upbringing."
Court battle
In 2021, that harmony was shattered when A$AP was accused of firing a gun at Terell Ephron in West Hollywood.
The Los Angeles District Attorney pushed forward with two charges which, if found guilty, would have meant a 24-year sentence behind bars.
While that pressure, stress, and fear of separation would drive most couples apart, that challenge brought them closer together.
The fashion insider admitted that RiRi's "commitment to Rocky remained unwavering, but "at times they were rocked to their core."
"The very uncertain nature of knowing how criminal trials and juries can go in LA made them hit real lows, fearing their family would be torn apart while languishing helplessly in jail.
They say: "Even in their darkest moments, they stuck by one another, determined that no matter what, their family would remain intact and their relationship would survive.
"Indeed, the bond and commitment showed that their truth was much greater than many of these superficial Hollywood romances, which are centred on two stars, connecting for the sake of gaining greater exposure, success and wealth.
"RiRi and Rocky were anxious about the process, but had no doubt that they would survive even in the possibility of him being incarcerated.
A$AP was found not guilty on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm by a jury in February.
A$AP’s criminal defense attorney Joe Tacopina confirmed that RiRi and A$AP were rocked by the case.
He says: "Those two are special to me.
"We have been very close for three plus years. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to convince them and re-assurance that it was going to be okay.
"Rihanna and I have had calls where she’s asked ‘is my family going to be okay?’
"I said, ‘Yes we are going to be okay here.’"
Rihanna & A$AP Rocky's Relationship Timeline
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been Hollywood's "it
- Rihanna and A$AP Rocky met in 2012 but didn't become romantically involved until late 2019
- Rumors began to circulate that Rihanna and A$AP were an item in January 2020 after they'd been spotted on numerous outings together
- That December, it was reported that the celebrity duo made their relationship official
- In May 2021, A$AP expressed his feelings for Rihanna during an interview with GQ
- In January 2022, the lovebirds revealed they were expecting their first child by showing off Rihanna's pregnant belly in a series of photos of them in Harlem, New York
- Later that May, they welcomed their son, Riot
- In February 2023, Rihanna announced she was expecting again by flaunting her baby bump on stage during her Super Bowl Halftime performance
- Rihanna gave birth to their second son, RZA, in August 2023
Tacopina was so convinced A$AP deserved to walk free that he rejected the DA’s six-month plea deal to instead fight a trial.
Tacopina confirmed to his clients that "it was the right thing to do. There was reasonable doubt."
After the verdict, Rihanna expressed her relief to Tacopina: "She gave me one of the strongest hugs I’ve ever had in my life."
Tacopina confirmed that the celebrity pair’s relationship burned brighter amid the controversy.
"She obviously loves him. They are a great couple. I have known Rock for a long time, Ri for a long time, and seeing them together at a time like this and a time of need is something very special.”
He added to Fox TV that Rihanna was there for her partner "in full force".
Baby bombshell
The pair dazzled at this year's Met Gala after revealing just hours before that they were expecting their third child - with Ri debuting her baby bump on the red carpet.
A$AP Rocky told Associated Press: "It feels amazing, you know.
"It's time that we show the people what we was cooking up, and I'm glad everybody's happy for us, 'cause we definitely happy, you know'."
They are already parents to sons RZA, 2, and Riot, 1, but the singer recently revealed she wanted more children and was hoping for a baby girl.
She told Entertainment Tonight: “I wanna have a girl. I wouldn’t know what to do ’cause I only know about boys so far. It will be a new adventure!
“[It's] The best, I live for it. It’s never a dull moment," she said of being a boy mom.
"I love when they climb off the chandeliers. I love when they literally are so scary that I’m forced to have fun. Me running around, me lifting them up, it’s all fun."
RiRi and A$AP have certainly settled into family life with their growing brood, but many fans will be wondering if the mum will make a career comeback with three young kids.
For now though, the pop star and her prince charming are happy to live in baby bliss.
