‘Mothers know best’: A$AP Rocky’s mom knew Rihanna was ‘the one’ before the world did

Most Hollywood love stories seem quick, glamorous and short-lived. But sometimes, a relationship grows slowly and naturally, feeling more real than anything on the red carpet.

Pop culture's most effortless power couple, Rihanna (real name Robyn Fenty) and A$AP Rocky (Rakim Athelston Mayers), have just added an unexpectedly tender chapter to their story, thanks to Rocky's mother.

In a recent interview on "The New York Times Popcast", the 37-year-old rapper shared a detail that feels almost cinematic in its simplicity: his mother had been rooting for Rihanna long before they ever became a couple. Not in a PR-strategy kind of way. Not in a “Hollywood match-making” way.

But in the very real, very maternal “I see something you don’t yet” way.

“Rihanna was always my boo,” Rocky admitted, before recalling his mother’s blunt honesty. While he was dating other people, she’d tell him, “I know you like this girl that you're with right now… but I want you with Riri.”

At the time, Rocky brushed it off. Rihanna, to him, was just his close friend, global superstar, fashion icon, untouchable energy, and all.

“I used to be like, ‘Ma, be cool. That’s just my friend,” he laughed. But as he now puts it simply: “Mothers know best.”

It’s a revelation that instantly adds emotional depth to one of Hollywood’s most admired relationships. Rihanna and Rocky weren’t in a whirlwind romance.

They were friends for nearly a decade, first meeting during rehearsals for the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, collaborating musically and professionally for years, from her 2011 hit "Cockiness (Love It)" to her Fenty Skin campaign, before romance ever entered the picture.

When they started dating in late 2019, after Rihanna’s breakup with businessman Hassan Jameel, it didn’t feel like just another celebrity couple. It felt like a natural next step.

By November 2020, reports confirmed the relationship, and by the time they walked the 2021 Met Gala together, glowing, coordinated and unmistakably in love, the internet collectively agreed: this one feels different.

Rocky agreed. In multiple interviews, including his now-famous "GQ" cover, he’s called Rihanna “the love of my life” and “the one.” Not because of fame or chemistry alone, but timing.

“I’m thankful she was put in my life at that time,” he shared. “Any time before that, I don’t think I was ready. I don’t think she was either.”

What makes their bond especially compelling is how deeply aligned their lives are. They were born in the same year. Rocky’s father is from Barbados, Rihanna’s homeland.

Their upbringings, values and worldviews mirror each other in subtle ways. “We were on the same page,” Rocky said. “There are so many similarities, it’s funny. We laugh about it a lot.”

Today, that alignment has blossomed into a family. The couple shares three children, sons RZA Athelston Mayers and Riot Rose Mayers, and daughter Rocki Irish Mayers, quietly redefining what modern black love, partnership and parenthood can look like in the public eye.

Stylish? Always. Intentional? Absolutely.

As Rocky gears up for the release of his fourth studio album, "Don’t Be Dumb", and Rihanna continues to build her beauty and fashion empire on her own terms, their relationship remains refreshingly unperformative.

No oversharing. No theatrics. Just mutual respect, shared history, and a deep sense of home.

And perhaps the most grounding part of it all? This epic love story didn’t begin with a grand gesture; it began with a mother’s intuition.

Because sometimes, even in Hollywood, love really does start with someone saying, “Trust me, she’s real.”