A$AP Rocky is opening up about the unexpected person who helped steer him toward a life-changing romance with Rihanna, his mother. 

During a recent appearance on the Jan. 15 episode of Popcast, the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, revealed that his mom, Renee Black, was the first to suggest he should date the global superstar long before their friendship turned romantic.

Looking back, A$AP shared that his mother was surprisingly direct about it. 

“My mother used to say s–t like, ‘I know you like this girl that you with right now,’” he recalled, adding that she would then say, “‘But I want you with Riri.’” 

At the time, he brushed it off, insisting they were just friends. 

“‘Ma why you keep saying that? That girl don’t even want me like that. Like be cool, Ma. Like that’s just my friend. Chill,’” he remembered telling her.

But his mom didn’t back down. “‘I’m telling you, she 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 built a family together. 

The couple now share three children: RZA, 3, Riot, 2, and Rocki, who is just three months old. 

For A$AP, the connection has always felt natural, even inevitable. 

“It was just like we were on the same page,” he explained. “Born the same year. My dad is from her country. My family, when I go back, I get to see both sides of my family. It’s so many similarities, it’s just funny. We laugh about it a lot.”

Even before romance entered the picture, he admitted there was always something special there. 

“She was always my boo, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “Like I always f–ked with her.”

Still, A$AP believes the timing mattered. 

“I’m thankful that she was put in my life at that time,” he shared, explaining that neither of them was ready earlier. 

Rihanna has echoed that sentiment, later saying the pandemic played a role in accelerating their relationship. “COVID sped up our relationship,” she told Interview Magazine in 2024. “There was no denying it… It just happened.”

In the end, it seems his mother saw the love story coming long before either of them did.

William’s wife Kate brought charm back to the royal family with her heartwarming gesture, receiving powerful titles after her latest royal engagement.

The Princess of Wales appears in the lioness spirit as she represented the modern monarchy with a reception at Windsor Castle for the England Women’s Rugby team, celebrating their World Cup win.

As the patron of the Rugby Football Union, Princess Kate led the way at her first solo royal engagement of 2026 with a celebratory reception.

She looked glam in a red pantsuit, seemingly sending a nod to the team’s Red Roses nickname.

Kensington Palce shared the stunning photo of Kate with the team on her and Prince William’s official Instagram page, which brought her England’s great title from fans.

The post garnered massive likes and hearts from fans, with some  honouring the Princess with powerful titles.

One described the picture a “brunch of beautiful English roses,” calling Kate “beautiful princess.  

“God bless them make England great.”

Another admired the future queen as “A perfect England Red rose in the middle.”

Kate previously wore the red ensemble, featuring an asymmetric jacket and wide-leg trousers, for the launch of her Shaping Us campaign in 2023.

While Kate was hosting the rugby team, her husband  William had a solo engagement of his own on the same day in his role as patron of We Are Farming Minds, which works to support farmers’ mental health.

The heir to the British throne visited a farm in western England, where he took on tasks like pruning apple trees and feeding sheep.

Actor and host Fiza Ali extended warm greetings to her ex-husband, Fawad Farouq, on his second marriage, and shared her daughter Faraal’s preparations on her official Instagram handle.

The actress wished him happiness and personal growth as he embarks on this new chapter of life.

“Not every story ends with a fight,” Ali wrote on an Instagram reel, showing her daughter happy and getting ready for the wedding.

At first glance, Faraal was spotted sharing her excitement with Farouq, and then the camera reopens on her mehendi-painted hands and formal attire.

Dropping a cute prep clip, the “Mehndi” actress noted: “Life doesn’t always go in one direction; sometimes silence says more than words.” 

“Every story doesn’t end in fighting; sometimes the beautiful end is that we deliver positivity, grace, and strength to our children.”

Recalling her past, Ali said her daughter’s preparations for her father’s second marriage remind her that relations and respect could be changed, but “parenting could never be ended”.

The “Mor Mehal” star concluded with heart-warming greetings for her ex-husband, saying that a new chapter of his life will be with full joy and sincerity, may God make our ways easy.