Dude, for real, the wait for Rihanna’s next album has been legendary, hitting a solid decade since her last studio project, 2016’s ‘Anti’. Fans have been highkey starving for new tracks, and honestly, who could blame them? That record was straight up a masterpiece, racking up serious accolades and giving us bangers like ‘Work’ and ‘Needed Me’. So, when A$AP Rocky, her longtime partner, recently dropped some news, confirming ‘She’s Cooking’ up new music, it sent the whole internet into a frenzy. No cap, this update is exactly what the digital fandoms have been craving.
The Grammy winner’s silence on the album front has sparked a running joke among fans, widely speculating that her thriving relationship with A$AP Rocky, their growing family (sharing three children, as the article mentions), and her myriad of successful business ventures were the culprits behind the delay. However, A$AP Rocky took to ‘The Jason Lee Show’ to clear the air, pretty much shutting down those claims. When host Jason Lee popped the question about him being the reason for the musical drought, Rocky was quick to reply with a firm ‘Nah’.
According to the report, Rocky stated, ‘She in the studio right now. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, babe.’ He went on to add, ‘Bro, she working. She cooking, no funny shit. Damn, I’mma get in trouble for this. Her fans are going to kill me.’ This candid revelation, though potentially getting him into some lighthearted trouble with his partner, was a sick update for the dedicated fanbase. It’s a glimpse into the creative process of an artist whose previous work has consistently topped charts and defined eras.
While a full-length album has been elusive since ‘Anti’ spent two weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart with its fan-favorite tracks, Rihanna hasn’t been entirely absent from the music scene. She’s contributed several standalone singles to film soundtracks, including ‘Lift Me Up’ and ‘Born Again’ for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘Friend of Mine’ for ‘Smurfs’. These tracks kept fans fed with her unique sound, but they also amplified the hunger for an entire new body of work, making A$AP Rocky’s recent comments hit different.
Rihanna herself has previously spoken about the status of her next album, often dubbed ‘R9’ by her admirers. Back in 2024, she told ‘Entertainment Tonight’ that she was ‘starting over’ with the project. She expressed a desire not to ‘neglect the songs that I have’, indicating a thoughtful approach to revisiting existing material with a fresh perspective. This suggests a meticulous process, where she’s taking the time to truly connect with the music and ensure it aligns with her current artistic vision.
In a separate interview that same year with ‘Interview’ magazine, Rihanna offered another intriguing insight into her creative flow. She mentioned her ‘brain is working backward right now’ concerning her next musical endeavor. She explained that she typically starts with the music, which then leads her to ‘all of these visual opportunities’. This time, however, she’s finding herself with ‘all of these visuals’ first, implying a potentially innovative and visually-driven album concept that could set a new standard for her work.
Elsewhere during his appearance on ‘The Jason Lee Show’, A$AP Rocky was also asked if fans could ever expect a double album featuring both him and Rihanna on every track. His response was swift and unequivocal: ‘Nope,’ the rapper quickly replied. ‘I would hate Rocky and Rihanna if they both did that. That’s trash. Nobody wants to hear us together, bro.’ He articulated his belief that their distinct sounds wouldn’t mesh well, defining his own music as ‘subversive weird ass indie rap’ made for ‘a niche demographic of people who actually get this shit’. It’s clear both artists respect their individual lanes.
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Livia Dorne covers film, television, music, and pop culture with a keen editorial perspective. She delivers engaging commentary, reviews, and behind-the-scenes insights that keep readers connected to the entertainment world. Her style blends critique with storytelling.
