Rihanna And ASAP Rocky's Relationship Has Some Serious Red Flags

Rihanna and ASAP Rocky were friends for years before their relationship turned romantic, but that still doesn't mean there aren't a few oddities between them. In fact, their first meeting was basically a red flag parade. Speaking to Interview, Rihanna recalled working with the rapper at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, sharing, "He grabbed my ass! ... [M]y team was worried that I wanted to have his head on a f**king mantle." 

Though Rihanna admitted she wasn't too bothered by her fellow musician getting handsy because she liked him, that doesn't make it okay. ASAP Rocky touching the "Diamonds" singer in an intimate area without her consent was sexual assault and suggested he didn't respect her.

But that's not the only potential issue we've noticed in Rihanna and ASAP Rocky's relationship. From cheating allegations to news of their romance breaking the same month she split with her ex, there are more than a few red flags we can't ignore between one of music's most famous couples.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Cheating rumors can put serious strain on a relationship, even if they're not true, and ASAP Rocky has been accused of stepping out on Rihanna more than once. In April 2022, while Rihanna was pregnant with their first child, rumors circulated on X that ASAP Rocky had supposedly been intimate with shoe designer Amina Muaddi. Muaddi slammed the allegations on X, writing, "I initially assumed that this fake gossip ... would not be taken seriously. However in the last 24 [hours] I've been reminded that we live in a society that is so quick to speak on topics regardless of factual basis and that nothing is off limits."

Just a month later, ASAP Rocky hit the headlines again when a woman named Jilly O'Donnell publicly accused him of sending her flirty Instagram messages, including a request to meet her. "I was shocked to see he's with Rihanna, especially the fact she's pregnant. But nothing happened and it was all pretty lighthearted conversation," O'Donnell told The Sun.

Sadly, that wasn't all. In October 2022, five months after Rihanna gave birth, Kanye "Ye" West posted and deleted Instagram uploads accusing ASAP Rocky of infidelity with fashion designer Yoon Ahn. Ahn also slammed the claims via her Instagram Story. "Not only using false sex accusation, spreading that lie in the name of God to insult a woman is lowest of the lowest," she wrote (via Page Six). Though there are only rumors of infidelity from ASAP Rocky, it can't have been easy for the couple when his name was repeatedly in the headlines for unsavory reasons.

Prior to finding love with Rihanna, ASAP Rocky made some eyebrow-raising remarks about relationships and monogamy to i-D in 2015. "My best times with women is when I'm honest. I tell her I might f**k another woman, it helps. Honestly, I guess some women can't take it," he said. "When the time comes to settle down, I might just have two girlfriends."

Though there's nothing wrong with polyamory or open relationships (as long as everyone involved is fully consenting and makes their boundaries clear), Rihanna appears to have a more traditional take on relationships and family. Speaking about her hopes for the future in 2010, she told Interview (via Today), "In a perfect book, there would be marriage and kids." She also made it clear she would prefer to raise her children with a partner. "I definitely think a child deserves both parents," she said. Of course, ASAP Rocky may have changed his mind about monogamy, but it could be a red flag if he felt he had to alter his wants and needs to be with Rihanna.

On January 22, 2020, People confirmed Rihanna had split with Hassan Jameel after three years of dating. "Their lives were too different and it was hard to maintain a relationship," a source claimed. But Rihanna didn't waste much time getting back into dating. It was just six days later that The Sun reported she had become romantically involved with ASAP Rocky. "They shared a hotel suite during that trip in New York," an insider claimed. "It's really casual between them and she's not thinking about whether there's a future with Rocky. She's a newly-single girl having fun."

There can be plenty of benefits to a fun fling after an intense breakup, but moving on quickly from a long-term relationship doesn't always allow time to take stock of what happened and heal. "Most people probably wait at least a month if they had a relationship that was at least a few months long," psychologist and author Dr. Paulette Sherman told Business Insider. "If it was a more significant relationship then they may take longer, like three months or more to start dating again."

If Rihanna was truly happy and healthy following her split from Jameel and knew she was ready to embrace love again without her ex influencing her next relationship in a negative way, she and ASAP Rocky may not face any issues. However, jumping into another relationship so soon could be a red flag if she still had lingering feelings for her Jameel or hadn't fully gotten over the relationship.

Neither Rihanna nor ASAP Rocky are short on cash, but even though both are seriously rich, her net worth eclipses his. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the "Pon de Replay" hitmaker is worth $1.4 billion thanks to her impressive business empire, which includes her music, Fenty Beauty range, and Savage Fenty lingerie line. 

Contrastingly, ASAP Rocky's still enviable net worth sits at $20 million — almost $1.4 billion less than his partner. That leaves room for a lot of spending from Rihanna that ASAP Rocky may not be able to match. For example, according to Dirt (via Architectural Digest), the star splashed out on a $21 million Los Angeles penthouse in 2023 — more than her partner's entire net worth. If the couple choose to combine their finances or Rihanna doesn't mind spending more than the rapper, their finances may not affect their relationship. However, if they choose to keep their money separate and prefer to split spending down the middle, that could cause friction.

Nicole Moore, celebrity relationship expert and "Love Works" podcast host, previously told us that couples with very different bank balances could also face other issues. "While couples having disparate incomes is not always a problem, in some couples it turns into a power struggle dynamic," she told Women while pinpointing red flags in Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' marriage. As Rihanna and ASAP Rocky are both in the music industry, they could also experience tension if he ever feels his work commitments aren't as important as his partner's, seeing as she's the breadwinner.