Newsletters
Rapper A$AP Rocky gave an update on his partner Rihanna's long-awaited next album during a recent appearance on The Jason Lee Show. Speaking with host Jason Lee, Rocky addressed the years-long wait for new music from the singer, whose most recent full-length album, "Anti," came out in 2016.
Lee asked Rocky directly whether he was responsible for the delay, citing a running joke among fans that Rihanna's relationship with the rapper, their growing family, and her business ventures had delayed the project.
Rocky denied the claim, saying she is currently in the studio working on new material. He added that she is putting in serious effort on the project.
Rocky and Rihanna share three children. The couple has kept details of Rihanna's next album largely private since she began teasing new music several years ago.
"Anti" remains Rihanna's most recent studio album. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 chart following its release and included several of her best-known songs, among them "Work," "Needed Me," "Love on the Brain" and "Desperado."
Since 2016, Rihanna has released a handful of standalone singles tied to film soundtracks rather than a full studio project. These include "Lift Me Up" and "Born Again," both recorded for the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack, and "Friend of Mine," created for the animated film "Smurfs."
Rihanna has previously discussed the status of her next album, known among fans as R9. In a 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said she was "starting over" on the project while also revisiting earlier material to see what still fit her current direction.
In a separate interview with Interview magazine that year, she described her songwriting process as reversed from her usual approach, noting that visual ideas were coming to her before the music itself, whereas the music typically led to the visuals in past projects.
1 min read
Elsewhere in the interview, Rocky was asked whether fans might eventually hear a joint album featuring the two artists on every track. He ruled out the possibility, saying he did not think it would work creatively.
Rocky described his own musical style as unconventional and geared toward a specific audience, distinguishing it from Rihanna's sound and suggesting the two artists' work does not naturally fit together on a shared project.
Rihanna has not announced a release date for her next album. She last confirmed in 2024 that the project remains in development, without providing further details on timing.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
