It’s work work work work work for Rihanna — according to A$AP Rocky. The “Babushka Boi” rapper was out and about in Paris recently when fans asked him for an update on the singer’s highly anticipated next album.
In a video shared on X, fans are snapping photos of the Grammy-nominated rapper when one asks him about the “Work” singer’s ninth studio album, which she’s been teasing for years. “She’s working on it!” A$AP says with a big smile as he walks away. This, of course, led to immediate screams of excitement from those gathered around him.
Ri herself has been mum as of late regarding new music. In December, while at a Fenty x Puma event to promote her brand’s collab with the athletic wear company, the nine-time Grammy winner exercised her expertise at dodging questions about the follow-up to her most recent album, 2016’s Anti. “I can’t tell you everything, girl,” she said with a smirk. “It’s giving crystal ball.”
Rihanna had initially teased that R9 would be arriving just a few short years after Anti. When a fan asked on an Instagram post in December 2018 when the set would drop, the “Disturbia” singer simply responded “2019.” She has also offered hints about its sound here and there, including during a 2021 interview with The Associated Press. “You’re not going to expect what you hear. Just put that in your mind,” she said at the time. “Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear. I’m really experimenting.”
While the new album has yet to arrive, the singer-actress has been busy in recent years. She and Rocky have been in a relationship for several years, and now share two young sons — RZA and Riot Rose — together. (The parents recently shared a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner in the City of Light.) Ri has also continued to grow Fenty, which has been so successful, Forbes reported in August 2021 that she had reached billionaire status.
Though she’s had plenty on her plate (who can forget when she headlined the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show?), she has released some new music — if not a proper album yet. She offered up two new tracks — both for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack — in late 2022: “Lift Me Up,” a tribute to late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, and the ballad “Born Again.” “Lift Me Up” reached a peak of No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and earned a Grammy nomination for best song written for visual media, as well as an Oscar nod for best original song.