Rihanna and A$AP Rocky relationship timeline: How the couple's romance began

It was friends to lovers for A$AP Rocky and Rihanna.

The music collaborators and fellow fashion icons have had a slow-burn relationship that has culminated in a growing young family — the couple now have two toddler sons, RZA and Riot Rose.

But their relationship has no doubt become more complicated amid Rocky's Los Angeles trial for felony assault.

The artist, born Rakim Mayers and raised in Harlem, New York, is charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He's accused of firing a gun twice in the direction of Terell Ephron, an ex-friend who was formerly known as A$AP Relli, after an argument in Hollywood, California, in November 2021. In January 2024, he pleaded not guilty to the weapons charges.

He could serve up to 24 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

"We're ready to go. It's been a long time," Rocky's defense lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said after a Jan. 15 hearing, according to The Associated Press. "It's been something that's waiting over Rocky's head and Rihanna and their family's heads for a while. We're anxious to get this thing underway and get this behind him."

Here's a walk down of how the couple came to be.

A$AP Rocky trial begins: What we know about the felony assault case

When did Rihanna and A$AP Rocky meet?

Rihanna and Rocky, both 36, first met during rehearsals for their joint performance of "Cockiness (Love It)" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, according to the singer. The "D.M.B." rapper snuck in a backside grab on stage, which sparked early dating rumors.

"My team was worried that I wanted to have his head on a mantle," she told Interview magazine in April. "But I was like, 'Ah, nah.' That's why everybody was like, 'Oh my god. She likes him.'"

Rihanna discusses 'cautious' start to dating A$AP Rocky, fears that come with motherhood

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky collaborations

The couple have worked together a handful of times over the years, including on the remix for Rihanna's "Talk That Talk" track "Cockiness (Love It)." In 2013, the rapper opened for Rihanna on her Diamonds World Tour.

In music videos, the singer has appeared in treatments for Rocky's "Fashion Killa" in 2013 and "D.M.B." in 2022.

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky's dating history

Before there was Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, both had whirlwind romances of both the official and rumored variety.

The "Diamonds" singer infamously dated Chris Brown in the late 2000s, and has been romantically linked to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, Saudi Arabian businessman Hassan Jameel and Drake.

For the "Tailor Swif" rapper's part, he has been linked to rapper Iggy Azalea and model Chanel Iman. The rapper was also rumored to have had a brief romance with Kendall Jenner around 2016-17, but neither has confirmed the relationship.

When did Rihanna and A$AP Rocky start dating?

The Fenty Beauty mogul has said the couple had a "cautious" start.

The duo remained close friends but didn't cross the line into dating until 2019, Rihanna told Interview. "We saw fashion the same. We saw creative the same. We ended up in the same circles a lot. And past that, when we grew up, we ended up supporting each other's brands and products and creative all the time," she said.

"We've known each other for a long time. I've seen him in relationships. He's seen me in relationships. We've seen each other outside of relationships. We knew what we’re capable of, and the trouble that we could bring to each other's lives," Rihanna continued, explaining why they waited to date. "We can make or break each other's hearts. And so, we started dating with a lot of caution."

She added: "I just let whatever was supposed to happen, happen. It was just, 'This is a flower. It's either going to die or blossom. But I'm going to let it decide itself.'"

By 2020, the couple went on a country-wide road trip together and were spotted in Barbados for Christmas (both share Bajan roots), sparking renewed dating rumors. Rocky confirmed the pair were official in a May 2021 interview with GQ, calling Rihanna "the love of my life."

"She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know," he told the outlet. "She's the one."

When did Rihanna and A$AP Rocky become parents?

The pair welcomed their first son, RZA Athelston Mayers, in 2022. The bundle of joy was named in honor of the Wu-Tang member and shares Rocky's middle name.

Rihanna and Rocky welcomed their second son, Riot Rose Mayers, in 2023, evening out the R-family tree.

The "Work" singer gushed about the rapper's parenting skills in 2023.

"I loved him differently as a dad. This is major, major, like, it's a turn on," Rihanna told Access Hollywood. "It's just like, 'Wow! What a leader. What a great, patient, loving (dad). And my kids are obsessed with him. I'm just a background, like, I'm an extra. Yep, it happens. … It doesn't matter if it's girls or boys. They love their dad differently, and I love to see it."

Rihanna gushes about A$AP Rocky's parenting: 'I loved him differently as a dad'

Rihanna told Interview in April that even though she and Rocky never discussed starting a family, she "knew" they were ready. "We didn't even really talk about it. There was no denying it. It was the best thing that ever happened to us. It just happened."

She added she's open to more children but is letting her faith take charge. "I don't know what God wants, but I would go for more than two," she said. "I would try for my girl. But of course if it's another boy, it's another boy."

Rihanna supports A$AP Rocky at criminal trial

Rihanna was reportedly spotted at Rocky's criminal trial in Los Angeles on Jan. 29, according to Variety and People magazine.

Per People, the singer was dressed in all black and seated between Rocky's mother Renee Black and his sister Erika B. Mayers in the gallery at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rihanna, ASAP Rocky history: From friends and lovers to parents