Rihanna is, in my humble opinion, one of our greatest pop icons of all time. And if her contributions to music weren't enough, she's a top entrepreneur, too, officially hitting billionaire status back in 2021, thanks primarily to her business ventures in cosmetics and fashion.
Away from that, she's also a mom to three kids, whom she shares with her longtime partner, rapper and designer A$AP Rocky.
As most will already be aware, Rocky is super successful in the fashion and music world, too. However, he's by no means a certified music icon or billionaire. A quick Google search tells me his net worth is estimated at around $30 million.
Rocky has made no secret of being Rih's biggest fan (the footage of him cheering her on at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023 lives rent-free in my mind). And in a new interview with Jason Lee, the rapper was asked about his "confidence" despite all the comparisons drawn between his and Rih's careers.
"My woman got billions, I got multi-millions. Her success is never my demise. Her success isn't mine — at all. I've done what I done for myself, and I'm proud of what I did for myself," he responded. "There's nothing another n***a can say to me — especially a n***a with less money or less anything than me — to make me feel insecure or less proud about my woman being successful. The fuck sense does that make? What part of the game is that?"
"I'm proud of that woman," he concluded. "She did that. That ain't got nothing to do with me."
Now... is this the bare minimum? Absolutely, yes. However, there are plenty of men out there who would feel resentful or insecure about their female partner being wealthier or more successful than they are. And in the celebrity world, especially, it's not unusual for there to be tension in heterosexual relationships where the woman is more famous or successful than the man is. We've seen it plenty of times before!
So, with that in mind, people are celebrating the way that Rocky continues to embrace Rih being the star/breadwinner in their relationship. "This is a green flag," one Reddit user wrote. "Same with Tom Holland talking up Zendaya every chance he gets. Russell Wilson being called corny for loving Ciara LOUDLY. Real men are proud of their partner doing big things. Real women are proud of their partner doing big things."
Plenty of people said that Rocky's comments are all the more important for people to hear in the era of "manosphere" discourse and brainwashing. It's worth noting that Rocky, in particular, has previously been targeted by trolls from this corner of the internet, who've suggested that the dynamic in his relationship with Rihanna is "emasculating," or that he is "submissive."
"It’s very sad the people who want to talk shit about a man who loves his family and is proud of them," one user wrote while discussing the wild criticism that Rocky has previously faced for merely loving Rihanna and letting her take the center stage. "[The critics] wouldn’t know anything about what it’s like to be part of a loving family or relationship."
"Ignoring the billionaire status for a second: if your partner is successful and your first emotion is resentment instead of pride, you don't deserve that relationship," read another popular comment on the thread.
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