

A$AP Rocky Is Just Like All Of Us And Swoons Over Rihanna Too
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been friends for well over a decade, crossing each other's path in the industry from time to time. But as we all know, the two have decided to take a chance on love, entering a relationship where Rocky pretty much declared his admiration for in a new interview with GQ Magazine.
The 32-year-old A$AP Rocky confessed his love for Rihanna in an exclusive when asked about the Fenty Beauty mogul.
"She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She's the One."
Additionally, he refers to Rih as his "lady," and the love of his life.
But the foundation of their relationship and friendship began in 2012, when he hopped on a remix to her song, "Cockiness (Love It)."
This is one of the first times we see the pair together, at MTV's Video Music Awards on Sept. 6, 2012. She attended the awards show with former flame Chris Brown, after a controversial rekindling of their relationship.
Rocky then went on to join Rihanna as the opening act on the North American leg of her Diamonds World Tour. Rihanna would also later star in the music video for Rocky's song "Fashion Killa" in 2013.
In May/June of 2017, Rih began dating billionaire, Hassan Jameel and the two lost connection, although in 2018, they were spotted together.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Rih and Rocky sat front row at Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2019 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week. The two were laughing and taking in fashion, something they each are notoriously famous for.
That same year, Rihanna invited Rocky to her 4th Annual Diamond Ball, her fashion charity event she created to support her Clara Lionel Foundation, which she founded to support global educational programs. It was his first time attending the event. He went on to attend the following year as well.
The couple then linked up to model her newly-created fashion brand, Fenty.
They each attended the Fashion Awards in London and even posed for photos on the red carpet together.
Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images
Rocky labeled this look his favorite one, all because he "saw it in person."
The ‘first Black Dior model’ even told GQ, while rating his best and worst looks:
"That's a fly photo because she looked fire right there. She looks sexy as f*ck, I love her braids. She might have wore better stuff before, but I was there in person to see it on her. She designed my tuxedo, that's a Fenty tuxedo with the Rick Owens shoes on. I was in all Fenty that day."
Soon after, Rih and billionaire bae Hassan called it quits after three years and then Rocky and Rih posed for Fenty Skin in an ad campaign.
Romance rumors surrounding Rih and Rocky began to hit the internet after they promoted the launch by doing an exclusive video interview with GQ, where Rocky got candid about his own skincare journey.
"I had to discover face cleansing and skincare all at the same time when I was a young buck in the shower. You can't wash your body with the same rag you wash your face with. I was lucky enough to be the type of guy that wants to wash my face."
Their chemistry was off the charts in the video, forcing everyone to take a second look, likeeee, 'what's really going on, sis?!'
And listen, they fought off relationship rumors as long as they could, labeling everything as "friends" every chance they got. But then, the couple went on a cruise to Rih's homeland of Barbados, where Rocky *allegedly* met her family and spent time with them on Christmas.
Shortly after, they were seen together quite often, whether for an evening stroll, or dinner at the Beatrice Inn in New York City. Rih even publicly supported Rocky's collaboration with footwear designer Amina Muaddi as she wore a bomb pair of the Amina Muaddi x AWGE LSD Gladi Thigh Heels on her insanely popular Instagram.
Which brings us to their present day 'friendship-to-relationship' pivot that we all stan.
Rocky reveals that last summer he rented a tour bus with Rih and embarked on a country-wide trip with stops in Texas, Tennessee, and some national parks, which he admitted strengthened their bond.
"I met myself. Being able to drive and do a tour without feeling like it was an occupation or an obligated job agreement, I feel like that experience is like none other. I never experienced nothing like it."
He. Met. Himself. Whew, Rih what's the secret sis!?
Listen, we are so here for this relationship. Soooo here for it. Primarily because women and men so often claim that they want to be friends with their significant other, but then turn around and file the two separately. These lovebirds took the time to build a foundation and truly understand their working relationship, partnership, and now, romantic relationship.
And although Rih likely is annoyed by the recent influx of attention on the pair, the fact that Rocky absolutely could not help himself when she came up in conversation, is what we love to see. Let's learn a quick lesson from this one, ladies.
Can't wait to see where their relationship goes from here!
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Featured image by Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
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Ariel B's "This Too Shall Pass" Podcast Is Healing For Single Moms Everywhere
32-year-old social media influencer and mother of five, Ariel B, did not set out to tell her story; but it was her truth that set her free. Her truth is also the inspiration for her new podcast "This Too Shall Pass," produced by Idea To Launch Productions. The podcast delves into Ariel's life and journey as a single parent and a domestic violence survivor. But it also serves as a window into her past traumas that have fostered her resilience.
In an exclusive interview with xoNecole, Ariel B. reveals that her online following grew after she decided to share the realistic, non-curated parts of her life on social media at the advice of her therapist. "Growing up, I was taught to hide things that made you seem less than," she says. "I didn't mind speaking at the shelter for women and children. I didn't mind speaking in my domestic violence group with other women, but I was ashamed to talk about it with people that I felt had a perfect life. So [my therapist] said 'No, you need to get used to telling your story. If you don't like it or you feel some kind of way, just delete it.' I started first on Instagram, and that was probably the first time I dipped my toe in the social media world of telling the truth."
Ariel's followers became inspired by her honest and raw day-in-the-life perspective: the days when she would be over her budget, her kids' rooms wouldn't be the tidiest, or when she'd be running late for pick-ups and drop-offs. Her relatability made single mothers everywhere feel seen, but there's much more to life Ariel's story that she's found the bravery to open up about.
The Florida native had her first child when she was 16 years old. Growing up in a middle-class suburban family, she says she felt judged by family and peers for having children out of wedlock. "I already had two kids before I got married," she says. "And when I got married, I think that was my parents' sigh of relief. Like, oh my gosh, she's finally married. She's not a single mother of two. She should be safe. It was a disaster."
Ariel says marriage was great in the beginning. Her ex-husband presented himself as loving and was a proud stepfather to her two children. After welcoming two more children with her ex-husband, she says that's when the problems started. "We were arguing all the time. The finances were bad. And then it got to the point where he was consuming a lot of alcohol all the time," she says. "And when the alcohol got bad, it got physical. I was embarrassed. I just invited all of my family to this wedding and everyone's so happy that I'm married, but I'm miserable."
Ariel eventually filed for divorce, and was then forced to get a restraining order after her ex proceeded to stalk her. Though these frightening moments are behind her, she's working every day to address the residual trauma. "It was a lot of trauma to get where we are, and a lot to finally feel safe," she says. "But I just wanted to do whatever I had to do so my children wouldn't have to heal from a choice that I made."
It's clear that Ariel's adorable children, ranging from ages three to fifteen, are her biggest inspiration. She often posts videos of herself teaching them important life lessons like how to create a budget and maintain good credit. It's these important life skills that many of her followers said they wished they had learned growing up. For Ariel, her greatest goal is to fill up their self-love tank. "The world is going to knock you down enough when you get older," she says. "So if I can push them out there at a hundred percent if the world can only knock them down to 80, I'd be happy with that. But if they only go out there at 80 and the world can get them down to 60 or less than half of who they are, that's a problem for me."
When it comes to her new podcast, Ariel isn't afraid of the judgments that may come, both from loved ones and strangers. "When you tell the truth, there's nothing to hide from," she says. "I am a single mother of five. I do have more than one child's father. We are on a budget. And when I was able to just be honest, I think I wasn't shameful anymore. I didn't have to pretend and I was able to tell my truth out loud."
"This Too Shall Pass" is out now!