ENTERTAINMENT
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Have Date Night on Red Carpet of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Premiere
The outing came two days before the release of Rihanna’s new single on the film’s soundtrack
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had a very public date night on Wednesday.
The Grammy-winning singer, 34, and her rapper boyfriend, 34, walked the red carpet at the premiere of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, posing for photographers while sharing some sweet moments of affection.
Their outing comes five months after they welcomed their first baby together in May and just two days before Rihanna’s highly anticipated musical comeback. Earlier in the day, she confirmed her first single in years — titled “Lift Me Up” — would be appearing on the soundtrack of Ryan Coogler’s long-awaited Marvel sequel.
Fan excitement carried over to the Los Angeles premiere at the Dolby Theatre, where Rihanna smiled as Rocky embraced her on the carpet. She wore a sparkly, strapless, olive green Rick Owens dress with a fitted bodice and structural detail around its skirt. The songstress accessorized the look with a pair of lengthy gloves with pointed-toe heels.
Coordinating with his bae, Rocky opted for a more casual look in an oversized khaki jacket and matching pants with a black T-shirt underneath.
Wednesday marked the first time the couple walked a red carpet since the birth of their baby, and since Rihanna was announced as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner for February 2023.
The news of her upcoming performance, and her apparent return to music after years of building up her Fenty empire, arrived when she shared an image on Instagram of a football. Fans were quick to connect the dots
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment,” JAY-Z, who previously signed a deal with the NFL to head the league’s musical entertainment, said in a statement at the time.
Notably, Riri hasn’t released a new album in six years, the last being her fan-beloved eighth studio LP, Anti, which included her most recent No. 1 hit “Work” and other favorites in “Kiss It Better,” “Needed Me” and “Love on the Brain.” But now she’ll be playing one of the biggest sporting events of the year with new material, as Friday marks the arrival of her new single “Lift Me Up.”
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“Lift Me Up” will serve as a nod to the late Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the first Black Panther film and died in August 2020 following a private battle with colon cancer. It was written by Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and musician Tems, who said it was a “great honor” to hear Rih sing the track.
“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life,” Tems shared in a statement. “I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.”
Rocky, too, has been prepping new material. The rapper spoke with Dazed earlier this year for a cover story, where he revealed that his next studio LP, a follow-up to 2018’s Testing, is going to feel like a proper step up.
“I’m wrapping up the new album now; I’ve been shooting so many visuals for it. I don’t want to be cliche or sound like a salesman, but I’ve pushed myself to the limit on everything. Going from that industrial, subversive sound from Testing and then graduating with a more polished sound…I just like where it is.”
In that same interview, Rocky opened up about what he envisions for himself as a father and what he wants to instill in his kids. “I will always remind my children to never lose their imagination, even as adults, no matter what,” he said, adding that he’s “not trying to describe a saint, but realistically, I just want a cool child with cool parents.”
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