A Brief Timeline Of Rihanna And Drake's On-Again-Off-Again Relationship (They're On Again!)
The on-again, off-again rumored pair might be on-again!
Getty Images When Rihanna was with Hasaan Jameel, her relationship status was kept pretty low-key, even though everyone knew that they were very much together. However, upon her split from Jameel, Rihanna's love life has been thrust back into the spotlight again. After rumors began surfacing about her rekindling her romance with rapper A$AP Rocky, the rumors about Rihanna's reported "on-again" relationship with none other than Drake have began bubbling up in the blog-osphere yet again.
But is it really possible? Are Rihanna and Drake are dating again?
Now that the rumors that the on-again, off-again couple is indeed back on-again, let's look at what we know about these latest rumors, and explore a brief timeline of their longtime relationship.
1. Are Rihanna and Drake dating again? They were hanging out together in Brooklyn.
On the same day Rihanna was spotted with another former flame, A$AP Rocky, at the Yams Day concert in Brooklyn, there was another notable attendee in the audience: Aubrey Graham, known to the hip hop world as the inimitable Drake. The duo were spotted taking photos with fans — sometimes, together — which led to immediate speculation about their dating status. Check out some of their 'cute and couple-y' photos featuring the young stunnas below.
2. Rihanna and Drake first started hooking up all the way back in 2009.
On Drake's song, "Fireworks," he talks about the night he and Rihanna allegedly hooked up at the Lucky Strike Bowling Lane in New York City. This "hookup" happened back in 2009, and it's clear that Drake was sprung, as they say. "Who could have predicted Lucky Strike would have you stuck with me/Damn, I kept my wits about me luckily/What happened between us that night? It always seems to trouble me/Now all of a sudden, these gossip rags want to cover me/And you making it seem that it happened that way because of me/But I was curious/And I'll never forget it, baby, what an experience/You could've been the one but it wasn't that serious," he rapped.
3. Even though Rihanna denied dating him, Drake said that they were "kind of" dating back in 2010.
In a print interview back in 2010, Drake admitted that he and Rihanna were "kind of" seeing each other, even though Rihanna vehemently denied being anything more than Drake's friend. That same year, the duo release the "What's My Name" video, and they look more than a little "couple-y," further fueling the speculation about their dating status.
4. They play the "are-they-or-aren't-they" game for a few years, all the way up until 2016.
Rihanna and Drake then went on to play the "are-they-or-aren't-they" game for a few years, and those games included "shoutouts" on songs (like on Rick Ross's "Made Men," where Drake calls Rihanna "the baddest"), appearing on each other's songs and performances (remember the "Take Care" video?) and even including a huge shout-out during a monumental acceptance speech (when Drake presented Rihanna with the 2016 MTV Video Vanguard award, where he admitted that he had been "in love with Rihanna since [he] was 21 years old").
5. Rihanna said she and Drake "were no longer friends" in 2018.
Apparently, getting all that "love" during the Video Vanguard acceptance made Rihanna feel like she couldn't be friends with Drake anymore. "The VMAs is such a fan-focused awards show, so having that energy around me, and knowing the people who had received the award in the past, made it feel like a big deal. Waiting through that speech was probably the most uncomfortable part. I don’t like too many compliments; I don’t like to be put on blast. We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is,” she said.
6. But they may have recently rekindled their romance.
A recent report suggested that Drake and Rihanna may have rekindled their on-again, off-again romance. Rihanna showed up at Drake's birthday party at Poppy Nightclub not long ago, and they were seen partying into the wee hours of the morning. Rihanna, herself, was escorted to Drake's table by his security!
Whatever the case with this romance, we'll be sure to keep you apprised of all that's going on!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.