When celebrities become parents, they get to decide exactly how much of their kids' lives they want to share with the world—aside from the relentless paparazzi, that is. More and more stars are opting to keep their professional and personal lives completely separate in an effort to protect the privacy of their children. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky definitely fall into this category, which is why it took nearly one year for the public to learn their baby boy's name.
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Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their son on May 13, 2022. It wasn't until February 2023 that she formally introduced their baby boy on the cover of Vogue. Fast-forward to May 2023, and she and the rapper are expecting their second child. Additionally, fans finally learned the name of their first baby! So, what did RiRi and A$AP Rocky name him?
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son's name has been revealed!
After nearly a year of wondering, fans now know the moniker Rihanna and A$AP Rocky gave their firstborn child. The Daily Mail obtained a copy of their son's birth certificate, which revealed his name is RZA Athelston Mayers. A$AP Rocky's legal name is Rakim Athelston Mayers.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son was named after a member of the Wu Tang Clan.
The name RZA is reportedly in honor of rapper and producer RZA, who is the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, according to TMZ. Other members of the band include GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty B—–d. In hindsight, the choice makes sense, because Rihanna has been spotted wearing the group's clothing on a number of occasions since their son was born.
Fan reactions to the name RZA have been mixed.
Folks took to Twitter to express their opinions about the name choice. Some folks were not fond of the name. "Now we just naming our children letters?" [one person tweeted].
Others approved, with another person tweeting, "Rihanna's kid's name is RZA? That's so dope."
Yet another person tweeted, "Okay I understand you want to honor him but why would you name your kid that? I'm sorry, I wouldn't do that but I guess that just me lol."
To that, someone else answered, "Vibes. Everything is just vibes for her. That includes her career."
Previously, fans had different theories about Rihanna's son's name.
Before RZA's name was revealed, a popular fan theory was that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky named him Noah, but it's unclear how that rumor started. An insider shared with Us Weekly about what RiRi and A$AP Rocky took into consideration for choosing a name when RiRi was still pregnant with their first child.
"Rihanna wants her Barbados heritage honored when she names her child, (as well as) ASAP’s roots," the source reportedly shared. "They want both of their cultures included. It is very important to them to keep where they are from passed down to their child."
Rihanna first posted about her son in December 2022.
In addition to keeping her son's name under wraps for nearly a full calendar year, Rihanna hasn't shared a ton of photos of RZA. Her first social media post didn't come until December 2022, when she shared a video of her baby boy via TikTok smiling in his car seat.
"You tryna get Mommy's phone?" the doting mama asked him. So cute!
What do you think Rihanna and A$AP Rocky will name their second child?
