A$AP Rocky appears to take direct aim at Drake on his new album Don’t Be Dumb, claiming he “stole” Rihanna from the Canadian rapper.
At a Glance
- A$AP Rocky raps “First you stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bitch” on the track “Stole Ya Flow”
- He name-drops Rihanna as his “baby mama” and calls her “badder than my toddler”
- On the Jan. 15 New York Times Popcast, he says the song is “for whoever feel like it’s about them”
- Why it matters: The lyrics reignite a long-rumored rivalry over Rihanna and add fuel to the pair’s fractured friendship
The 37-year-old rapper released the album on Friday, Jan. 16, and fans immediately zeroed in on the blistering chorus:
> “First you stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bitch. I can’t trust a soul, just my pole and my kids. Swear to never lie, cross my heart, hope to die. Then I sold the switch, then I hit it with a kiss, mwah.”
Later in the same song he boasts:
> “Now I’m a father, my bitch badder than my toddler. My baby mama Rihanna, so we unbothered.”
A History of Overlapping Romances
Rihanna and Drake’s on-again, off-again chemistry stretches back to 2009, when the pair first sparked romance rumors. Their relationship appeared to peak at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, when Drake publicly declared his love for the pop star while presenting her with the Video Vanguard Award.
Rihanna later told Vogue in 2018 that hearing the speech felt “uncomfortable.”
> “I don’t like too many compliments; I don’t like to be put on blast,” she said, adding that although she and Drake were no longer friends, they were not “enemies” either.
A$AP Rocky began dating Rihanna several years after her final split from Drake. The couple now shares two young sons, making the rapper’s lyrical jab both personal and pointed.
Metro Boomin’ Reference
On “Stole Ya Flow,” A$AP Rocky also appears to reference producer Metro Boomin‘s viral “BBL Drizzy” instrumental:
> “N—– gettin’ BBLs. Lucky we don’t body-shame.”
The line nods to a popular internet meme that pokes fun at cosmetic surgery rumors in hip-hop circles.
Speaking on the Rift
During the Thursday, Jan. 15 episode of the New York Times Popcast, co-host Joe Coscarelli asked A$AP Rocky whether the internet chatter about “Stole Ya Flow” being aimed at Drake was accurate.
> “I think we all know,” the rapper replied.
When co-host Jon Caramanica pressed for details on where the relationship soured, A$AP Rocky offered a vague summary:
> “I don’t know. I started just seeing people who started out as friends and just became foes. Seemed like they was unhappy for you and just started sending shots. I think that’s what led to any of our misunderstandings or whatever the case is.”
Caramanica followed up, asking whether the rift could ever be “resolvable.”
> “It don’t even need to be,” A$AP Rocky said. “Like, for what?”
Asked once more if the record is definitively about Drake, the Harlem native kept it open-ended:
> “It’s for whoever feel like it’s about them.”
Key Takeaways
- A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb is his fourth studio album and arrived after multiple delays
- The project’s standout track, “Stole Ya Flow,” packages swagger, fatherhood pride, and apparent disses into one radio-ready anthem
- By invoking both Rihanna and Metro Boomin‘s meme, the rapper positions himself at the center of multiple conversations in contemporary hip-hop
- With neither artist showing signs of reconciliation, fans can likely expect more lyrical sparring in future releases
Don’t Be Dumb is available on all major streaming platforms now.
