Rihanna fans may have just received the biggest update on her long-awaited new album—straight from A$AP Rocky. During a new interview, the rapper casually revealed that the global superstar is actively back in the studio, adding fresh momentum to years of speculation surrounding the project fans have dubbed R9.
Appearing on The Jason Lee Show, Rocky was asked whether his relationship with Rihanna—and the couple now raising three children together—was the reason fans still haven’t received a new album. He immediately dismissed the suggestion before accidentally revealing more than he may have intended.
“Nah… She in the studio right now. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, babe,” Rocky said. “Like, bro, she working. She cooking, no funny s–t. Damn, I’mma get in trouble for this.”
The moment quickly went viral, as it marks the clearest public confirmation yet that Rihanna is actively recording new music. While rumors have circulated throughout 2026 after she was photographed entering a recording studio in New York and later referenced heading into studio sessions in one of her own videos, Rocky’s comments provide the strongest indication that work on the project is well underway.
The update comes more than a decade after Rihanna released ANTI in January 2016. Widely regarded as one of her defining artistic statements, the album has remained a streaming powerhouse while fans have patiently awaited its follow-up. During that time, Rihanna shifted much of her attention toward building her Fenty business empire, expanding her fashion and beauty brands, embracing motherhood, and making only occasional musical appearances, including 2022’s Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” and 2025’s “Friend of Mine” for the Smurfs soundtrack.
Just last month, she also made one of the year’s biggest surprise live appearances during JAY-Z’s final Yankee Stadium concert. Before performing “Run This Town” alongside the rap icon and delivering a solo rendition of “B**** Better Have My Money,” Rihanna joked to the crowd, “Y’all know I’m rusty, right? It’s been a while. Y’all with me right now?” The performance immediately reignited conversations about R9 and whether a full-scale comeback was finally approaching.
Earlier this year, Rihanna also fueled anticipation herself after responding to a fan who joked that “2026 is the new 2016.” Her reply—“You know what 2016 was…”—served as another reminder that ANTI remains central to the conversation surrounding her next chapter.
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