Odds On What Rihanna And A$AP Rocky Will Name 3rd Child And When Will Her New Album Drop

Rihanna made a grand entrance to this year's Met Gala - by confirming her third pregnancy. 

Just hours before the star-studded spectacle, the We Found Love singer released a portrait by photographer Miles Diggs showing off her growing bump, and her partner A$AP Rocky later admitted that the glitzy event was the right place to show off their impending arrival. 

The rapper told reporters: "It is time to just show the people what we were cooking up." However, some Rihanna super-fans have been left concerned that a new baby might mean a delay to RiRi's upcoming ninth studio album, which has been dubbed "R9". 

Despite this, others are just happy to speculate about the name of the couple's third child. 

Raf And Ruby Among Baby Name Favourites 

Rihanna and Rocky already have two kids, sons RZA, two, and 22-month-old Riot, and some supporters have been eager to find out whether they will continue their family's R baby name theme with their third child - and the answer is yes. 

Rocky appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to confirm the showbiz power couple's new arrival will also have a name beginning with R. 

Host Seth asked: "Your first two kids have 'R' names, obviously you and Rihanna have 'R' names. Is this a lock that the third will have an 'R' name, do you think?"

The rapper replied: "For sure."

Rihanna and Rocky named their first child RZA in a nod to hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan's leader of the same name. The 55-year-old rapper - who was born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs - previously admitted he was "honoured" by the tribute. 

He told CNN: "RZA isn't only a name, it's a title. So it's an honour and I salute her and A$AP and their family. All the blessings in the world from me."

Rihanna previously confirmed that Pharrell Williams suggested the name Riot for their second child, after he and Rocky worked together on a 2023 song of the same name. 

She told Harper's Bazaar magazine: "He gave us this name thinking it was going to be a girl, because he had seen something online."

If Rihanna and Rocky continue the Riot theme of naming their next child after one of their tunes then they could choose from the likes of Raf (15/8), after the 2017 song by ASAP Mob, which features Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Frank Ocean and others. 

Or, if the pair have their first daughter together they could name her Ruby - after A$AP and J. Cole's 2024 song Ruby Rosary.  The couple are 2/1 to name baby number three Ruby, but they could look to some of their other song titles, including Rush (4/1), Run (9/2), and Runnin (7/1).

What's more, they might name their third child after a famous rapper, like they did with RZA.  It's 5/2 that the pair's next baby is called Rhymes, in a nod to Busta Rhymes, and it's 7/2 for Redman - who rose to fame in the 1990s - is the little one's moniker. 

Or, Rihanna and Rocky could go for Ronson (5/1), in a nod to producer Mark Ronson, who A$AP worked with on 2015 song Everyday.  They could opt for Rocky (3/1) or Rakim (4/1), in a nod to the child's father, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, or even something like Ri-Rock (10/1) - a combination of both of their monikers. 

RiRi's 2025 R9 Album 

Rihanna has already been quizzed on whether R9 will be "put on pause even longer" off the back of her pregnancy announcement, but she is determined to stick to her schedule. 

She told Entertainment Tonight: "No, maybe a couple of videos." The Diamonds hitmaker joked: "I can sing!" 

And the star added: "I'm good! I'm shockingly feeling OK, and not too overwhelmed at the moment. 

"At first it was kinda like, 'Ahhh!' "

Rihanna's fans have been waiting nine years for her next album, a follow up to 2016 record Anti, and she recently teased it will be something unexpected. 

In February, she told Harper's Bazaar magazine: "I know it's not going to be anything that anybody expects. 

"And it's not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It's going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now."

The star is yet to confirm a release date for the hotly-anticipated record, but it is just 4/6 that the album drops by the end of the year, and 6/4 that it is released in the first half of 2026. 

However, it's 5/1 for Rihanna to keep her fans waiting until 2027 or longer. 

Rihanna's Kendrick Lamar Loyalty

When her R9 record does finally drop, supporters will be interested to see if there are any collaborations on the album. 

With the couple's third baby on the way, could Rihanna and Rocky team up for a duet about the impending arrival? 

The rapper is 13/8 to appear on Rihanna's ninth studio album, but she could turn to some other familiar faces as well. 

In 2017, Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna collaborated on tune Loyalty, and he is 15/8 to appear on her next record. 

Ahead of Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show performance earlier this year, RiRi backed the star, telling Entertainment Tonight: "Kendrick's the one that's supposed to do it right now. He's going to crush it, we should never doubt him. 

"He's an amazing artist. Top tier! He actually brought so many people together, that's what culture is."

What's more, Eminem is 2/1 to collaborate with Rihanna once again, after doing so several times beforehand, including on 2010 song Love the Way You Lie. 

Rihanna has also worked with DJ Calvin Harris on numerous tunes, including 2011 megahit We Found Love.

It's 5/2 she teams up with Harris on her new album, and 3/1 she joins forces with David Guetta.