Rihanna and A$AP Rocky finally revealed their 1-year old son’s name, which had been kept a well-kept secret since his birth: He goes by the name of RZA. Yes, he’s named after the head honcho of the Wu-Tang Clan. But while confused news tabloids were still trying to figure out where the outlandish name hailed from, Rihanna and Rocky were already celebrating their RZA’s first birthday with even more references to the legendary hip hop group:
There’s footage of A$AP Rocky dressed up as Ghostface Killah head-to-toe, including the Wu rapper’s beloved bathrobe, bandana, beanie and Timbs. The birthday child was dressed for the occasion in black and yellow with the fitting mask as Bobby Digital, his namesake’s alter ego. And Rihanna went full Ol‘ Dirty Bastard, rocking a vintage Wu Wear leather jacket, a custom replica of the late Wu rapper’s ‘Dirt‘ grill and his iconic braids.
For A$AP Rocky fans, his son’s name might not be the biggest surprise, given that Rakim (Rocky‘s civil name) and his sister Erika themselves were named after hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim by their mother. And in little RZA’s case, there have been foreshadowings as well: Not only has A$AP Rocky famously quoted the aforementioned ODB’s single „Shimmy Shimmy Ya“ in his own track “Fucking Problem“ before – Rihanna’s “Oh Baby!” Vogue cover story can be interpreted as an ODB reference as well.
Not even mentioning several sightings of both Rocky and Rihanna wearing vintage Wu-Tang shirts or the latter‘s romantic Instagram post featuring a quote from arguably the hip hop love song by the Wu’s Method Man:
What (in hindsight) was the biggest give-away though, is when the couple was photographed not too long after RZA’s birth, with Rihanna wearing a vintage album promo tee from 2003. The title of said album? “Birth of a Prince” by RZA. So it was always there. Right in front of our eyes. But could one have guessed the rather unusual name of Rihanna’s and A$AP Rocky’s son? That’s another story.
What’s undeniable either way: There’s zero f*cks given by Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, be it by paying hommage to a certain rap group or (probably having the fun of their life) giving hidden clues to mess around with paparazzi sensationalism. And yet another thing is certain: That – even 26 years after Ol‘ Dirty Bastard rushed on that Grammy stage to tell everyone that Puff Daddy’s ‘Best Rap Album‘ award should have gone to Staten Island – Wu-Tang is indeed for the children.
