We have just two weeks until Mercury is in retrograde again. Though most associate the cosmic event with utter chaos in the personal lives (please don’t text your ex back, sis!), for others, the retrograde is a chance to usher in a new beginning. For Rihanna, that means closing a big chapter in her life: her relationship with billionaire Hassan Jameel.
The Fenty Beauty CEO first started dating Jameel in summer 2017, with the couple being photographed together, looking very close, at a number of different events. Rihanna has never been the type to talk explicitly about her high-profile love life (her exes include Chris Brown, Travis Scott, and Drake), but with Jameel, it was clear that she was head over heels in love.
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She opened up about her relationship for the first while talking to her friend and Ocean’s 8 castmate, Sarah Paulson, for Interview Magazine. When asked if she was in love, Rihanna answered in the affirmative, which prompted Paulson to follow up with a question about potential wedding bells for the lovers.
“Only God knows that, girl,” Rihanna teased. “We plan and God laughs, right?
Unfortunately, if Rihanna is headed down the altar, for now, it looks like it won’t be with the 31-year-old billionaire. A source told Us Weekly that he and Rihanna decided to cool off their relationship after almost three years of serious dating.
The breakup comes as a surprise since many observers were convinced that Jameel could be the one that the Bad Gal would settle down with. The singer had become even taken on her boyfriend's low-tendencies, only appearing every now and then to announce a new business venture. Now that she's reportedly single again, Rihanna will likely pour more of her energy into her work. The triple threat definitely has her hands full, with her cosmetics company, lingerie line, and luxury fashion brand flourishing by the day.
Oh, and the album. We still haven't forgotten that Rihanna owes us an album.
How will the split affect Rih's forthcoming ninth project? It's hard to guess. Tentatively referred to as R9, the album is said to be a reggae-inspired work — reggae icon Shaggy was said to have been invited to contribute to the album — and will remind fans of the singer's early, island-inspired sounds.
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Rihanna promised that R9 would be released before the end of 2019, but here we are, still streaming ANTI. Yet the 31-year-old has teased her fans nonstop since, even using memes to joke about the missing album. She says that it's ready, and she's just refusing to release it to the public.
Will the project call back to Rihanna's relationship with Jameel? The couple was fully involved while she was in the studio, so it's a possibility that we will hear some inspired, vibey songs about her love life.
Though honestly, we really would take anything from Rih at this point.