Rihanna’s New Tattoo Was ‘Designed by Her Babies’

Barbadian singer and actress Rihanna poses for a photograph during the launch of her Fenty Beauty brand in Mumbai on...
Photo: Getty Images

What may the offspring of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky be when they grow up? Already certified fashiona killas, Rza (3), Riot (2), and Rocki Irish (7 months) have the worlds of fashion and music at their finger tips. And already, they’re proving they’ve got the artistic streak too.

Rihanna’s latest tattoo comes courtesy of her children—according to celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang (real name Keith McCurdy), the new ink was “designed by her babies.” The artist shared a series of videos documenting the new work and the tattooing process on May 8. It comes just days after Rih and Rocky appeared at the Met Gala, where Rihanna opted for a whorling Margiela couture gown and “living sculpture” hair. Art in all its forms, then, must have been on Rih’s mind.

The body art is a purple, red, yellow, green, and blue scribble—quite abstract expressionist. In one video shared on Bang Bang’s Instagram, you can see the artist working from the original artwork—a paper covered in Paw Patrol stickers, which Rihanna obviously decided against featuring on her body, keeping it simple. Rih had the ink done on the back of her left upper leg.

“The torture I’ve endured in this shop,” she says in one clip.

“Make sure my ass looks good in the main shots,” she says in another, with large wraparound sunglasses and a hoodie obscuring her face.

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It’s not the first time Rih has looked to Bang Bang for his needle work. He’s responsible for at least nine, including the shark on her ankle from 2016 (which she’s since had covered up for a crown) and “rebelle fleur” on her neck. Her most visible and well-known is the tatt of cascading stars down her neck and back, also by Bang Bang.

The pop star and beauty mogul has around 25 known tattoos all over her body, some with intimate personal meanings, in tribute to others, and with a bit of good fun and homor. They range from small designs like a music note and pistol to the wingspan of Egyptian Goddess Isis across her chest, a memorial to her grandmother Dolly. Others have faded over time, like“thug life” spelled out across her knuckles and the “shhh” on her finger.

Rihanna tattoo
Photo: Instagram (@bangbangnyc)

Her partner A$AP Rocky, meanwhile, has an extensive number of intricate designs and meaningful tattoos across his body. They both sport matching “1988” tattoos that they had inked in 2024—Rih’s is on her ankle, Rocky’s on his spine. Rocky also has a tattoo tribute to A$AP Yams, which features the late rapper’s face.

It’s clear that, over the years, Rihanna has imbued more meaning into her body art—a chaotic scribble by her kids feels totally in line with the free-spirited Fenty-Mayers dynasty. Maybe her turn on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet and tour of the exhibit, where the body was celebrated in all of its forms, sparked the idea.