Rihanna is leaving her Drake-inspired tattoo in the past.
The singer and her new man A$AP Rocky were spotted on a date in NYC on Wednesday night. Paparazzi captured the couple walking the streets before heading to a bar where they were reportedly refused entry at first.
Rih wore a pair of strappy heels that revealed her left ankle. Fans zoomed in to notice a new crown tattoo in place of the shark she got around September 2016. Weeks later, Drake was seen sporting a matching shark tat on his right arm.
The design was inspired by a stuffed shark that Drake got for Rihanna when they had a midnight dinner date at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto while they were dating.
“The significance is personal,” tattoo artist Keith McCurdy aka Bang Bang told Vanity Fair. “That’s really all I can say. I’ve seen many people guessing the meaning online, but it’s not my place to share publicly. I will say, I’ve made many tattoos for Rihanna and this one was my favorite!”
Fans took to Twitter to weigh in on Rihanna’s new tat. “rihanna covered up the matching tattoo she had with drake lmao don’t nobody feel my pain i promise,” tweeted one, while another added, “Rihanna covered the shark tattoo…. I know Drake somewhere out there bawling his eyes out.”
rihanna covered up the matching tattoo she had with drake lmao don’t nobody feel my pain i promise
— LB (@lnbshr) June 24, 2021
Rihanna covered the shark tattoo…. I know Drake somewhere out there bawling his eyes out
— (@marleyaq) June 24, 2021
The tattoo replacement appears to be a recent development. Earlier this month, Rihanna posted a photo with the shark tat in view.
It’s unclear if Drake had his tattoo covered up. The former couple dated on and off between 2009 and 2016.
“We don’t have a friendship now,” Rihanna told Vogue of her ex in a 2018 interview, “but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is.”