In Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, Denzel Washington reunites with the legendary filmmaker in a gripping neo-noir crime thriller, this time squaring off against A$AP Rocky in a performance-filled clash set against the pulse of modern-day New York. Washington portrays David King, a powerful music mogul caught in a morally fraught ransom plot, while Rocky steps into the role of Yung Felon, an ambitious rapper intent on shaking the system. Now, Washington is discussing working with Rocky. And he officially gave two thumbs-up to Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s romance. Here’s what Washington had to say about giving his stamp of approval.
Denzel Washington 100% approves of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s relationship
In Highest 2 Lowest, the dynamic between Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky transcends typical co-star interplay, becoming one of the film’s most riveting elements. Their centerpiece, a partially improvised rap battle in a gritty studio, emerged organically, with Spike Lee calling the raw energy “better than any written scene.”
On Good Morning America, Washington praised working with Rocky. “Let me say this, ’cause I really didn’t spend a lot of time with him,” Washington noted. “I wanted to stay away from kind of how I work. We meet when we meet. That’s the point. But I’ve spent the last couple of days with him. Amazing young man — intelligent. I was like, ‘Oh, OK, Rihanna!’ I see — I see this kid.”
Rocky also had high praise for Washington. At the film’s New York premiere, the rapper called working with Denzel “a dream come true” and admitted to “fanning out” around the actor, barely able to “keep it together” while acting alongside him.
“My mother had a crush on Denzel before I existed,” Rocky said, according to WHUR 96.3.
Rihanna is allegedly ‘blown away’ by A$AP Rocky’s work ethic on the film
Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest blends gritty urban realism with sharp social commentary, following the intersecting worlds of music, power, and ambition in modern-day New York. Lee’s signature visual style, which includes bold color palettes, tracking shots, and heightened monologues, gives the film a kinetic energy, while Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky’s dynamic anchors it in authenticity.
A source previously told In Touch Weekly that Rihanna “saw how hard Rocky worked on this movie and what he went through emotionally to take on the role, she’s blown away by his work ethic and talent.”
“Rihanna loves that more people are seeing Rocky’s potential because she sees it so strongly,” the insider continued. “She’s saying he should aim for an Oscar because he’s got what it takes.”
Rihanna hasn’t directly discussed Rocky’s friendship with Washington. But we’re hoping that after she sees Highest 2 Lowest, she’ll have positive words about Rocky’s co-star.
The rapper thinks he and his famous partner will act together in the future
A$AP Rocky thinks it’s possible that he and Rihanna could act together in the future.
“Hell, yeah,” he told Variety after they asked him the question. “You saw her acting in my film [the 2022 music video] D.M.B. You saw her acting in [my 2013 music video] Fashion Killa.”
Rocky added that he would “more than likely” direct the future film, though he doesn’t want to give away the genre. He also gave Rihanna a special shoutout for her work on the Smurfs film that released in 2025.
“We both got movies coming out the same year,” Rocky continued during the interview. “I didn’t even realize that. Wow! Shout-outs to us — we’ve been working!”
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