Moneybagg Yo and Ari Fletcher Share Their Love Story

The Memphis-born rapper has had a busy, albeit massive, year. In April of 2021, Moneybagg released his critically acclaimed fourth album, A Gangsta's Pain, through Interscope CMG/ N-less Entertainment/ Interscope Records, which went on to debut at the top of Billboard 200 in the US, and would later become the fourth highest selling rap record of the year.

But the success of his last album is not arbitrary; Moneybagg has been a heavyweight in the Southern rap scene since he began releasing mixtapes in 2012. Without fail, if you turn to any contemporary rap radio station or playlist you will hear the addictive chorus to Moneybagg’s “Wockesha,” and even if you don't know it, you've definitely heard it on TikTok (haven’t we all seen the videos of people fawning over a celebrity crush to this song?).

With all the recent collaborations (his new single with YG and J Cole, "Scared Money,” was just released last week), national arena performances and studio sessions, it makes sense the two wanted to celebrate the holiday with some much-needed alone time.

In a recent conversation, we are introduced to the private romance of the two enigmatic lovebirds as they near their third year coupled up. From topics of Moneybagg’s rising career in rap, to zodiac signs, to childhood crushes, the two offer insight into how they juggle prioritizing their love, all the while maintaining careers in music and being parents.

And though Moneybagg and Fletcher are typically close-lipped when it comes to sharing their private lives with their followers, in the spirit of Saint Valentine, they take a moment to reflect on their history together and the prospects of their future partnership. Whether or not you’re a hopeless romantic, it’s hard to not admire their love and willingness to share it with the world — in between Ari’s blushes and repeated invocations of how much they adore each other, their convo is sure to make any heart flutter.

Ari Fletcher: How are you doing today?
Moneybagg Yo: I’m doing good, I’m getting my nails done. I’m trying to look good, you know, self-care.
Ari: You weren’t doing all that until you started dating me.
Moneybagg: No, I've been doing that. You just like to take credit.
Ari: No, you know what it is.

Moneybagg: What are you doing?
Ari: Nothing, I just got some Valentine’s Day nails done, you want me to send you a picture of them?
Moneybagg: Yeah.
Ari: They’re red for you and Valentine’s Day.
Moneybagg: My favorite color.

Ari: Yep. You want to tell them how you met me?
Moneybagg: Oh, I saw her in the mall or somewhere shopping and there was just too much going on at the time so I felt like I couldn’t shoot my shot in that particular place, and then I got to reaching out to mutual friends, and people that we know and I was like “Hey, there’s a big party going on in Atlanta, make sure she’ll be there” and stuff like that and I went there and they set it up for me and I went in that section, and the rest is history.
Ari: And been stalking me since.
Moneybagg: Basically. It doesn’t matter where you meet, it doesn’t matter the setting. If the two connect...
Ari: Yeah you were trying to act like you were too turnt up, like you were having a ball, just fronting.
Moneybagg: I do, I did.
Ari: You were a gentleman though.
Moneybagg: Exactly. I didn’t do any of that. I just made sure you got in the house.
Ari: You did, you made sure I got in the house and texted me. You were being sweet.
Moneybagg: Hmhm.
Ari: Whatever, you know what you were doing, you were just working your number.
Moneybagg: I mean you have to play your cards right.

Ari: What’s your favorite memory of us together?
Moneybagg: Favorite memory? Let me see. You go first, you tell me your favorite first. We’ve done so much stuff. I liked when it was your birthday.
Ari: On my birthday? Which one?
Moneybagg: What I did for you on your birthday.
Ari: Oh when I was crying?
Moneybagg: Yeah you always have the best birthdays.
Ari: No, you always have the best birthday gifts.
Moneybagg: I mean, the first one together was cool.
Ari: It was cool? You got a Maybach.
Moneybagg: It was great actually, but I feel like the second birthday with you was even better. I liked the first one, it was fun and we were active, but the greatest gift was probably the second one. The Maybach and stuff was cool but the land (that I gave you) was better.
Ari: Nobody is just buying people land, it’s a big gift.

Moneybagg: Yeah it is. What do you think I should name my album? What do you want to hear from me next?
Ari: What I want to hear or what you should name it?
Moneybagg: Both, what vibes do you want to hear with this next album? What’s your perspective as the consumer?
Ari: I think for me personally—
Moneybagg: Coming from me, what’s next for Moneybagg?
Ari: I think for me, seeing your life from the inside and knowing that you’re going through a lot of stuff right now, I think it should be just all about what you’re going through. I think you should just tell a story about how you’re going through it, getting through it, I think you should be very detailed on your feelings.
Moneybagg: So, speak? I should speak?
Ari: Yeah, you can name your album “Speak.”
Moneybagg: That sounds about right, that sounds like the story of my life right now.
Ari: Yeah because you have a lot going on, you need to get that off your chest.

Moneybagg: Yeah I really do. What are you looking forward to for Valentine’s Day? I know everything is supposed to be like “wow” and surprise but what are you looking forward to?
Ari: I don’t know.
Moneybagg: You just want to be with me? You just want it to be special?
Ari: Yeah I just want it to be special.
Moneybagg: Yeah, I feel like as long as I’m with you, that’s the most important thing. We’ll always be together, sharing every experience together.
Ari: What’s going on for Valentine’s Day? Can you tell me? Do you have any plans for me on Valentine’s Day?
Moneybagg: No, it’s just a special day, it’s the thought that counts.
Ari: It’s the thought that counts?
Moneybagg: Yeah, for sure.
Ari: You need to start planning. If you haven’t started, the time is ticking.

Moneybagg: What’s your favorite holiday?
Ari: Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day.
Moneybagg: So chocolate, flowers...
Ari: No, that’s not my favorite holiday... I would say the birthdays because you don’t really celebrate holidays for real but you celebrate birthdays because you aren’t going to miss your damn birthdays, isn’t that something?

Moneybagg: What do you think our favorite thing to do together is?
Ari: Have sex. But, I’m just playing. I like when we are just in the house, in bed chilling, watching TV and eating.
Moneybagg: Doing normal stuff?
Ari: Yes, doing normal stuff. My favorite trip that we went on was to St. —
Moneybagg: Thomas, we went to St. Thomas. It was a real vibe, for sure.
Ari: It was intimate, there weren't too many people. We slept outside in the rain, under the covers. It was romantic. That was probably my favorite trip I’ve been on in my life.
Moneybagg: I never experienced real love until I actually got with you.
Ari: Stop, you’re making me blush.
Moneybagg: I feel like this is the best, this is the last one.
Ari: This is the last relationship? It’s over after this? Nobody else?
Moneybagg: Mhm, nobody.
Ari: You don’t have a choice.

Ari: Who was your childhood crush?
Moneybagg: Meagan Good.
Ari: That’s not a childhood crush, that’s still your crush right now!
Moneybagg: No it’s not, that’s all over with.
Ari: I’m about to DM her right now.
Moneybagg: That’s an interesting question, what about you?
Ari: Who was my childhood crush? I never really fantasized like that, I don’t know.

Ari: What’s a talent you wish you had?
Moneybagg: I wish I could sing.
Ari: Yeah you do wish you could sing, but that’s okay because you can rap, so we’re just going to leave that one for at home.
Moneybagg: But singing is so much easier to do, but rapping requires a lot of thinking, you have to make sure you deliver it right but when you’re singing it’s strictly about melodies. It’s so much easier to please the people. That’s how I feel, but I feel like I could do it if I just keep perfecting it but I don’t think it would look right for me to do that.
Ari: We’ll get you some vocal lessons.

Moneybagg: What's your favorite video of mine? “Hard for the Next"?
Ari: I was going to say “Hard for the Next,” but I didn’t want to be corny. No, do you know what my favorite video is? The one that you shot when we were in St. Thomas. That’s my favorite song too, I really liked that video.
Moneybagg: That’s one of my favorites too.
Ari: It was just about being happy, I really liked that video.

Moneybagg: What’s a song that you could cry to? Like an “I just want to cry and be in a sad mood” song.
Ari: Beyoncé, the song she made to Jay-Z, “Resentment.” Turn that on and get to crying. It would have to be that, it just makes me so emotional.

Moneybagg: What are your favorite characteristics of me? What do you just love about me?
Ari: I love everything about you but my favorite thing would be that you are a very, very, strong person and you never give up on anything.
Moneybagg: I love your personality, you don’t care, you don’t give a fuck about what people think. Our situation is authentic, it’s organic, it’s not industry, it’s not put together, it’s perfect. We’re supposed to be together.
Ari: You’re making me blush again! I never believed in zodiac signs until I started dating you. I started reading and was like “he acts just like this.” Everything they were saying about Virgos–
Moneybagg: I’m that.
Ari: That’s weird, that is scary. But I never paid attention to that.
Moneybagg: You too. Looking at your signs is the same thing. I believe in it because I analyze people, I’m good at observing, and that stuff is true. A lot of that stuff is true, I swear to god. And not just about me and you, just period.

Moneybagg: I’m looking forward to this Valentine’s Day with you, ready to have fun, ready to see you, ready to get with you. Let’s make the best of it. Let’s keep living life, let’s keep enjoying life. Let’s keep not worrying about what everybody else thinks. Let’s just be us.
Ari: I love you.
Moneybagg: I love you, too.

Photos courtesy of Interscope