Denzel Washington praises A$AP Rocky, acknowledging that he sees what Rihanna sees: “You know what, I get it, Rihanna”

Denzel expressed his admiration for A$AP Rocky, calling him an “intelligent young man,” “nice,” “handsome,” and a “good guy.”

Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington says “he knows why” Rihanna chose A$AP Rocky

The legendary actor Denzel Washington complimented A$AP Rocky during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, (September 3).

Around the 10-minute mark of the video below, Denzel Washington said, "I get it, Rihanna," while praising A$AP Rocky on Jimmy Kimmel Live, explaining he understands why Rihanna is drawn to him, calling Rocky an "intelligent young man," and acknowledging his qualities like being "nice, handsome, and a good guy". Washington's comments came after working with Rocky on the movie Highest 2 Lowest and seeing his acting talent and intelligence firsthand.

Denzel also mentioned that his all-time favorite rapper is Nas, describing him as a “wordsmith” and one of the greats.

The respect goes both ways. Rocky has often talked about the transformative advice he received from Washington over ten years ago. In a conversation with GQ, Rocky recounted being invited to the Washington family home for Christmas by John David Washington. “We were chilling, and you gave me some of the best advice,” Rocky recalled.

“You was like, ‘this your girlfriend?’ I was like, ‘nah, this my friend.’ He was like, ‘Alright, cool, you like family man. In a few years, you gotta get it together. It’s about the family.’ I never forget that.”

Director Spike Lee, who united Washington and Rocky for Highest 2 Lowest, also commended the rapper's acting abilities during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.“Yeah, don’t sleep on A$AP,” Lee said. “In this film, Denzel and A$AP go toe-to-toe. What’s interesting is, even before I got involved, I always thought A$AP looked like he could be Denzel’s son. There’s a big resemblance. So when you see it on screen, it adds an element of father and son.”

Spike Lee mentioned that Rocky held his own alongside one of the finest actors currently living. “I’ve done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times, when he’s in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. But A$AP wasn’t having that. Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it.”