Cordae And Naomi Osaka Talk Careers And Relationship For GQ Cover Story

Y’all already know how hard we stan Naomi Osaka and Cordae’s relationship!

Source: Renell Medrano / GQ

We’re ecstatic that GQ made the couple one of three to cover their Modern Lovers issue. The other two couples are soccer star Megan Rapinoe and her partner Sue Bird and Russell Wilson and Ciara (who we also love madly). GQ’s cover story largely covers how Cordae and Naomi have so much in common in terms of their success, but how their personalities are so different. Check out some excerpts from the interview below:

On Cordae Going Viral Rooting For Osaka At The 2019 U.S. Open:

“I don’t know if I ever told Naomi this or not, but I felt really out of place,” says Cordae. “Like, that was my first time being in an environment like that in my entire life. My elementary school, middle school, high school was 99.9 percent Black. Kids who look like me. It just felt really weird for me being in that space. That was my first tennis match ever.”

On Naomi Feeling Honored When Cordae Lets Her Hear Unfinished Music:

“He had to warm up to me,” says Osaka. “Eventually he let me listen to his music, which I feel really grateful and honored about, to be honest. He’s a perfectionist, and I think that’s sort of what I am too. So maybe that’s why we get along.”

On The Pressure From Being Two Famous People In A Relationship:

“We were dating for almost a year before people knew about us,” says Cordae. “We don’t really post intimate moments, because I feel as though they’re sacred. A relationship is really a sacred thing. Once you let outside influences get into it, it becomes less sacred.”

Check out the couple’s GQ Couple Quiz below:

They’re so awkwardly cute! We love how Cordae would reach over to rub Naomi’s leg reassuringly.

Hit the flip for more excerpts from their cover story.

Source: Renell Medrano / GQ

Can we just take a second to appreciate these Renell Medrano photos too?

Loving the chemistry between Cordae and Naomi as well as the FASHION!

We also love that GQ talked to Cordae and Osaka about both their relationship as well as their individual experiences. Check out a few more interview excerpts below:

On The Media Trying To Create A Rivalry Between Naomi Osaka And Serena Williams:

“There are so many tennis players in the world,” says Osaka. “And yet, for some reason, whenever I play Serena, they broadcast it in a way that’s a rivalry. But it’s not. She’s won so much more than me. So many people can try their entire lifetime and not catch up to what she’s done. And that’s something that, you know, I’m trying to set as a goal. I’m not even sure it’s possible to do everything that she’s done. But it’s also weird how they set it up like that.”

We love that she tackles this head-on. It’s so clear to us that Serena and Naomi are not rivals but there does seem to be a media agenda to write the story that way every time they have a match. We love how she gives Serena her flowers and points out the hypocrisy of the press to not treat her matches with other players the same way.

On Lessons Osaka Learned From Mentor Kobe Bryant:

“He was someone that, no matter how busy he was, for some reason he always picked up the phone when I called him,” says Osaka. “I remember he told me, ‘Imagine that you’re a lion and you’re hunting your prey. So you see a deer off in the distance. And if you watch Animal Planet, you always see the lions looking at their prey, and they have gnats around their eyes. Think of the media and the press as gnats, and you’re the lion, so never get distracted. And you never see the lion trying to swat away the flies or anything like that.’”

We LOVE this analogy. We all can benefit so much from focusing on our goals and disregarding the BS.

Cordae On His Ultimate Goal:

“My ultimate goal is to make the Rock & Roll and the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” says Cordae. “And I hope there’s a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. There needs to be, right? That’s my ultimate goal.”

It’s so funny that he mentioned this because the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame just announced this year’s nominees today. Some of our favorites were on the list including Mary J. Blige, JAY-Z, Chaka Khan, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, Rage Against the Machine, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick!

On Cordae’s Penchant For History And Quoting Scholars Like James Baldwin And W.E.B. Du Bois:

“I was always reading Harry Potter books, and my mom was like, ‘If you can read a 500-page Harry Potter book, then you can read about your people,’” says Cordae. “So I was 10 years old, no bullshit, reading The Souls of Black Folk, reading Thurgood Marshall’s biography, reading about Johnnie Cochran. You know what I’m saying?””

You know what they say… Reading is fundamental!

We loved every bit of this story. Thanks, GQ! You can read the full profile HERE.