Naomi Osaka has also been dating rapper bae Cordae for about two years. But just who is the other half of what GQ has called “the most dynamic and outspoken young couple in the culture right now?”

Meet Cordae, the man giving Osaka butterflies …

He is Grammy nominated

Born Cordae Amari Dunston, the rapper, singer and songwriter is best known for remixing popular songs. He joined the YBN collective in 2018 as YBN Cordae. In July 2019, he released his debut solo album, “The Lost Boy”, which debuted at No 8 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list and received a Grammy nomination for the best rap album in 2020.

His entry into the rap world was quick. Oprah Daily reports that, in 2017, Cordae was at Towson University studying communications and working at TGI Friday’s, but only a year later he dropped out and moved to Los Angeles to be part of the YBN Collective. In May 2018, his remix of Eminem’s 1999 hit, My Name Is, went viral.

Er, he didn’t know who Osaka was

The exact timeline of when Cordae and Osaka got together is unclear, but we do know that in July 2019 during an appearance on Hot 97’ Ebro In The Morning, the musician admitted they were dating.

He’s a supportive and loving boyfriend

Osaka has been vocal about the impact tennis has had on her mental health. When she announced she would be withdrawing from the 2021 French Open after receiving backlash for not taking part in press conferences during the tournament, Cordae publicly supported her. On her Instagram page, she explained her decision, and Cordae commented on the post: “No need to apologise to anybody!”

Osaka has made it known how much she values his support too. On Instagram she explained how, during the 2020 US Open, she mentioned to Cordae that she was feeling lonely, and how he immediately got onto a plane and quarantined to be with her.

He and Osaka have grown together

One thing that makes them a strong couple according to Cordae is the fact that they can learn from each other. He told the The Los Angeles Times that he has seen “all aspects” of American life, explaining how he has lived in a trailer park and in the suburbs.

He was arrested at a Breonna Taylor protest

Just like how Osaka uses her platform to advocate for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Cordae has also put his name behind it. In July 2020, he was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, along with 86 other activists who were outside the Kentucky Attorney General’s home to demand justice for the killing of Breonna Taylor, according to Billboard.

Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was killed in her home by plain-clothes police officers in March 2020, who used a no-knock warrant and fired 20 rounds into her home after her boyfriend fired once out of fear.

The protesters were arrested and later released. None of the officers who fired their weapons on the night Taylor was killed face criminal charges, with Taylor’s family telling The New York Times a year later that they felt the justice system had failed.

He has totes written about her

When you’re dating a musician, you kind of hope that you’ll be featured in their music, right? Well, Osaka got just that. He dedicated a few lines on his EP “Just Until”, released in 2021, to the tennis star: “My girl would forfeit a tennis match to meet my grandma / Man, she truly a keeper.”