B*tch Better Have My Money became an anthem about getting paid what we are worth. However, it seems the song was prophetic for Rihanna. Forbes announced recently that Rihanna is now a billionaire and the wealthiest female musician. Rihanna is now ranked second to Oprah in wealth held by a woman entertainer. Unlike Oprah, who gained most of her wealth from syndicating her show, Rihanna’s grew to billionaire status because of her 50% owner stake in Fenty Beauty and her Fenty X Savage lingerie line. In case you are wondering, Rihanna is now worth $1.7 billion. When asked about her billionaire status, Rihanna said, “God is good,” and kept it moving. A few highlights from Entertainment Tonight:
Fenty Beauty, which Forbes confirms Rihanna owns 50% of, makes up $1.4 billion of the mogul’s fortune, which is incredibly impressive since she only launched the brand in 2017. But it’s not surprising considering how popular the innovative beauty brand has become. When Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, she changed the beauty game forever by debuting an unprecedented foundation line that featured 40 foundation shades for people of all color. The line was expanded to 50 foundation shades and 50 concealer colors by 2019.
And now, with the inclusive makeup collection having expanded into skincare, it’s not just the women Rihanna is targeting. She wanted to make sure her Fenty Skin line not only worked for all skin tones and types, but that it was also gender-neutral, so she called up friends like A$AP Rocky and Lil Nas X to star in the campaign shoot.
“I wanted men to be represented because this skincare line is gender-neutral,” she told ET. “I want it to be for everyone, so you don’t have men scared to use skincare. They think it’s a feminine thing, they think it’s just for girls, and I don’t like that idea. We all have skin, we all wear skin, so I knew we needed that male representation in the campaign.”
Rihanna added, “We want these products to work for all skin types and, of course, all skin tones. I want these things to be different from anything that is on the market. I want it to be simple. I want it to be accessible, but still with the high level of ingredients that some of these other brands do but they’re so expensive.”
On Thursday, the 33-year-old mogul was spotted by paparazzi while stepping out and asked what her newly revealed billionaire status means to her. “God is good,” she humbly declared before going on her way.
The rest of Rihanna’s fortune comes from her stake in her lingerie company, Savage x Fenty, worth an estimated $270 million, and her earnings as a chart-topping musician and actress. Back in February, it was announced that the A-list star’s lingerie and loungewear brand had reached a $1 billion valuation in lingerie equity, with Forbes estimating that it would be “the global lingerie market leader by 2025.”
I am so damn proud of Rihanna. She has come such a long way. Rihanna is now that bad b*tch calling the shots and I am here for it. I know everyone has been pressuring her to make a new album because they want new music. But I have been saying for the longest that Rihanna is busy building an empire and music was secondary. It would seem that I was correct. It’s sweet that Rihanna said, “God is good,” and maybe that is true but Rihanna cannot discount not only her hard work but her god given vision and ingenuity. I hope Rihanna is out celebrating somewhere with folks who love her. The other thing I love about Rihanna is that she has become more of a philanthropist and activist. Hopefully Rihanna will start picking better men to build her empire with.
photos credit: Backgrid and via Instagram
Use the money to fix that picker!
After our father died when my sister and I were 13 (her) and 14 (me), someone asked our mother if she thought she’d remarry. Before she could get a word out, my sister said, “She’s got a job and a car. What does she need a man for?”
Rihanna is doing just fine! She’ll figure the partner thing out. And if she doesn’t….{see above}
I love your sister’s response! I’m divorced and hate the “when are you getting remarried” question. I think I might use her line the next time. 😉
I love that comment too and that’s how I live my life now but I think it only works if you actually feel that way. For some people they seem to have the money on their side but feel they’re missing something without the significant other.
God isnt so good to everyone.
If I were her I’d be thanking myself “I am so proud my hard work paid off”
Yep. If “God were good,” horrific wealth inequality wouldn’t exist. And anyway, teachers, contractors, single moms working two jobs, nurses etc etc etc work frakking hard, too. Where’s their Freedom 55? I have grown to despise that justification with the fire of a million suns.
Agreed. Love RiRi and #BBHMM has become my anthem. She did this. God, luck and hard, hard work, being in the right place at the right time and making solid decisions all along the way. So proud of her.
Ahhh, I love her and her ambition and her ability to follow through. The world is full of people who say they want to do things, but Rihanna actually does them.
I wonder how much the employees making the products she sells under her brands earn…
Do you also wonder how much the employees making other beauty products are paid?
Yeah, I see what you’re implying and I believe it’s more comfortable for you to think that way, otherwise you would have to reassess what and how you consume. I mean, who wants to feel guilty when they buy a mascara, right ?
I do. Absolutely. I like Rihanna and the Fenty products, they’re good products! but I also think that billionaires should not exist. Money (and/or shares in this case, a company’s worth is not the same as $ in the bank) need to be redistributed through all the employees. There should not be a 2000% wage gap between the person who makes the product and the head of a company
Exactly. Rihanna is Bajan totality. She’s from a tiny island and has turned the world upside down. I remember reading here years ago, someone saying that Rihanna would never have the longevity as other singers. That she couldn’t do a Vegas residency because her songs aren’t that popular. This girl came and proved that she was so far ahead and outside of the just a singer box. She has forever changed an industry. If you’ve never known what it’s like to not be able to find your shade of make up ANYWHERE but a Black store then you don’t understand the impact she’s had. The majority of the world is racialized. She created products that catered to the majority. If she wants to give god the praise. Let her.
I’m happy that Rhianna has reached billionaire status, even though I agree that such a level of wealth shouldn’t be possible. There are plenty of people with talent, who will have worked as hard or harder than Rhianna and the other billionaires of the world but that’s capitalism for you. Life isn’t fair. Some people also have a great deal of luck on their side and it still feels better to see a woman achieve these things than a white man, starting from an already privileged position.
She should be proud of her work. I use a few of the Fenty Beauty products and enjoy some. It’s a good brand overall.
Billionaires shouldn’t exist, even ones as cool as Rihanna. Her $ is made off the backs of underpaid workers, just like the rest of them. As a feminist, I believe we should strive for the liberation of all women, and not just settle for the success of a few.
Exactly. I’m so tired of hoarders being glorified. Billionaires are hoarders, they hoard money. If they were hoarding cats or magazines, we’d declare them mentally ill and want them to get treatment. Because it’s money, we think it’s an incredible thing they’ve done. All of this money is made off the backs of people who are underpaid and most don’t have a lot of options in life.
I find it disgusting.
Isn’t this about the valuation of her business? How is she hoarding?
If one is a billionaire, they are hoarding money. I see the statement above, “Rhianna is a billionaire.” Billionaires hoard money, that’s why they are billionaires.
THANK YOU!
Ok looking back at the comments when kylie jenner was declared a billionaire…so different. Also as someone said above thanking God is actually considered humility, but I think some people are being purposely obtuse. l agree with Greenleaf though.
Not sure what the comments were but anything said about Rihanna being a billionaire with underpaid factory workers to thank absolutely applies to Kylie. Especially because kylies stuff very much seems to be made in China, which is an evil dictatorship at the moment with many people being persecuted for their culture (even if they aren’t personally religious!) … at least Rihanna is famous for her entertainment value (not simply famous for her sister copying Paris Hilton’s tape misfortune) and at least one of her lines was/is high end thus probably not made in China. I think Kylie became a billionaire a year or more ago so hopefully the comments have changed due to people being more awAre, not any bias against Rihanna.
Kviby, you are absolutely right. And I believe Rihanna is an actual billionaire. Kylie never was and lied about it.
@,kviby, yes it was a while back. 2018. The comments were mainly debates on whether she was self made and whether her makeup was any good. a few people said the Kardashians do have a talent, for making money. I also realise the commenters are not necessarily the same. Still, there was a lot of negativity right out the gate for this post.
@Purpleprankster
I do not know about that thread but I think in past couple years, especially young people,have been getting into class politics in USA. The reasons are obvious. Capitalism is not working for young people. If you are 30 right now, that means you have gone through 3 once in a lifetime economical crisis. I am not even getting into climate change and all.
They were different because the discourse about billionaires has accelerated times a thousand since two of the worst offenders launched themselves into space just last month. Two years ago, it wasn’t a mainstream sentiment. It is now. 2021 is not a good time to be outed as one. The gloss is off.
What’s tragic is how so many people on here are focused on her, a spiritual person, thanking a higher power instead of simply saying congrats. I usually only stick to Black Entertainment discussion groups and blogs so I can swerve around not seeing racist comments towards Black celebrities killing it. The only negative comments I saw were around the disbelief that Beyonce isn’t a billionaire and congratulating Rihanna for building her brand.
😻🌹🙏Rihanna is good 🙏🌹😻
If you are raised in a religion, its part of your belief system to be thankful to the deity that you serve/obey, because it’s your belief that through said deity you have been given, protected, cared for, disciplined, etc. It’s a personal choice to have religious beliefs and for people to be uncomfortable and try to bend other people to their will, well, y’all got GALL.
As a West Indian I’m so proud of her for making inclusivity the paradigm for beauty and makeup. She comes from a striving working class religious background. She was not at all financially well off so the god she speaks of took her a long way. That was what I got from her comment. That said, Savage Fenty is essentially a pyramid scheme and I also worry about the wage gap and the continuous environmental damage that this sort of capitalism creates. The whole beauty and fashion industry is fairly problematic and unsustainable. She is fairly forward thinking so let’s see if she puts her time and energy into innovation/changing things.
Torn because good for her, but also, I’m sick of seeing billionaires. This world is suffering so much, and it’s just hard to stomach any more of this kind of wealth among anyone. And clearly I’m not alone by the comments on this post. It does suck that a badass woman who worked hard gets this type of negativity, but so many of us just can’t rally around any billionaire right now. 😞
Oh I see – a Black woman shouldn’t be a billionaire.
I’ll flip that narrative, maybe we need more women of color billionaires but we just don’t know that because white dude billionaires have been effing it up for everyone. If I were a billionaire I would use that money to help people, societies, and the environment.
If you wanted to help people, you could not have become a billionaire.
Becoming a billionaire means you have already hurt people, societies, and the environment. One does not become a billionaire without exploiting both people and the earth.
I don’ t have a problem with someone reaping the rewards when something they do is a huge success – especially when that success comes because they are inclusive and original.
What I do hope is that anyone who has such success uses that opportunity to help a lot of other people and do good in the world, and is taxed properly.
lol, Some of these comments. Can’t just say nice things about something good happening to a Black woman and keep it moving. Gotta get into some Byzantine spectulation that makes her contribution less stellar. I’m also noting the lack “feminist” defence that pops up all over when it’s a white woman.
I’m so glad Rihanna has never given one about what people think.
(I’m also glad she’s including men in that make up line.)
x 1000000 @FF
I generally don’t care much for the billionaire class and their tax avoiding ways, but it’s truly amazing when you think about it. To amass a billion dollars is unimaginable for most of us. What is it,1000 million? Good for Rihanna. I’ll probably give her more of my money by buying more Fenty beauty products. She did this through her own creativity and initiative, saw and created a good product that resonated with a huge market segment that wanted respect and recognition. She’s had her setbacks as well but proud of her and what she’s accomplished.
That is an amazing accomplishment. I hope she finds lasting love with a true gentleman.
Go Riri! To some of you who say billionaires shouldn’t exist please take your BS opinion and stuff it. We need more women wealth makers who will inspire other women because only then will the landscape of power and politics change.
You guys going on about exploitation should be speaking with the Walmarts, Coca-Cola, oil and gas coys, Target, Amazon and other big corps who not only don’t pay taxes but have, combined, caused more harm to the environment.
To displace the patriarchy we need women with power and money and the only thing your lofty ideals will get you is nothing. No climate change policies, no police reform, no civil rights reform, no wealth redistribution, nothing!
Do not cut off your nose to spite your face just because it’s a Black woman who’s the BIllionaire.
p.s And if the woman wants to give Glory to God then leave her be.
All of this @BIbi
If there must be billionaires, I’ll take Rihanna over all those white guys.
While I really like Rihanna and congratulate her success, it’s built on the back of using resources to make and sell more stuff that we don’t need. Today and every day, we are seeing the damage that our buying habits are doing to the planet. I hope she and others in industry can find a way to strike a balance that will save our environment, but I despair that anyone will make and implement the tough decisions necessary to do something right now. I include myself here too.
@MargaretM
Do you own a car, clothes, shoes, phone, laptop, etc? Then those manufacturers are also utilizing resources for items you don’t really need. You could make your own clothes for instance and eschew mass produced stuff. Or what about the damages done to communities that are mined for the raw materials used in laptops and phones? Have you ever taken the time to measure your own impact on the environment (CO2 footprint)? If not then we’re all as guilty as the Olsen twins and the Reese Witherspoons who are also billionaires producing stuff we don’t need.
We only remember the environment when it’s a Black woman being celebrated.
Everyone gets so worried when it’s a Black woman with wealth. Guess that’s part of the white fear that led to the Black Wall Street Massacre in 1921 and other events in history and present where white folks just can’t stand to see Black people’s hard-earned wealth, that Black folks had achieved *in spite of* all of the blockages overtly and covertly set in our paths, legal and illegal, by this white supremacist systems. Given all of her own history, philanthropy and advocacy as a representative, I’d be willing to bet that Rihanna’s support for others goes beyond your white boy billionaires. But when Black women gain wealth or anything for that matter, all of a sudden everyone wants to speculate on their moral character. We are expected to be work horses for nothing, give give give to everyone all the time, and if we aren’t visibly killing ourselves to care for everyone else at the detriment of our own lives and health and finances, then we are seen as suspect and you try to pull us down. We see you.