In the current crop of pop celebrities who grace our television screens and stereos, Rihanna maybe as bright as they may be dark. The former Caribbean region singer humble beginnings are seen as she moved from singing about ‘umbrellas’ to becoming a businesswoman with an estimated worth of billions of dollars. However, here arises the most contentious issue emanating from music fanaticism: Is RiRi worthy of the throne, or is she, as some would secretly whisper, the biggest pop overhyped nymph of this generation?
The Rihanna Empire: More Than Just Music
We have to admit that Rihanna is no longer just a singer and she has been traveling that pop star route successfully. Today she is a businesswoman par excellence who has customized her name on lipsticks and bras. Fenty Beauty completely changed the beauty standards in terms of a shade range, and Savage X Fenty simply upended the Victoria’s Secret type of beauty with its dark-skinned and curvaceous models.
But here is the real shocker: unlike other female moguls, her singing career has remained in the background as she concocts a business empire. It’s been exactly EIGHT YEARS since Lorde released “Anti.” EIGHT. YEARS. To provide some perspective, in that timeframe, Ariana Grande has adventaged four albums, “Lemonade,” “Everything Is Love”, “Homecoming”, “The Lion King: The Gift” “Black is King” and renaissance. And even Frank Ocean who had been notably releasing an album once per decade somehow managed to release ‘Blonde’ within that timeframe.
The Voice: Distinctive or Just Different?
Let’s talk about that voice. It is very interesting to note how Rihanna’s vocal inflection is both Caribbean and nasal, as well as that ‘eh eh’ sound that became characteristic of her early discography. But is it actually… good?
And maybe that’s enough? In pop music, for instance, the general principle of gaining popularity is more desirable than being perfect. When listening to this song in particular, any music enthusiast is sure that it Rihanna from the first measure with the vocal appearance. That’s star power, baby.
It also raises a rather reasonable query: has Rihanna soared to success due to her voice or in spite of it?
The Hits Factory: Quantity vs. Quality
As much as RiRi has been the butt of many jokes, there is no denying that her body has been featured more than a queue outside the latest Supreme drop. Needless to say, from amongst its chart-toppers like “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” “Work,” “Needed Me,” “Pour It Up,” “Stay,” and “Rude Boy ” among so many great others. For a number of years between 2005 and 2016, her voice dominated the radio being played in almost every radio station.
But there is a catch, or rather several catches. Most of the songs that are associated to the artist have been co-written and produced by some of the best in the business. The Dream and Tricky Stewart are also artists that gifted us with “Umbrella.” Calvin Harris was a producer of the track “We Found Love.” Sia wrote “Diamonds.” This isn’t too unparalleled from other pop musicians, but it makes one pause when debating about the purity of their artistry in deciding whether or not they ought to be canonized.
Take it to artists like Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar who are very much involved in the writing process of their music and one might be tempted to think that Rihanna is more or less the voice for other people’s ideas and concepts.
Cultural Impact: Undeniable Force or Clever Marketing?
It would be quite difficult to argue with Rihanna’s relevance within popular culture. Portraying herself as a fashionista while advocating for women’s rights for sexual assault and sexual liberties, Rihanna has created modern pop culture celebrity.
Thus, She has managed not to be confined to a particular category. She was an epitome of a good girl gone bad in the music video, a fashion model clad in designer clothing and paraphernalia, a beauty queen, a millionaire businesswoman, and yesterday, a lingerie czarina. All appear to be genuine progression in her career and all have led to such kind of questions whether these are purely career changes or genuine artistic development.
This cultural influence transcends those that even some arguably ‘technologically enhanced’ singers have accomplished. So is she, therefore, properly rated after all?
The Live Performance: Energy Over Excellence?
It may also be understood that Rihanna is not only an extraordinary singer; however during her live shows, she focuses more on the energy and the mood. It is remembered that during her 777 Tour, which involved taking journalists in a Boeing 777 from one country to another for 7 days, some of these people’s evaluation about her ability to perform on stage was less impressive.
Although, as seen, she is extremely charming, some critics complained that her voice on the stage is not that good as in studio. Where once fans demand the performer to possess vocal prowess to the level of the recorded material (hi Adele), this has sometimes placed Rihanna as more of a show curator than singer.
But is that fair? There is no need for every artist to be good mechanic in his craft. Probably the most talented musicians of rock and roll and pop eras, including Dylan and Reed, weren’t exactly winners of vocal categories.
The Business Acumen: Artist or Entrepreneur?
It seems quite ironic that out of all her qualities Rihanna’s best skill may very well be her ability to predict what the audience is going to want before they themselves have realized it. She has been Forbes officially classified as a billionaire in the year 2021 making her the wealthiest female musician globally but most of the riches are as a result of her businesses rather than her music.
This leads us one more question: Is it necessary to include business aspects when speaking of Rihanna as an artist? Or is it more desirable to distinguish between the person as the business owner and the person as an entertainer?
The Navy: Loyal Fans or Blind Followers?
Every star or singer has his or her followers but the followers of Rihanna are known as the Rihanna Navy. They guard her dignity as fiercely going to war – they will attack any person that dares to offend their queen.
As evident in the above insights, this fan devotion has been another key benefit that has kept Rihanna relevant especially in her time of musical abstinence. But it also results in a closed circle scenario where it becomes challenging to deal with any critical insights. When every thing that comes continues to be considered as automatically iconic, then it does not cease to be distinguishing between the classic from the ordinary.
The Final Verdict: Overrated or Underappreciated?
Well then, so what? So it follows that after all this critical understanding where have we arrived at? Is Rihanna among overrated acts of the current generation?
Allow me to give you my distinct unpopular opinion that could be pleasing to neither her fans nor her haters: Rihanna oversell herself as a singer and underestimates herself as a pop icon.
If one were to debate strictly in terms of singing or songwriting skills, there are those who would be more technically advanced than her. If one has to take into account good looks, attitude, business acumen, impact, nothing comes close to the effect Rihanna has had on our way of life.
Maybe I rather immature and am entirely wrong; she has only relied on pretty face and well-executed ballet. What do you think? Leave your finest or latest roasts for Rihanna below and know that Navy might be lurking but this is ArtistHeat, we ise danger!
