Rihanna cannot keep herself out of the news even if she tried.
The pop star has now incurred the wrath and scathing criticism from one of the most beloved and, at times, maligned black leaders in the world. Controversial Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, during his annual Savior’s Day speech in Illinois this past Sunday (February 27), singled out the Barbadian beauty by calling the 23-year old artist and her music “filthy†and referring to it as “swine.â€Â
Rihanna boldly retorted via her Twitter account in an act of defiance. “A minister says I perform filthy, sat+watched the filth, then called u SWINE for doin the same! Haa, is that judgment in ur tone?†tweeted Rihanna the following day. The “What’s My Name†singer went on to add towards the Muslim leader, “I certainly don’t think u are swine! But a holy man of God does!!! #swineNavy.â€Â
Rihanna released her steamy video “S&M†last month and the sexually suggestive video caused quite a stir on the Internet and across various media outlets – the video has since been yanked from YouTube and banned in several countries according to reports.
Rihanna is also fighting a lawsuit from photographer David LaChapelle who claims that Rihanna’s longtime director Melina Matsoukas borrowed too heavily from his images and style, alleging that the video’s set was “directly derived†from the photographer’s original work. Matsoukas addressed the accusations, partly admitting that she was inspired by some of the themes found in LaChapelle’s work.
Rihanna claims to soak up the attention, saying that being provocative is an aim of hers. But is the pop diva running the risk of being overexposed with these potentially risky maneuvers?