47

Rihanna Goes Off During Esquire UK Interview, Tired of Talking About Chris Brown – Does She Have A Point?

It’s been three years since “the incident” left Rihanna bloody and fearing for her life. Since then she and ex-flame Chris Brown have made amends, and records, and have both seemed to move on from that fateful February night.

Despite their willingness to let bygones be bygones, the media—and their fans—just can’t seem to let it go. Although it’s been three years since the pop stars split, rumors of reconciliation have continued to persist and only grew stronger when the pair teamed up for two songs, one of which seemed to indicate they were getting it in (or wanted to).

Recently, during a recent interview with Esquire UK for the June issue, things got a bit dicey after the interviewer asked Rihanna about her now infamous collaboration with Chris Brown. Although many may have wanted the backstory of how they came to work together, let’s just say RihRih was not  happy to be talking about her ex yet again.

Peep an excerpt of the transcript:

Esquire: What has been the Twitter response to the Chris Brown remixes?

Rihanna: Some love it, some hate it, some love it but hate that we did it. But the response in the end has been incredible.

Esquire: Was that [the recording session] the first time you’d seen him in a while?

Rihanna: When would we have seen each other? We’ve both been working and touring. [changes the subject]. This is really good food.

Esquire: It proved quite a controversial thing.

Rihanna: Well…definitely. Definitely. It caught me a little off-guard to be honest…especially the amount of…negative attention. Because it never occurred to me how this was a problem, you know. It really didn’t.

Esquire: Because enough time had passed that it was OK?

Rihanna: I thought people were gonna be surprised that we finally did a record together, but I didn’t see how people could think it was a bad thing, you know? In my mind, it was just music.

Esquire: Some people felt it sent the wrong message.

Rihanna: [Angrily] What was that? What message would that be?

Esquire: You’d gone back to someone who put you in the hospital.

Rihanna: [Getting angry] Oh really? Did I?

Esquire: Well… yes.

Rihanna: Did I? Did I? Did I?

Esquire: You went and recorded with him, yes.

Rihanna: Okay. In a completely professional environment. And on a complete professional note. I mean, if I went back to him [as a girlfriend], then that’s a whole different discussion. And if I ever do, then that’s something that y’all have to talk to me about when – if – that ever happens. Until then, look at it for what it is. I think a lot of people jumped to an assumption that was incorrect and they ended up looking stupid.

Esquire: The assumption you were dating again?

Rihanna: Because of a song. How stupid. If I was together with every collaborator I worked with… f-ck my life.

Esquire: Still, the lyrics didn’t do much to dispel that impression. His opening line is “Girl I want to fuck you right now/been a long time/I’ve been missing your body”. You reply: “Remember how you did it/If you still want to kiss it/Then come and get it”.

Rihanna: That was the tone before he was even on the record. You think it was going to be about hopscotch or jump rope?

Esquire: So neither of you for a minute thought “This is going to put the cat among the pigeons”?

Rihanna: I could never see anything wrong with making music.

Esquire: Maybe the thing is that as an artist your personal and private life are intertwined, and you’ve already played on this. The first song you put out after the beating incident was “Love the Way You Lie”, about domestic violence.

Rihanna: Absolutely. But Love The Way You Live was me as an artist working with Eminem as an artist, telling our stories individually. On a track together. I’m lost. I’m confused as to what you’re trying to get at.

Esquire: That it’s hard to separate the person who’s been the victim of domestic violence and the pop star singing about domestic violence.

Rihanna: I know. And that’s how f-cked up society is. There’s a lot of sh-t y’all can’t get over. Y’all holding your breath on a lot of stuff that doesn’t matter. When you realize who you live for, and who’s important to please, a lot of people will actually start living. I am never going to get caught up in that. I’m gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it – and I lived it for me- and God. This is turning into a tacky interview. What do you really want to talk about? I’m not here to [talk] about messy sh-t.

Esquire: It’s just what’s been making the headlines recently.

Rihanna: OK! So do you want to talk about everything on Google? Or do you want to talk about stuff that my fans want to know? Let’s get to the real stuff. The stuff that’s important.

Esquire: What do your fans want to know?

Rihanna: You tell me, as a journalist. You’re asking the questions and I give you the answers. I can’t give the questions too.

Esquire: I’m sorry it’s upset you.

Rihanna: It hasn’t upset me. It upsets me that you keep asking the same kind of questions about stuff that’s trivial. What’s there to talk about? Are all your questions like that? Let’s move onto the next one.

Esquire: It’s just that you haven’t given an interview for a while. A lot has happened.

Rihanna: You think I haven’t given an interview for a while? I did four this morning.

Esquire: Did they go any better than this?

Rihanna: We’ll see [when they come out] tomorrow

As a writer, I understand asking artists tough questions. Although both claim they have moved on, Rihanna and Chris Brown used the “Cake” collaboration to garner buzz and stoke the rumors that they were reuniting.

So can Rih really be mad people still ask her about Breezy or should journalists and fans just move on?

 Speak on it! 

Around the Web
Enter Your Email:
  1. I think interviews are, for the most part, done with the consent of the artist. If the artist doesn’t like the line of questioning the interviewer should move on.

    I think defining someone by one of the worse things to happen to them is awful. Constantly making her into nothing more than a victim is awful.

    Thumb up Thumb down 0

  2. I’m fans of Rihanna and Chris, and I can understand how she’s tired of talking about “the incident” because I’m tired of hearing about it. I think they did the “Birthday Cake” song together to show that they had moved on.

    Also, what Chris did definitely wasn’t right, but it seems like Rihanna is hiding something about what happened. She never wanted to be seen as a victim. Even though there are pictures and a police report, there is more to this story than what we know.

    Thumb up Thumb down 0

  3. I got heated as I read the questions. She did a good job of not completely spazzing out. Shid, I would have walked out! Yes, she is a public figure, and she is going to be scrutinized day in day out, BUT at the same time she is human. There is a fine balance. This journalist crossed that path! Lawwwwwd hammercy, I would have cursed him/her, and his moda’s/foda’s people out!

    Thumb up Thumb down 0

  4. Business or not, that will affect her for many years to come. And honestly, I cannot for the life of me understand why she would have any professional contact with him. This would not fly in any other community (white, asian, latino, etc), so why in the hell is it “ok” in the black community??? She can “move on” without doing ANY collaboration with him. Wake up people…..stop accepting when women get beat up, that it’s “ok” when the perp apologizes and it’s back to business as usual.

    Thumb up Thumb down 0

  5. She’s funny. This is why we shouldn’t be so concerned about grown folks’ business. She does not owe anyone (her fans, women, young girls, etc.) anything. If she wants to make a song with Chris Brown, fine. If she wants to get back together with him, fine. It’s her life and she’s living it.

    At the same time, if the interviewer wants to ask her those questions, that is also fine. She can get an attitude if she wants to, but people are clearly interested in the collaborations, and that’s why the interviewer was asking questions about it.

    I personally haven’t really liked any of her songs since Umbrella, and that is the main thing I am concerned with when I think about Rhianna–her music.

    Thumb up Thumb down 0

View Comment Moderation Policy

Leave a Reply