The Becoming

Decked out in Puma, Ri Ri lights up and strikes a pose for the second cover of FADER‘s 100th issue. The issue drops October 27, but her cover story is available here.

For almost a decade Rihanna released an album per year, but it’s been over 1,000 days since her last one. Sure, there have been singles, collaborations with Eminem, and “FourFiveSeconds” with Kanye West and Paul McCartney. There was “Bitch Better Have My Money,” a single and video that she directed with a quartet of French men who go by the name MegaForce. There was the Met Ball dress, Maori hand tattoos in New Zealand, tours through Dubai, and crop overs at #heauxm. Countless magazine covers. Her River Island collaboration. MAC Cosmetics deal. Dior ads. Hosiery collaborations. PUMA campaign. Among this all, her music is more relevant than ever: in July of this year, she became the first artist to surpass 100 million gold and platinum certifications encompassing 37 separate singles to be the winningest chart-topper in the history of cochleae.