Blonde bombshells Rihanna and Chris Brown dropped not one, but two bombs on fans when remixes to their two new singles exploded onto the net today.  Possibly baking up a backlash, their joint ventures – ‘Birthday Cake’ and ‘Turn Up the Music‘ – have certainly turned up something.  What, however, has yet to be fully realized.

Sweeping headlines at this very moment, the two have teased their recorded reunions for the past few weeks.  The hype was introduced when Da Internz, co-producers of the sizzling Rihanna interlude, first informed fans the number would be revamped into a full length song and its tapped co-star would “shock the world”.

And, though spectators later put the clues together, many wrote the speculation off as mere ‘publicity stunts’ given the severity of the incident that tore them apart just three years prior.  Said incident also led Brown to a near blacklisting, causing the failure of his ‘Graffiti’ album that same year.

Fast forward – both singers’ careers were undoubtedly changed by the incident.  Even for better or worse, both Ri and Brown now see themselves at the top of their respective games.  After Billboard urged the songstress not to collaborate with Chris, could this stunt be a publicity stunt that went a few steps too far?

Some may argue that Brown nor Fenty had to be in the same physical location to record the songs.  While true, that does not consider promotion of the songs (which the publicity alone will do), acceptance of prospective award nominations/wins, nor any potential live performances.

Once the posterchild for domestic violence, will the legions of fans Ri won over with her self proclaimed strength and return to music feel betrayed by this reunion?  Or is it simply time to move on and allow their personal lives and relationships be just that…personal? The reunion, as we all speculated, was going to happen one way or the other.  But, is it too soon?

For two of the hottest tracks to surface in some time, this heat – this firestorm of publicity that will surround the tracks, will come at a burning price.  Rihanna is playing ‘Russian Roulette’ with her career.

Is this a new beginning?  Or the beginning of the end for both stars?

Your thoughts?