In reply to "Mediocre" is the new "talented".

That’s exactly right. There was an article I read 4-5 years ago about how Rihanna’s accountant was angry that she was fired and accused of stealing money from Rihanna herself. The female gave a very truthful/common sense breakdown about Rihanna’s career. She talked about how Rihanna was supposed to get dropped from Def Jam, along with Teairra Marie, but Rihanna’s manager begged them to keep her and came up with the idea of her getting endorsements such as Covergirl. RIHANNA NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER got any money from them. Their strategy was to have an upcoming superstar appear in their commercials and ads with her hit song, but they would pay for the music videos instead of paying her and it worked. I still remember the day I decided I didn’t like Rihanna anymore. Hard to believe I used to be a fan. I liked her music and fresh, innocent style when she came out with MOTS. Then, when I saw she sexed up her image for SOS and was trying so hard to look like Beyonce, I wasn’t a fan. Not only that, when the photos for her Umbrella music video leaked, people were praising her for gaining weight, having long, shapely legs, and looking sexy. The song and video were an instant hit and it’s because Rock/Pop/R&B was the NEW TREND IN MUSIC at that time! She had a very creative, smart, and professional team of people. It’s because of them she’s a big name. The Dream was creative in giving her that “EHHH” signature phrase and helping her incorporate her accent into Pop music. Ester Dean has contributed greatly to her phrasing and signature melodies as well. Those are the real stars! Rihanna is nothing but a manufactured product. She’s a fucking puppet and she knows it. Anyone light, and attractive or made to look attractive could have been as big as Rihanna!