I’d been trying to steer clear of this one for a few days, as no official source could be cited; however when reputable news agencies such as MTV and NME are picking it up, there may just be something to it. A very interesting article regarding ‘it’ girl of the moment Rihanna being ‘broke’ surfaced at the start of the week and has been gathering momentum since. Long, yet real insightful, I must say. Check it out: Rihanna’s now ex-business manager Patricia Willliams has been recently fired as she recalls “for no good reason, all in ignorance” and is “livid” with Rihanna & her management company Rebel One’s decision to axe her.
Rihanna recently met with Willliams to check on her accounting affairs and was shocked to see that almost all her money was missing. She instantly accused Willliams of “stealing her money.”
“I’m a professional Business Manager, I have a staff of more than a dozen, I have worked for many high profile actors, musicians and multi-million dollar corporations. Why would I steal from Rihanna?” She continues, “I showed her all the paperwork and tried to explain to her the circumstances but she wouldn’t listen. She called me all sorts of horrible names and stormed off. I now feel compelled to share with the world the background story as I will not allow my name to be slandered”
The Barbados born singer has had four back-to-back albums, including a re-release since her debut of “Pon De Replay” in 2005.
According to Willliams, Marc Jordan, manager and owner of Rebel One Management has been taking care of Rihanna’s financial situation with her. “Def Jam doesn’t fund Rihanna properly, so Marc uses the money Rihanna makes from third-party endorsements and from tours to fund her album and music videos.” Since 2005, Rihanna has been sponsored by the likes of JC Penny, Samsung, Covergirl, Secret, Venus Breeze etc,. and has gone on two major tours, most recently label-mate Kanye West’s “Glow in the Dark” Tour and with PussyCat Dolls across Europe.
“I don’t want to disrespect Marc’s name. He is a fantastic manager and genuinely believes in Rihanna. But he uses her money to fund her future projects because he believes he can break her in the world-market. Her album sales are not nearly as close to her single sales and he knows that if she is only known as a ‘singles artist’ she will only be as good as her last hit. Unfortunately, he didn’t inform his client and I’m receiving the brunt of it.”
Why is Def Jam lacking in funding support for there act? Why was so much money spent? How much exactly? Williams continues,
“Her record label Def Jam has put out 3 albums in a time span of 2 years. Alot of that was orchestrated through her management Rebel One. It was never Def Jam’s intention to release so many albums back-to-back but Marc Jordan found loop holes and ways to make it happen.
A lot of the money Rihanna made through her endorsements between CoverGirl Cosmetics, Samsung.. Notice that majority of Rihanna’s videos have a cell phone in it?”“After the release of Rihanna and Teairra Mari, Def Jam had intention to drop both acts because their album sales were not successful. Her manager fought to get [S.O.S (Rescue Me)] and quickly tried to negotiate with as many companies as possible. Nike picked up the song and funded a video. This brought the hype back for Rihanna in the company’s New York office. Majority of the official ‘S.O.S’ video was funded by Samsung because the record label was only willing to put up a small amount. Once ‘S.O.S’ picked up digitally and at radio, Def Jam agreed to fund the rest of her album. Jordan instantly got a video shot to ‘Unfaithful’ (he negotiated with video director Anthony Mandler to drop his price and would be given more videos from Rihanna in return). Then they shot ‘We Ride’ which was an extremely cheap video to create. ‘Break It Off’ was released as a third album, but again, Def Jam was unhappy with the sales of her album “A Girl Like Me” and refused to shoot a video. At this point Rihanna was opening up for the PussyCat Doll’s in Europe. She was making 30,000 a show but she didn’t see any of that money because it was needed to fund her next album.” Which is now known to the greater public as a ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’.
“The song “Umbrella” was found & Jordan fought again for Rihanna to have it. They shot the video, which CoverGirl funded half of, and the song became a success. When the record label had there meeting with Music Stores across the U.S to order her album for shipment, the number’s weren’t coming in the way that they expected. When the album’s first week numbers came in at less than 150,000, the label was shocked. Def Jam’s President LA Reid was livid! Umbrella was #1 for 11 weeks! Any other artist would have sold way more first week. T-Pain even did better in sales than her that week. Def Jam told Jordan they were no longer funding the album, so Jordan needed money again to pay for music videos ‘Shut Up & Drive’ and ‘Dont Stop The Music’. Almost 250,000 was spent to have those videos created. Plus, an additional 120,000 to shoot ‘Hate That I Love You’. Jordan was noticing that ‘Dont Stop The Music’ was picking up, so her persuaded the label to support it at radio in the U.S and the remaining singles, and they did.”
“Then came for the repackaging of her album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’, which is called ‘Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded’, that entire project was funded through Rihanna’s money. ‘Take A Bow’ was bought through her money, the video was created with her money and so is her most recent video and single ‘Disturbia’. The label didn’t even want to pay a dime for anything! Close to 750,000 was spent on those two songs alone. And now she expects to see money in her account?”
Williams states that Jordan, her publicist from well-respected public relations firm 42-West, Alicia Silverman has built alot of hype around Rihanna’s name but the singer has only made “a little bit above a million” and “all of it was spent on making her as big as she is now. It’s not my fault that she only has 20,000 to her name.”
Source or no source, much of this seems legit to me. I mean, what else can explain Rihanna seemingly having so much funds pumped into her as a ‘brand’ when she is far from a guaranteed album seller (which is where most label revenue comes from). Many an artist will tell you that the fantasy and reality of being in the music industry are very different; reading this back really reinforces that to me.
Your thoughts?
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I think Rihanna was right to fire that manager!
If Patricia Williams is a manager, then why didn’t she discuss the financial stuff with Rihanna earlier, or at least inform her that Rihanna was paying for her own videos this whole time.
its not Patricia fault..she is an accountant , not manager.. the manager is Jordan..
all i can say is OMG.. I agree with ^ though, she was right in terminating Patricia. She didn’t manage the money well and she clearly didn’t manage to tell Rihanna anything about what was going on. That was her responsibility as the business manager in Rihanna’s Business. All she managed to do was let people stick all of their hands in Rihanna’s pockets, while she held the pocket open for them. She can try to salvage her reputation as much as possible, but it won’t work and now everyone else she manages will definitely question her capabilities. They need to audit her ass, because I’m sure that there was some laundering involved somewhere..
dang… i never would have suspected… what with stargate and ne-yo all on her albums, and jay-z and the-dream… then again, she never seemed rich to me.
looks like rihanna’s going to have to be chris brown’s trophy wifey
better yet lemme insert a pun here for rihanna
TAKE A BOW
WOW, THATS CRAZY..i can’t believe she is broke. I guess she needs to start writing, producing, acting..something that will bring direct money to her….what about her umbrella line she came out with last year…what about being a spokes model for Cover girl…..man…i tell you…we was all over the place with Chris Brown vacationing..I guess she didnt know as yet…
Rihanna knew the deal. She knew her record label was not paying for her videos that’s all part of the package an artist gets, if the record label pays up front you pay later. Why do you think people like L.A. Reid and the other music executives still have money. Rihanna knew the money had to come from some where.
This is all part of that music industry game, her problem was she thought she was going to do a Usher/Confessions type of thing because of Umbrella. When her figures came out she should’ve known then and went from there.
She got the big head thinking I’m all that so she told that man let’s do it she funded them videos knowing with all the success her singles have that she was going to make some money. Not. Her tour was not all that she had too many bad reviews and when she was touring her CD sales did not move plus half her tour she was an opening act or shared the stage with an artist that always out did her.
Her record label is smart, they read between the lines they saw she was just a show only, cause her re-release CD is yet to reach Gold and look at all the hype TAB and Disturbia has had she is still selling like nothing in my opinion the re-release should’ve been plat by now with all the hype that has been put on this no talent girl.
GOOD GIRL GONE BROKE!!!!
I HOPE IT ISNT TRUE BUT IT COULD BE …
HAHA @ FREDERICK
TAKE A BOW RIHANNA
I DOUBT SHE IS THAT BROKE SHE STILL HAS SOME MONEY AND IF NOT SHE COULD JUMP ON A MILLION ENDORSEMENTS AND MAKE A COUPLE MILLION REAL QUICK.
RIHANNA JUST ISNT A LEGIT ARTIST
SHE COULDNT GO AWAY AND COME BACK IN 5 YEARS AND STILL BE REVELANT AND HAVE PEOPLE STILL CARE. SERIOUSLY DOESNT SHE HAVE A ALBUM COMMING OUT IN 2009. WHO DOES THAT. SHE NEEDS TO GIVE HERSELF A CHANCE TO GROW AS AN ARTIST.
i find it funny.. the record label is smart not to pay.. she really dont have that much talent..
First of all, to say Rihanna isn’t a guaranteed album seller is dumb. Her album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.
I work at VH1, and I know this whole story is a pile of b******* – she is far from broke.
If she fired her manager for mis-managing her money – and released this statement, he’s trying to cover her ass.
Espcially since Umbrella, Shut Up and Drive, and Don’t Stop the Music were all filmed at the same time.
Mary J went bankrupt and came back!! Rhi Rhi aint broke…she sacked that women and she’s bitter! Rhi Rhi is probably the most famous artist she has.. well Rhi Rhi could manage herself.. at least she aint bankrupt!
If you worked at Vh1 you would not come out and say it like that.. Damn stans.. This store is b******* but she DEFINATELY does not have the money folks think she has. None of her endorsement deals are over one million dollars and Covergirl is the only one where she has done more than print ads. Most of her endorsement deals were done to pay for her videos.. Nike paid for Sos and they used her song, Covergirl used Umbrella in marketing and paid for the video, Piget paid for Take a Bow and Circut City paid for Disturbia… She is also an OPENING act. Not a headliner for the most part so her money for touring is not that much , not to include she has a 360 deal with def jam.. She owes them 4 more albums.. Rihanna may have about 1.5-2 million accumlated.
Well, Mariah released an album every year and it didn't do her to badly. I think if she left and returned people would take notice because although her sales may not be great she is known as an artist. The current pop sound that all r&b artists ar going for is partly down to rhi.
its different..Mariah writes and produced her songs.. PLUS she hold publishing right. Riri doesnt write songs and let alone produce..
VH-1 it was her accountant, not manager. Riri dont have any millions. Dont you believe if she had any millions she would’ve made Money lists, Like Forbes young stars the lowest they go is 1.2 mil, she has never made any one list. People just assumed she was rich because of all the hype around her. What was layed out in the statement has some validation to it. Her endorsements dont add up to nothing if you dont sale a certain amount. Her Umbrella line did not do well, and with endorsements the artist dont see the money especially if the endorsement is backing a video so she makes nothing, unless that certain product sales well and let’s face it she’s cute but not that cute. So believe it. Plus she owes the label for the CD still, the people who produced the songs make money but not her.
This story as been floating around for at lease a week now. Y hasn’t Rihanna or her record company made a statement saying she’s not broke if she isn’t. If it was me I would want this s*** clear up as soon as possible cause people thinking you r Rihanna and your broke can’t be a good look.
so that is y i believe this story. Yes she sold 5million world wide (she’s not even double platium yet in the U.S), but her 2 other albums didn’t even sell a mill and someone had to finance those albums. Its funny how it was this same chick laughing at BRITNEY SPEARS at the VMAs last year when she isnt even as good a proformer as brittney. After that, i couldnt stand Rihanna that was so unproffessional she and her friends were the only ones laughing in the camera. Brittney’s worst proformance is better that Rihanna’s best. Well Brittney has her money right even though she went crazy ….I hope she’s laughing at u now, and Tearia Mari too
I dont like rihanna talentless a***, but it would very sad if that is true.
However, there is a thing called Karma and its a b****, and like @7:14 say her reaction to Britney’s performance was in very bad taste, and the comments she made about Tierra when she got droped was disgusting (although the statement said the same was about to happen to her), the way she treat her fans, she let all the fame get to her head.
Artists nowadays dont make and keep their money if ther rnt invoved in the writing and producing process, that is why they r called ARTISTS anyway, they have to be creative.
I always knew she wasnt WEALTHY, too much shopping sprees, vacations, no money from record label, stupid endorsements deals = broke.
If she had written a line in that UMBRELLA song she would be rollin in it….
Bull ‘ish – She wants us to believe that Rihanna is some sort of Dumbass who didn’t know where her money was going to?
Rihanna is one of the biggest artists in the world right now, she is signed to Def-Jam, who receive funding from their owners – Universal (one of the biggest media companies in the world). Their is no way she has pumped all of her own money into her career… I don’t think I will be seeing Rihanna hanging out with our local tramp…
M@rk
http://www.urbanreview.co.uk
This stor doesn’t seem far fetched at all. Rihanna has a lot a hype based on photo ops, publicity, and for being linked to certain hot young men. HOWEVER, her CD sales have never been on point. Good Girl Gone Bad was released over a year ago…has it even gone plat yet????? IF so, it took more than a year to do it. Fan or not, most you (deep, deep, down) know Rihanna is not vocally talented, but she is marketable..and being the business man Jay-Z is, he recognized instant $$$ gratification.
LMAO- off the Chris Brown trophy wife comment!
But for real..why would any of you think she’s rich? She does not write or produce any of her music. She only assisted on Disturbia.
Interesting, a lot of you all make valid points, but we’ll never know!!
@MARK – R u For real? The same happened to TLC, Toni Braxton, MC Hammner, En Vogue….
why do you think some of the most sensible artists write at least a line in their songs?
So because she is the ‘it’ girl of the moment she is immune from bankruptcy?
Neyo made more money than Rihanna did from her Good girl Gone Bad album, this is because the money is all in writing.
Who ever wrote umbrella and take a bow is the ones cashing in… not rihanna.
The only thing that was her saviour is her endorsemnent and it seems she wasnt even seeing that money so here you go.
All i wanna know is is she “broke” broke or “hollywood” broke….cause hollywood broke is still what i consider RICH as HELL. And for all u who say dat GGGB hasnt made platinum yet thats only in the US cause in the other countries its 4 time plat and all that so check ya sources.
I always knew Rhianna was that rich, i mean she doesnt write or produce her hit songs so she doesnt get that money at all. Eventhough Whitney Houston didnt write or produce she still sold albums like hot cakes. and its clear that Rhianna isnt able to sell like hot cakes. It makes sense that Def jam isnt funding videos, i mean look at what they did to janet. so it makes sense that she has to pay for these videos with all the random videos put out for this album alone. and some did look low budget like shut up and drive, dont stop the music, and take a bow
Chris Brown run for you life and take your money with you.
Poor riri she about to do just anything now to make ends meet.
And like someone else said, Karma is a b…., what’s that saying? who laughs first will laugh last, you know what I’m saying!
This cannot b news to people…we always knew Rihanna was a brand…and not a real artist…and yal dared to compare her 2 Beyonce????Oh Hell Naw!!!
I have tried to overlook this for a few days as well because I’m thinking to myslelf “eventhough I can’t stand Rihanna, how could someone selling so well and having so many chart topping songs be broke?” Let’s not forget TLC and their mismanagement situation. History shows that this is possible and if it is, that is very unfortunate. As much as I don’t like her, I atleast thought she was making good money. Now I guess I don’t like her and she’s broke.
I believe it`s true. Look at how Def Jam did Janet? The ONLY reason why Rhianna is relevant is because of what she wears (which has been recycled by EVERYONE ELSE in the industry). Simple as that. After reading this, it makes me second guess her “relationship” with Chris Brown. Notice how every time you see them they either shopping or on a vacation somewhere? I smell gold digger if you ask me…
*Hmm…maybe she chopped off her hair (or took her weave out) because she couldn`t afford lace-fronts anymore? Just a thought…*
There`s no need to throw around the “hater card”. Pictures says a thousand words. To be frank, that`s what her ass get. Walking around like she own the damn industry. Pssh, yeah right.
Oh and something else. Just because someone sells a lot of singles doesn`t mean they SEE the money. They still gotta pay folks back. Why you think she`s endorsing everything…she`s broke! She needs a check! Not because she`s the “it” girl. It girl according to whom? Bloggers? NO ONE is talking about Rhianna except bloggers and the people who read them.
Wow! If this is true, that is terrible. Her manager should have told her earlier about her financial situation. If i were her, i would not be trying to make anymore videos. Her name is already out there. She needs to try to pick up some more endorsement deals, and i am talking about lucrative endorsement deals. Her face is everywhere so she should be able to pick one up.
lol well i hate to say i told u so – everybodys praising rihanna like shes the hottest artist ever and now look. she is just a brand – eithout her promo team she would be right where she was at the start – some island girl barley making ends meet. – if she was so rich how come we never see her on any of the forbes lists or any list for that matter – we always see bey cuz see a true ARTIST – she sing dance acts and has endorsemnts – she aleast WRITES ALL OF HER OWN SHYT. yall constantly puts Ms Kelly down but look at her – she has a cut of dc fame plus she has her solo career – ms kelly may how sold only 1.2 mil at the moment not including her tour yet but considering her mamanagement she was smart to only release the videos she did and by like this being a hit that she wrote its like being paid twice and then to have ghetto make a few waves was ok but to have and international smash like “work” which was all her – writing song solo with no fearued acts she def got payed for that! now with broken being the last ill say ms kelly is doing just fine. plus she has her own show coming as well as childrens books and more movies……..point being true artist will always shine — sorry riri.
I always knew Rihanna wasn’t that rich. Have you noticed that most of your favorite artists have finacial problems, even it it seems that they’re rich? No. That’s the industry for ya.
I knew from the second her style changed after her first album that something was up. After she was being exploided so much that you see her almost everywhere, then I knew for a fact that she wasn’t making as much money.
C’mon now, I know the industry too well to be blinded by what’s going on on the outside, and I ain’t even signed yet. NOTE: Fame comes with a price. Seeing how much fame she has, guess how much had to fund it.
^^ This post is about Rhianna, not Beyonce. We all know Beyonce have money! Yes, she can sing but a TRUE ARTIST, she is not! And, she lies about writing songs. So, you need to go on with that bull! Wow, you sure do know how to kick people when they are down.
I wish I had $20,000. Even if she did fund her own videos (which I’m still not 100% sold on this story being true) at least she kept her name out there instead of allowing herself to be dropped and forgotten about. I hope she uses to this to make a better financial plan for the future. BTW, I never thought she had that much money, either.
This is really sad but has to be true. Every detail locks up. Kudos to the person who mentioned the Forbes lists for those under 21. Rihanna never made the list. We should note that Rihanna is very young and clearly wouldn’t know finances enough to realize where her money was going. Toni Braxton is another artist who faced the same problem. Unless you’re selling albums like crazy you need to be part of the production/writing to get money. The record label pays for NOTHING, they are greedy, greedy people. Greed hurts people. Those executives don’t care s*** about Rihanna, they want her to pay for her album. Kudos to Jordan for helping make her a brand, he is a genius to know that if Rihanna can’t sell albums at least she can be a brand.
She is learning the hard way that luck runs out. I’ve said for a long time that this is one of the luckiest No Talent Chicks in the game and see what happens.
Rihanna knew about her finances, so dont blame this on no one but her self..
While she was picking with everyone, laughing at Brit (who went half crazy and still made money), sitting at the basketball game with J eating Jolly Ranchers (while B was on tour), talking bad about Amerie. Karma, I see why Chris’s mom is with him everywhere he goes with this girl, that’s right dont let this girl take his money…
Where is Little Ms No Talent anyway, usually we would have seen all kind of pics of them by now.
wooooooooooooooooow,this info is shocking….and then again its not,i’ve always heard that rihanna didnt have great album sales and i sure as hell didnt know anyone with her album…BUT i thought hell its millions of people in the world,somebody’s buying it,but reading this i mean who the hell would make all of this up?? it makes wayyy too much sense,and plus she’s spending money on other expenses (clothes jewlery,hotels,bills,flights) i mean it could make alot of sense that shes broke
either that or somebody hating…….but i doubt that highly..i really dont care for rihanna but i wouldnt wanna see her go out like that so for her sake i hope this is false because it is an embarassment that her record label was never behind her in anything that she has done.I mean no wonder nobody looks at her for her music,they see her looks,and the commercials,magazines and ads that shes in and it makes sense that this is how she makes money….man oh man just crazy
her album is double platinum now in US but still i belive this is b*******….with 6 million albums old worldwide and 25 million singles sold worldwide from 1 album and she is broke
i doubt it very much…and haters fall back!i believe she has millions of dollars up her sleeve
u haters wish u had that 20 thou…riri is defjam’s linchpin artist..no 1 in that label is selling well compared 2 rihanna
Rihanna is a 20 year old girl. This is definitely a true story but she can still go to college, maybe get a degree, go to medical school? At least she can make some dough that way but I see her crashing and burning real soon…
LOLOLOLOLOLOL CURTAINS FOR RIHANNA!!!!
$20,000 in her name…. Thats the same price as my mums car if u convert it into pounds!!!
OH GOSH
It’s a shame how readily we put people down. If the story is true, then she needs to get on her job and make more money, endorsements pay well. If the story is false, stop hating. The girl is 20 and probably has more money than any of the people who left comments. I wish her well either way . . . .
Many Blessings Ms. Rhianna
I’d cut my hair too LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL (@ picture btw)
She sold millions of records worldwide. AND? Her ass STILL can be broke. Just because you sell all that records doesn`t mean she`ll SEE the money. This has NOTHING to do with “hating” on her. There are PLENTY of artists who may sell records but still can be living in their cars. Just because you see her ass prancing around in a music video doesn`t mean she`s rich. How do you know she knows how to manage her money wisely? Obviously she doesn`t because she`s in this situation. Why blame the other woman? YOU should keep track your YOUR finances. It`s not wise to let other people handle YOUR money. Never let anyone sign your checks. Yes, it`s good to have an adviser BUT you need to handle your business. Not running around and talkin` sh*t about people.
Thinking about this… it’s not funny @ all but a shock!!!
The delivery of that woman message (true or false) is shocking! To be honest I believe the woman, she aint cussing Rihanna, she’s simply pointing out her management’s mistakes.
She should invest that $20,000 wisely mate!!
LOL at who said Good Girl Gone Broke…. ha ha
If she seriously paid for both "Take A Bow," & "Disturbia," WOW cuz she's at the height of her career, you think that Def Jam wood pay.
But even if Rih Rih paid, they both went to number 1 in the US on the Hot 100 so you knowshe got back what she spent plus more…
This is the reason why it's important to write your own music!!!!
All those TOP Artists, Song-writers, Video Directors, Music Producers, Dancers, Choreographers, Hair Stylists & Vocal Teachers cost her alot money mate!
If it can happen to TLC, Toni Braxton & Mary J… It can happen to anyone!
Oversea accounts = NO INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE INTERRUPTION in the U.S. OF A……
Not recording her net income, therefore that 20 thou is on the books, while alot of unaccounted for money is sitting more untouched than a virgin’s ……. btw, GO ROBYN!!!!!!!
All am saying is if this story was false then Rihanna and or her record company would have made a statement saying its untrue by now, But its been quite in Rihanna-land since this story come out. What, did she have to get rid of her PUBLICIS too. Nobody is talking so i have to wonder.
hw many of u have money in accs,othaz prefer to keep half of wat they have stashed somewea else
she may have some money in her own country
but this story is b*******,period
this story dont add up cause she has a SAMSUNG endorsement but has had NOKIA phones in her videos
This story is true, the record company makes you pay for all your stuff.
If they gave her a 2-mill contract, riri had to make 6-mil to make a profit. For 1 she is not a good artist. dancer you name it, she was good at looking good, her clothing got more press then her actual singing (if that’s what you call it). What’s stated in the article is true that’s just the way of the music industry. Umbrella was huge here in the states and overseas and do you know how much she got for that? Pennies compared to what the label got, Jay got, the Dream is laughing all the way to the bank still. Any artist will tell you your money is in the touring and endorsements, but since her CD did not sale like they thought all the money that was put out for her she had to pay back.
In order for her to make any money from the CD she had to sale 10-mil or more and we all know that is not happening anytime soon. GGGB reloaded has yet to reach Gold status an look at all the hype from TAB and Disturbia and she still is selling like a chicken. This story is true.
I don’t know if its real or not, but if true she was right for firing her manager..
but why would you be happy if she is broke
on her a girl like me album she has a song called dem haters..she was so right singin that song
but this is not tru at all….if she didnt have enuf money she wouldnt have bought some stupid picture of a fat kid costin 35,000 dollars
no american artist has sold more albums worldwide for the past year like riri
take kanye’s graduation album sales combined with 50’s curtis and also janet’s discipline and still good girl gone bad has sold mo cipies worldwide
usa is not the only place where people buy music..her album went beyond platinum in every country in europe and south america
nat every artist can do that these days!!!
so stop hatin,let her be
yall jealous coz u cant get no record deal,u cant drive cars she drives,u cant afford clothes she wears and plus jewels
her name is in everyone’s lips
we luv u riri…
and sam u will never ever be as rich as riri in ur entire life koz i ve noticed u v n givin lot of shits abt lately
F*** the haters, if your happy to see osmeone broke you have REAL ISSUES. B******!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anywayss, now that Rihanna is aware she can easily make quick dollars, she better get on her grind
@ At,check ur facts staright…the album has to reach gold status..ur trully a hater
her album is now double platinum in US
think b4 u talk
TRUST YOU SAM, TO POST THIS, I DON’T BELIEVE IT ONE BIT.
IF ANYTHING SHE PROBABLY MADE MORE MONEY WITHIN THE LAST YR
THEN THROUGHT OUT HER CAREER SO FAR.
ANYWAY EVEN IF SHE WAS BROKE, SHE STILL RICHER AND HAVE MORE
MONEY THEN YOU HATERS AND U, YES U SAM
HER CAREER STLL GOING, STILL SELLING ALBUMS, STILL NO:1
COVERGIRL DEAL, GUCCI DEAL, DESIGNER WARDROBE AND A
SINGER BOYFRIEND WITH HIS OWN MONEY
YEAH SHE REALLY SOUNDS BROKE TO ME
everyone is shoutin gout bout her record sells….yes the album sold 2 mil in the US, but she aint seeing a NICKEL from them sales, and Def Jam dont get their money from the producers and writers, they get them from the artist. SO honestly it was in their best interest to not fund it.
Now since ya’ll shouting bout album sales lets really break it down, GGGB, has been out for over a year it has sold nearly 2.04 mil, Lil Wayne topped that in a month, so technically, its not that much, and yes its 5 million worldwide, but Mariah’s TEOM sold 6 mil, JUST in the US…so calling her an “album seller” is not accurate.
She is a singles artist…Umbrella, SOS, Take A Bow, Disturbia, thats what sells, but then again she aint write it so she sees no funds from it (Chris Brown gets more from Disturbia than she does).
The story, real or false, is unknown, but i wouldn’t rule it out. The story is VERY possible. But to count her out is insane, she is everywhere and she is the “IT” girl at the moment, broke or not. She just needs better people in her corner.
(AND AS A SIDE NOTE TLC AND TONI BRAXTON BOTH WENT BROKE IN THE MIDST OF ENORMOUS SUCCESS, AND IF THIS STORY IS TRU SO IS RIHANNA…..
LA REID, WAS AT THE HEAD OF ALL THREE ACTS…LAFACE FOR TLC AND TONI…AND DEF JAM FOR RIHANNA…IRONIC?)
Please lets get real, the label didn’t forget to tell the Rhianna that they were not funding X,Y,and Z projects. And I’m sure she is tracking her record sales. I do agree that the business manager should have pulled her in, her day to day management should have gotten her a better deal across the board. OBVIOUSLY HE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AS WELL.
I think she was aware of her status……….Again the music industry is business first and entertainment last. YOU’D THINK THESE ARTIST WOULD HAVE LEARNED FROM TLC. DEALING WITH L.A. REID IS ALWAYS TRICKY. YOU ARE REPSONSIBLE FOR YOUR IMAGE IN EVERY WAY.
-LMFAO- @ all these people who throw the “hater” card because not everyone is gung-ho over Rhianna. You think you know all about Rhianna because you read her bio on Wikipedia or because you sit in front of the computer memorizing her information on her little fan sites? Ha, I laugh.
DONT THINK SHE’S BROKE
DO I THINK SHE USES ALL HER MONEY TO GET ATTENTION AND FAME
HELL YES
ESPECIALLY WITH THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC HAVING ARTISTS COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER AND NOT GETTING ENOUGH SALES FROM THEIR ALBUMS
THEY ARE NOT ONLY PROMOTING THEMSELVES BUT ARE GETTING MORE MONEY OUT OF ENDORSEMENT DEALS AND REALITY/TV SHOWS MORE THAN ANYTHING
THESE PEOPLE ACT LIKE MONEY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, THOUGH YOU HAVE ASSISTANTS AND ACCOUNTANTS, YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR MONEY YOURSELF SOMETIMES TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHINGS OK
ALSO CELEBRITIES NEED TO STOP TAKING ADVANCE PAYMENTS IF THEY ARE NOT SURE THEY ARE GOING TO PAY THAT MONEY BACK OR IF THEY KNOW THAT THEY CANT MAKE TWICE AS MUCH OF WHAT THEY BORROWED
YOU LIVE A CERTAIN LIFESTYLE
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO PAY THE CONSEQUENCE
WISH HER AND ALL THE OTHERS THE BEST
BUT MAYBE NEXT TIME THEY CAN THINK ABOUT DONATING SOME TO CHARITIES AND DOING FUNDRAISER OR CREATING AN EFFECTIVE FOUNDATION THAT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE CELEBRITY
WHY DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY IS WORKING ON SINGLES AND NEW ALBUMS TWICE EVERY YEAR NOW???????????????
Stans quit calling people haters, TLC sold 10mil and they had the talent to back it up and look what happen to them, this is not impossible. They put too much hype in this non singing girl. You stated she brought a 35,000 painting, having birthday parties for friends, well that explains a lot dont it?
What she should’ve done was stop spending like she had Beyonce money when she had my money. All the promo she has been doing cost, and we know she has paid out of her but for that stylist, lawyers, lighting, security, food, travel, make-up, band, backup singers (the true artist), flunkies, the list goes on. So where do you think this money came from to do all this, her label? NO it comes out of the artist pocket and plus she had all them stupid videos, that came out of her pocket, them endorsements dont add up to nothing if they are footing a video then the artist dont get paid they have to pay for more producers and so on.
I always said when this stuff happen to TLC it’s a shame cause they do all the work and gets no pay. I dont wish her ill will but this girl knew what was going on with her money, if you are using credit cards, you get statements. She stated once in an interview that she was up on her finances. The problem with Rihanna she puts her foot in her mouth all the time, she is always saying; she made this decission, she choose this look or this style or whatever so the blame is on her. Not the LABEL (aka. L.A. Reid)
HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS FIRST AND PROFILE SECOND. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR S***. WOW, HOW IRONIC, A YEAR AGO MS. RHIANNA WAS LAUGHING AT BRITNEY SPEARS AT THE MTV AWARDS AND CLOWNING HER ON DURING INTERVIEWS, I GUESS THIS YEAR IS HER TURN.
WATCH YOUR ASSETS!!!!!
This is kinda sad that she doesn't have any money in the bank but I think she should be greatful that all these ppl in the biz have kept her as relevant as she is…sure she may not have that much money in the bank but she pushed 3 albums in 2 1/2 yrs. and has a slew of number 1 singles and once those billboard awards start coming in she'll be able to make money as a brand… She may not be a Fabulous singer but this was not a dumb move on behalf of the business ppl cause it ain't like she in debt and she has a promising career. She can do modeling, movies, clothing & jewelry lines, she's dating Chris Brown and the World is Obviously OBSESSED with her so I don't think she's bad off at all in the long run!
Rihanna stans says that she has contracts with samsung , guccy, Gog etc etc
but she is not makin that much money from that… anyway what about the re-release maybe 100 000 first week … dvd? i can’t see it at the top ten of the dvd charts…
i am not a hater but let me see.. Good girl gone bad sold very pourly when it was released.
anyway it is very sad but she has money. she is not that broke but she could be richer. GGB made her little money so now she has some ….
rihanna should have been the “grown woman” that she says she is and took care of her money. since it was her money she should have been in control of it. but that is sad.
Sam you want to believe this so bad. You’re a joke!
I’m not sure if Rihanna is broke or not. I hope that she isn’t not just as a fan, or struggling African-American woman, but as a fellow child of God who wouldn’t wish financial stress on anyone. The truth is, it’s not my business or anyone else’s how much money she has in her bank account. I’m more appalled by her manager/accountant’s lack of professionalism and discretion, and the apparent elation expressed at her hardship than I am at the possibility of her actually being broke. Since when are we happy to see one another fall?… Since when are celebrities required to be any more “perfect” than you and me? Do you have $20,000 in your bank account? Since when are the contents of your wallet someone else’s business? Since when are celebrities exempt from making stupid financial mistakes like you and I?… And who are we to judge?
@ Anon 2:19
You are 100% correct. People just love to see someone else fail. People are making comments like “broke b****” and “that’s what she gets for walking around like she owns the business.” People are so pathetic, hateful, and jealous. And if she used her money to fund her own career because Def Jam wasn’t, I don’t see that as a stupid financial decision at all.
I believe every bit of that information. I think it’s 100% accurate just for the simple fact that her first album debuted at #10 and her 2nd one debuted at #5. None of her singles were really huge UNTIL Good Girl Gone Bad was released THEN re-released. Then on top of that, she doesn’t write or produce any of her own stuff. People do it for her (and those people have to be paid). She hasn’t had her own major tour here in the states either. She’s always been on the road with somebody else who was headlining and the Glow in the Dark tour is the perfect example. So the stans continue to be in denial about their dear “RiRi” having $20,000 to her name cause I believe that s***. It all makes sense to me. Nobody would make that s*** up overnight. Come on now. . . Not to mention, Chris is gonna get his piece of the pie for his writing on “Disturbia” so uh yeah. . . I knew this s*** was gonna come crashing down sooner or later.
You know why artists like Rihanna aren’t making enough money with their albums?? Its because of people who download their songs ILLEGALLY on the net. How can anyone make any money through their albums if people don’t buy it simply because its readily available on the net and its free!! Think about it people!
This article is phony. If you read about Rihanna, you’ll find the Marc Jordan name pop up, but Patricia Williams? Honestly, I’m sure Rihanna knows what her record sales are.
Rihanna don’t sweat it of fret it sweetheart!! It’s happened to the best of them and now you have a huge name and a hard-earned education about the pitfalls of this industry! Don’t get discouraged! Just stay focused and you’ll bounce back bigger and richer than ever!
Real Quick: I work for NBC-Universal which is a subsidiary of General Electric. Someone above mentioned that Rihanna is funded by Universal and said “Universal (one of the biggest media companies in the world)”. While that may be true of GE/NBC-Universal, it’s not true of Universal Music Group. Universal Music Group is NOT a subsidiary of NBC-Universal or General Electric. Universal Music Group has also fallen on difficult financial times (as has other music labels) and EVERYONE who knows about music, understands that the recording industry is essentially a sinking ship. Why do you think Jay Z, Shakira, Nickelback and Madonna signed new deals with LiveNation? Because touring, merchandising are the way to financial viability. The days of artists getting 1 dollar per album sold is done unless you are an artist like Mariah.
Rihanna may have massive hype surrounding her career, but hype does not automatically equal financial riches. She doesn’t write songs, so she has to wait for everyone else to get their cut before she can even share in the profits of her own CD.
Stans fall back and face facts. It’s not unrealistic for her to not be wealthy
this is the harsh reality odf the music business. the thing people forget is that music is a business… its not just about singing. record labels screw people around (sometimes literally) and managers try and get the biggest cut they can outta you. they sweet talk you so much, call you to see how you are, comfort you when you’re down, send you on holidays to relax… anything to make you not question whats going on with the money. they usually also don’t give you straight figures. most celebs dont know how much they… they just have a sort of round figure (they dont look at the price tag like us, even when buying houses).
we have so many silly little girls who “want to be famous”. rhianna left her education and home to be famous. she didn’t even think of the other implications this would have. i bet she thought she was set when she signed, but jayz is actually not directly involved with her career… he’s just the face who we see her with now and again. people should realise that singers (if we can call her that) do not make alot of monay fromt he music itself, thats why endoresements do alot mor for thir finaces. the money is in the writing (seious big time money). only problem tho is riri can’t write.. she can barely sing/dance. and she obviously can’t handle her business. she can just about afford her lace front, thatinterestingly has gotten lower and lower so her foreheads less inyofaceish… okay, that was horrible, back on track. did she think this though? no. she just wanted to be famous. well here it is. rhianna is still contracted to do three more albums, which i believe she will fulfill as she can sell them.. just about. i hate o say it but two things:
1: it serves her right for being stoopid and stuck up.
2: i hope this teaches young girls that even if you have looks.. brains are what counts in life.
rihanna is goig to be broke and in dept one she leaves her record company. hopefully chiris would borrow her sum few million but i believe when her 15 mins run out (clock is tickiin) their romance will be over.
final thought is.
college counts people, oh and; don’t sell your soul.
^ How do you know what she is “thinking”? I think people like the two who commented ahead of me think that people don’t believe it is possible that Rihanna is broke.I think the problem is I just don’t believe this story is credible because there is no credible source to it. Every blog has posted this same story by a person named Patricia Williams who has yet to even be identified as a real person. Most people understand that having a recording contract doesn’t necessarily equal being rich, but this story has yet to be proven.
Williams is there to handle money, period. If she tried to tell dude and he believed the hype, all williams could do was continue moving the money.
well its believable i think its harsh to put down rihanna because her management let her down but then again her money has gone towards her success today so i dont think she should be upset about it…she can make money easily i think she will be alright lol
Rihanna broke?? Please… I can guarantee you that she has more money than half of you wack a$$ posters… she’s in another realm than most of you are accustomed too… all I hear is “she can’t sing” “she’s talentless”. She’s not a singer. She’s an international pop star! She’s a performer! Like so many super successful artists before her. This is speculation. It sounds like such a cheesy premeditated tale. And judging from a lot of these posters response, they believe everything they read or hear from tabloid sites. LOL…so foolish. Fall back.
i believe deep down Def Jam has sum deep issues going on more than all of u know overall. It isn’t just her people! There are several artists on there label not doing so well despites cd sales down and the downloading..LA Reid as well has been behind a few great acts who ended up in Bankruptcy with his name behind them, Toni Braxton(while LA n she was with LaFace Records) for starters..he just dumped her off like she was a pile of dog mess. If you study your history on HIM..u will see many “mishaps” and bankruptcy’s..its scary. Its like once u sign on with him..ALL FAILURE CLINGS TO U. To me DefJam is a fraud completly!
I am not going to buy into this story just yet. A credible source has yet to cite this story. Just because Rhianna or her PR reps have not written a statement does not mean that the story is true.
My gosh! I feel so bad for this woman! It’s hard to believe, but my question is if she was paying for her videos from her money, then her manager HAS TO INFORM HER OF WHERE EVERY SINGLE DIME IS GOING!!!! It’s just hard to believe that Rihanna didn’t check on her money DAILY!!!! My gosh! Is she really that naive?? I really hope not. This is just sad and kinda still hard to believe. If it is true, then she can still sue her manager for not informing her of where her money was going because duh that is what they are hired to do!!! I so hope this is not true. Did she really not know to keep up with her own money????????? My gosh…
actually, if you do your research, Patricia Williams is registered as an official financial professional in Barbados. It’s as easy as google, folks.
I do feel bad, at first i was elated because well, she was quite mean to a friend of mine when we met her– in addition to laughing at Britney on camera (altho, truth be told we were all laughing at Brit).
Now, i kinda just feel bad. Her reps are always making statements and as a PR person, you can trust they would’ve used Perez Hilton (who is a self proclaimmed bff of rih rih) by delivering an exclusive counter statement to him or any other high traffic blog source.
Music buisness is a shady shady biz folks. I know, I’ve been in PR for years.
True or not she has something better than money, better than beauty, better than her lack of talent (or what we “call” talent), better than her fame, better than power, better than all the powerful people working for her (even if they poorly manage her money or rob her blind). She even has something better than her record label, something that is much better than all the brand influence she currently has worldwide…
SHE HAS OUR INTEREST.
SHE HAS OUR MINDS.
REGARDLESS OF OUR VARIOUS OPINIONS,
SHE HAS US!
SHE HAS THE CORE OF WHO WE ARE…
AND…
THEREFORE…
BECAUSE WE ARE MORE THAN MAGNIFICENT IN EVERY WAY…
BECAUSE WE ARE AWESOME BEYOND WORDS…
BECAUSE WE ARE ETERNAL…
SHE HAD A CHANCE…
TO RECEIVE THE FRUITS…
OF OUR UNFATHOMABLE SELVES…
THEREFORE…
SHE’S OK…
AWAKE OR ASLEEP…
DEAD OR ALIVE…
AND…
BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE…
SHE IS DEFINITELY WITHOUT QUESTION…
PRIVILEGED BEYOND HER WILDEST IMAGINATION!
ARE WE NOT INTELLIGENT MATTER IN A CERTAIN FORM
ARE WE NOT INTELLIGENT VAPORS IN OTHER FORMS
DO WE NOT BECOME INTELLIGENCE IN THE FORM OF LIGHT BEYOND CERTAIN PLANES?
IS SHE NOT THE SAME?
IS SHE NOT ONE OF US?
ARE WE NOT ONE OF HER?
Wake up.
Now.
Everyone seems to be made at her management, but lets be real. There is and was nothing ruthless going on behind the scenes. The paper work is there she wasn’t robed or misled. I’m 20yrs old same age as Ri Ri and work for an ad agency doing public relations. The whole idea of signing to a label is for them to fund your work and take their cut from your production. Labels and Agencies invest in their clients. Rihanna wasn’t taking care of Rihanna, she looks fab all time its just sad that she wasnt as business smart. When entering into a business like any you have to know your s***!!!! She had to know she was paying out of her own pocket for her own projects come on!! if your only worth a little over 1mill and 750,000 sometimes 30-50 is missing from your savings or checking what ever account how dont you know??? maybe she thought she was making more than she was spending but you cant washing one hand with the other. Damn feel bad tho, but at the end of the day its a business and there no tears allowed she should have known better. I mean duhhhh no s*** shes broke RIHANNA BABE YOUVE BEEN PAYING FOR YOUR OWN S***!!! gOOD LUCK YOU SHOULD GAIN YA MONEY BACK BUT. FANS AND THE PUBLIC DONT RESPECT OR ACCEPT BROKE U HAVE TO LOOK AND REPRESENT YOUR IMAGE AND THAT FABO IMAGE IS GONE WHEN ALL U HAVE IS 20THOU, when your fans have more money than you theres a problem. Good thing Chris is around, He’ll loan ri ri a million.
LMAO, yall keep talkin about how u feel sorry for her…. LOL..dont, in the event that she personnally was broke, I’m more than certain she would be well taken care of. So save the sympathy. She’s a working girl, a walking billboard. Her income is constantly flowing. I got a nice laugh out of this post and grapejuice for postn this non-sense esp from an unknown source
Well mek we see if we can sort it out…
Rhianna as a new artist probably get anywhere from 9-15% royalties… Let’s say 12% of $14.98 (Suggested Retail Price)
Producers affi get pay @ a 3% rate (12%-3%)= 9%
25% packaging reduction (9%x.75) = 6.75%
15% free goods (6.75%x.85) = 5.74%
35% reduction for reserves (5.74%x.65) = 3.731%
3.731% x $14.98 (SRP) = $0.5589
So we down to about 60Cents a CD in artist royalty. Now before the artist earn a dime, dem affi recoup. Recording costs first… So if Timbo produce a ting and charge $200,000 Rhianna affi pay back before she start earn one r*ss dime. And that nuh based pon di overall retail price of the CD, it based pon Rhianna 60cents a CD royalty. Suh how much CD affi sell fi she pay back Timbo fi one (use and leff) track??? 333,333 CD’s… Radio promotions affi pay. Management tek a 20% chump. Lawyer tek a 10%. Accountants tek a nice piece (suh she nuh end up like Beenie Man)… Unnu get di idea! Impossible fi she bruk… please. she broke.
Its very sad to know this happened especially to Rihanna. I am surprise despite she had a manager, she didn’t keep track of her money seeing the background she comes from and most of all, she is from caribbean and carib’ean don’t play around with there money.
So Sad…Hope she can bounce back.
Go read “the millionaire next door” I guarantee you will understand HOW people with millions go out of their way to be broke! (not on purpose of course… she JUST HAD to pay all her staff and STILL get those vacations and luxurious lifestyle from shopping sprees etc)
Tell you what, you can go broke when ur 19 and everyone is looking at you!! Somhow you believe your invincible and you’ve matured because you WERE LUCKY IN LIFE.
I count my blessings, even them scars of being poor. I carry them like a badge of honor, pushing me to better myself.
How can you blame a kid for getting so much attntion and money?
Im sure she believes she’s ENTITLED to living like a Queen its OBVIOUS
Rihanna is doing great. Def Jam will not finance her albums and videos because of its belief that she is a singles-only artist. She obviously disagrees. She is self-producing her own music career and she doesn’t need Def Jam. She needs a label that believes in her, or better yet, go indie.
http://music.blackplanet.com/cheekbrown/