Rihanna Addresses Relationship Status In New Interview

WE ARE HIP HOP! ARE YOU?

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Rihanna dishes on dating and how being single really, well, sucks. In an interview with Brit radio personality Jonathan Ross, the fiercely independent singer revealed that being a single girl has it's down sides.

"I'm not looking, [but] I would not tell you that [being single] is something to enjoy. Single life is just so overrated. It sucks. You always want to be single when you're in a relationship, but it's no bueno," she tells Ross. "I think that I have such incredible experiences that, you don't want to live your life and meet someone; you want to share your life with someone. That's what I'm missing right now," the "Talk That Talk" singer laments. For the rude boys out there, Rih Rih's list of things that she's looking for in a man? "I'd love to date someone cool, fun ... funny."

Rihanna has been keeping busy, musically, at least; with two of her exes. She recently shot the video for "Take Care," her sexy collaboration with Drake. Video director Yoann Lemoine noted how cozy the duo looked on set, "They seemed to be super close and that's what I wanted for the video...They fit together pretty well so it was just easy." Rihanna also hooked up with her famous former boyfriend Chris Brown last month, for two separate remixes, "Birthday Cake" and "Turn Up The Music."

"Rihanna's 'Birthday Cake' was a standout track from Talk That Talk, even in its original form (as an interlude) — and more importantly, without Chris Brown. On the remix, all Brown's aggressive, salacious verses do ... is add fuel to rumors circling of their reunion behind closed doors. [And] Rihanna comes back on the song, calling checkmate on Breezy with her suggestive lyrics — "Remember how you did it?/ Remember how you fit it?/ If you still want to kiss it, come, come and get it" — making it hard to not be teased into again reading between the lines. 'Turn Up the Music' feels like a collaboration that would have fit both artists' discography during their days coupled up. Although RiRi's airy vocals blend well with the Underdogs' dance soundscapes, adding Rihanna to the track doesn't leave a lasting impression nor elevate the song to higher grounds. Ultimately, it's not the content of the songs that matter; it's the statement both singers are trying to make by simply releasing them. The collaborations appear to be a step toward reconciliation between both — seeing the tracks climb the chart is a bonus. Rihanna wants us to know that she no longer wears the shoes of the victim and Breezy wants to prove that he's become a better man. This isn't a personal or professional move; it's both. Both singers have woven their personal life, a haunting moment in their lives, into a professional move. Though it's stirred much controversy, I believe it was bound to happen." — Erika Ramirez, Billboard.com's "The Juice"

Tags Chris Brown, Drake, Rihanna, talk that talk

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Rihanna Sports New Tattoos In 'Battleship' Poster

WE ARE HIP HOP! ARE YOU?

By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna threw us for a loop last month with her new "Thug Life" tattoo, but judging by the poster for the upcoming movie "Battleship," there'll be plenty more ink to see. In the new poster Rihanna sports some new, and even more intense, tattoos on her arm. (See full poster after the jump)

Posted on Acehoswbiz.com, the poster features a tatted-up Rihanna holding a machine gun, her cropped black hair under a hat. The poster is for the film's international release and the taglines are all written in Italian, translating to roughly, "The Battle for Earth Will Happen on the Sea." Fans of the pop star are certainly used to seeing her sport guns. She played a sexy military leader in her "Hard" video, where she pranced around in military couture (most of which lacked pants), danced on military vehicles, wore a helmet that included Mickey Mouse ears and used sexy glances to command her militia.

"I was surprised no one had ever thought to hire Rihanna," director Peter Berg told MTV News recently about the singer's casting in the film based on the board game. "I was a huge fan of her videos. Obviously she's sexy, but she had this real intensity. I'm like, 'Someone's going to get her.' "When I met with her, she came in a T-shirt and jeans, no makeup, very natural," he added. "She was like, 'Look, I want to be an actress. Don't kiss my ass. Don't lie to me. Push me. Treat me as you would any other actor. Help make me good.' She is really, really good in 'Battleship.' "

In addition to Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard, Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson and the film's bad guy, a robot alien, also got the poster treatment. Brooklyn Decker and Hamish Linklater also star in the May 18 release.

Tags battleship, Rihanna

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Rihanna Tapped Chris Brown For Collaboration, The-Dream Says

By Rob Markman

The shock waves from Rihanna and Chris Brown's collaboration on "Birthday Cake (remix)" haven't worn off just yet. Fans have continued to react to the news with a mix of outrage and awe, and even The-Dream, who originally penned the song with Rihanna says he was a bit surprised about the feature as well. "At the end of the day, she's my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do," The-Dream told Sway when he appeared on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday (February 22), just two days after Rihanna released the controversial remix.

Chris Brown And Rihanna Reunite On 'Cake' Remix

The-Dream remembers first getting the call from Rihanna while driving in Miami. "I think I'm gonna put Chris on it," he remembers the Talk That Talk singer saying to him over the phone nonchalantly. "I don't know which Chris you talkin' about, [but] OK, cool, whatever you say," The-Dream remembers responding.

Of course there is really only one Chris, and The-Dream came to grips with the reality that the two would be coming together in song after the damaging 2009 assault that left Rihanna battered and bruised and Brown public enemy #1. "She's pretty smart too. The same questions that went through my mind, and I'm an artist also, had to have gone through hers," The-Dream told "RapFix Live." "When she raised the question to me, I know she's not crazy. So my thought was you've been thinking about this, you've already thought it out, so evidently you know what reaction you gonna get."

Chris Brown And Rihanna Back Together On "Turn It Up (remix)"

The singer/songwriter said that he was just happy that she gave him enough forewarning that he too could prepare for any type of backlash. Still, despite the rumblings of whether or not Rihanna is sending the right message collaborating with Chris on "Birthday Cake" as well as Brown's "Turn Up the Music" remix, The-Dream says that it all boils down to forgiveness. "Don't say you know how to forgive when you don't," he warned. "Everybody knows what took place, cool. Have the power to really forgive if that's what it is, if not stay on that side of the fence from the beginning."

In no way did The-Dream condone Brown's behavior on that February night in 2009, but he does suggest that it is time for people to move on. "It's easy to kinda throw Chris under the bus all the time, but c'mon, man. OK, we get it," he said.

Do you support Rihanna's decision to work with Chris Brown again? Leave your comment below!

Tags birthday cake, birthday cake remix, Rihanna, the-dream

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Expert Weighs In On Rihanna, Chris Brown Songs

By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna's new collaborations with Chris Brown--"Birthday Cake (remix)" and Turn Up the Music (remix)"--have been well-received by some fans while others are still outraged that the singer has teamed up with her ex to make music. There have been plenty of reactions on Twitter, but one MTV News tapped a domestic violence expert to weigh in on the new collaborations.

In the years since that assault, Rihanna has been open about her abusive relationship with the R&B singer, saying, "I don't want to be the big domestic-violence spokesperson, because that doesn't define who I am. But if I can help young women in any way, and that being one of the things they need help with, then I'll do that."

Since that late 2009 interview with MTV News, Rihanna certainly hasn't backed down in her career, releasing chart-topping singles, winning awards, going on tour and using videos and Twitter to show the world just how fierce she can be.

After the release of the "Birthday Cake" and "Turn Up the Music" remixes, Rita Smith, the executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, talked to MTV News about what the collaborations mean.

"I guess I'm not particularly surprised given the rumors that had gone on around this, and it's also not surprising because many victims get back with their abusers, even after an assault. They love them, they think they change, and abusers are particularly good at convincing you they've changed," she said. "I don't know what their relationship is at this point, but I'm not surprised that she's staying connected.

"I'm still concerned because his reaction to people's criticism of him being on the Grammys was fairly belligerent, and that didn't give me much of a message or sense of hope that he had made changes since that assault," she said, referring to the barrage of tweets Brown sent out after negative feedback about his Grammy appearance.

"I hope he's changed. I hope that he will never choose to use violence again no matter what kind of relationship he has with her or anybody else," she continued. "I think, for me, it would be much more powerful if they could publicly state what's different for them so that it doesn't just leave us wondering if anything has changed and if they have learned anything in the process, because it was so public. We're all wondering, because they're not saying anything. That would leave us with a different message that it all doesn't matter and they're just going to do what they do."

Smith said that, given their history, "I think the message she's sending is that the feelings of being in love are more important than your personal safety."

"The thing that matters most is whether you're safe and whether you feel respected — that's what matters most in a relationship and that's what we should all be focusing on," Smith added. "That has to be the primary goal of any relationship."

In the end, Smith hopes the two pop stars have grown since the very public assault.

"I don't know what the message is. I would like the message to be: People can change, and I will never be treated that way again and I will never treat anyone that way again. If they had released a song saying this is what this represents for us, that would be such a much more fabulous, powerful story than not saying a word," she said. "The content of the songs seems to be more in-your-face than something about, 'We're collaborating on something because we care about the way people treat each other.' That would have been the message that would have been nice to come out of this very public and tragic incident."

Tags birthday cake, birthday cake remix, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Turn Up the Music, turn up the music remix

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Chris Brown's Rep Says He & Rihanna Aren't Back Together & Are 'Just Friends'

WE ARE HIP HOP! ARE YOU?

Over the past month or so, rumors have been running rampant over talk that Chris Brown and Rihanna are getting back to, or already together.

However, Breezy's rep tells TMZ that's just not true.

Reports surfaced late last night and early this morning about the pair partying at the same Hollywood nightclub on Sunday (January 22), fueling speculation that they were -- once again -- a couple.

Chris' rep, however, says he was actually with his current girlfriend model Karrueche Tran.

The rep says Rihanna and Brown aren't together, and he was not with Rihanna on Sunday night. He maintains that they are just friends.

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