Rihanna is no stranger to courting controversy, but she’s now claiming to be surprised that one of the most controversial things she ever did — recording two remixes this past February with her ex Chris Brown, who famously assaulted her years ago — attracted any hand-wringing at all. “The whole thing caught me a little off-guard, to be honest,†she told British Esquire. “Because it never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem, you know. It really didn’t.†(We’ll let you decide how many i’s are required for the appropriate reaction of “Riiiiiiiight.â€)
As the interviewer continued to press Rihanna on the subject, the singer fell back on her well-worn talking point that the songs were innocent: “I thought people were gonna be surprised that we finally did a record together, but I didn’t see how people could think it was a bad thing, you know? In my mind, it was just music.†Still, she began to get testy as she was asked whether the collaboration sent the wrong message to women.
“[We reunited] in a completely professional environment,†Rihanna said. “I mean, if I went back to him [as a girlfriend], then that’s a whole different discussion. And if I ever do, then that’s something that y’all have to talk to me about when — if — that ever happens. Until then, look at it for what it is. I think a lot of people jumped to an assumption that was incorrect and they ended up looking stupid.†Even if the lyrics on the “Birthday Cake†remix implied a sexual rekindling between the two singers? “That was the tone before he was even on the record,†growled Rihanna. “You think it was going to be about hopscotch or jump rope?â€
“There’s a lot of shit y’all can’t get over,†Rihanna continued to gripe. “Y’all holding your breath on a lot of stuff that doesn’t matter … This is turning into a tacky interview. What do you really want to talk about? I’m not here to [talk] about messy shit.â€