Events

534 – A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published.

1491 – An auto-da-fé, held in the Brasero de la Dehesa outside of Ávila, concludes the case of the Holy Child of La Guardia with the public execution of several Jewish and converso suspects.

1532 – Francisco Pizarro and his men capture Inca Emperor Atahualpa.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: Hessian mercenaries capture Fort Washington from the Patriots.

1776 – American Revolution: the United Provinces (Low Countries) recognize the independence of the United States.

1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Schöngrabern – Russian forces under Pyotr Bagration delay the pursuit by French troops under Murat.

1821 – American Old West: Missouri trader William Becknell arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail.

1849 – A Russian court sentences Fyodor Dostoevsky to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group; his sentence is later commuted to hard labor.

1852 – The English astronomer John Russell Hind discovers the asteroid 22 Kalliope.

1857 – Second relief of Lucknow – twenty-four Victoria Crosses are awarded, the most in a single day.

1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Campbell's Station near Knoxville, Tennessee – Confederate troops unsuccessfully attack Union forces.

1885 – Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba", Louis Riel is executed for treason.

1907 – Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory join to form Oklahoma, that is admitted as the 46th U.S. state.

1907 – Cunard Line's , sister ship of , sets sail on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England to New York City.

1914 – The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States officially opens.

1938 – LSD is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.

1940 – World War II: in response to the leveling of Coventry, England by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe two days before, the Royal Air Force bombs Hamburg.

1940 – Holocaust: in occupied Poland, the Nazis close off the Warsaw Ghetto from the outside world.

1943 – World War II: American bombers strike a hydro-electric power facility and heavy water factory in German-controlled Vemork, Norway.

1944 – Dueren, Germany is destroyed by Allied bombers.

1945 – Cold War: Operation Paperclip – the United States Army secretly admits 88 German scientists and engineers to help in the development of rocket technology.

1945 – UNESCO is founded.

1965 – Venera program: the Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe toward Venus, that will be the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet.

1973 – Skylab program: NASA launches Skylab 4 with a crew of three astronauts from Cape Canaveral, Florida for an 84-day mission.

1973 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signs the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of the Alaska Pipeline.

1979 – The first line of Bucharest Metro (Line M1) is opened from Timpuri Noi to Semănătoarea in Bucharest, Romania.

1988 – The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic declares that Estonia is "sovereign" but stops short of declaring independence.

1988 – In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan elect populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister of Pakistan.

1989 – A death squad composed of El Salvadoran army troops kills six Jesuit priests and two others at Jose Simeon Canas University.

1992 – The Hoxne Hoard is discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in Hoxne, Suffolk.

1997 – After nearly 18 years of incarceration, the People's Republic of China releases Wei Jingsheng, a pro-democracy dissident, from jail for medical reasons.

2000 – Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War.

Births

42 BC – Tiberius, Roman emperor (d. 37)

1436 – Leonardo Loredan, Doge of the Republic of Venice (d. 1521)

1603 – Augustyn Kordecki, Polish prior (d. 1673)

1643 – Jean Chardin, French explorer (d. 1703)

1717 – Jean le Rond d'Alembert, French mathematician (d. 1793)

1720 – Carlo Antonio Campioni, Italian composer (d. 1788)

1753 – James McHenry, American statesman (d. 1816)

1758 – Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish author and philologist (d. 1841)

1766 – Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist (d. 1831)

1836 – King Kalākaua, of Hawaiʻi (d. 1891)

1839 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, French Canadian poet (d. 1908)

1841 – Jules Violle, French physicist (d. 1923)

1847 – Edmund James Flynn, Canadian politician (d. 1927)

1851 – Minnie Hauk, American soprano (d. 1929)

1862 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (d. 1944)

1873 – W. C. Handy, American composer (d. 1958)

1880 – Alexander Blok, Russian poet (d. 1921)

1885 – Monsignor Sir Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (d. 1984)

1888 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan composer and pianist (d. 1957)

1889 – George S. Kaufman, American playwright (d. 1961)

1889 – Dietrich Kraiß, German Nazi officer (d. 1944)

1890 – Elpidio Quirino, 6^th President of the Philippines (d. 1956)

1892 – Guo Moruo, Chinese writer (d. 1978)

1892 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver (d. 1953)

1895 – Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)

1895 – Paul Hindemith, German composer (d. 1963)

1896 – Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov, Russian mathematician (d. 1982)

1896 – Joan Lindsay, Australian novelist (d. 1984)

1896 – Oswald Mosley, British politician and founder of the British Union of Fascists (d. 1980)

1896 – Lawrence Tibbett, American baritone (d. 1960)

1897 – Choudhary Rehmat Ali, Pakistani nationalist (d. 1951)

1899 – Mary Margaret McBride, American radio interview host (d. 1976)

1904 – Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1^st President of Nigeria (d. 1996)

1905 – Eddie Condon, American jazz banjoist and guitarist (d. 1973)

1907 – Burgess Meredith, American actor (d. 1997)

1914 – Eddie Chapman, British World War II spy and double agent, aka Agent Zigzag (d. 1997)

1916 – Daws Butler, American voice actor (d. 1988)

1922 – Gene Amdahl, American computer scientist

1922 – José Saramago, Portuguese novelist, Nobel laureate (d. 2010)

1924 – Mel Patton, American sprinter

1928 – Clu Gulager, American actor

1930 – Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelis, poet and academic

1930 – Salvatore Riina, Italian Mafia leader

1931 – Luciano Bottaro, Italian comic book artist (d. 2006)

1931 – Hubert Sumlin, American blues guitarist (Howlin' Wolf's band)

1933 – Garnet Mimms, American singer

1935 – Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, Iraqi-born Lebanese Shiite Muslim cleric and Hezbollah mentor (d. 2010)

1935 – Elizabeth Drew, American journalist and author

1936 – John Moore, Australian politician

1938 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher (d. 2002)

1940 – Donna McKechnie, American actress and dancer

1941 – Gerry Marshall, British race car driver (d. 2005)

1942 – Willie Carson, Scottish jockey

1942 – Joanna Pettet, English actress

1944 – Oliver Braddick, British psychologist

1946 – Terence McKenna, American writer and public speaker (d. 2000)

1946 – Jo Jo White, American basketball player

1947 – Ebby Thust, German boxing promoter and writer

1948 – Horst Bertram, German footballer

1948 – Bonnie Greer, American playwright and critic

1949 – Arrow, Montserratian soca musician (d. 2010)

1950 – David Leisure, American actor

1950 – John Swartzwelder, American television writer and novelist

1951 – Miguel Sandoval, American actor

1952 – Robin McKinley, American novelist

1952 – Piero Falchetta, Italian archivist in Biblioteca Marciana, essayist and translator

1952 – Shigeru Miyamoto, Japanese video game designer

1953 – Griff Rhys Jones, Welsh comedian, writer and actor

1954 – Andrea Barrett, American novelist

1954 – Bruce Edwards, American golf caddy (d. 2004)

1954 – Dick Gross, Australian politician

1955 – Pierre Larouche, Canadian ice hockey player

1956 – Terry Labonte, American NASCAR driver

1957 – Jacques Gamblin, French actor

1958 – Marg Helgenberger, American actress

1958 – Boris Krivokapić, Serbian academic

1961 – Frank Bruno, British boxer

1961 – Corinne Hermès, French singer

1962 – Gary Mounfield, English bassist (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream)

1962 – Josh Silver, American keyboardist (Type O Negative)

1964 – Dwight Gooden, American baseball player

1964 – Diana Krall, Canadian jazz pianist and singer

1964 – Harry J. Lennix, American actor

1964 – Maeve Quinlan, American actress

1964 – Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Italian actress

1965 – Mika Aaltonen, Finnish footballer

1965 – Mark Benton, English actor

1966 – Christian Lorenz, German keyboardist (Rammstein)

1966 – Dean McDermott, Canadian actor

1966 – Tahir Shah, British travel writer and explorer

1966 – Dave Kushner, American guitarist (Velvet Revolver)

1967 – Craig Arnold, American poet

1967 – Lisa Bonet, American actress

1968 – Vlado Šola, Croatian handball goalkeeper

1968 – Melvin Stewart, American swimmer

1970 – Martha Plimpton, American actress

1970 – Logan Mader, American guitarist (Machine Head)

1971 – Mustapha Hadji, Moroccan footballer

1971 – Alexander Popov, Russian swimmer

1971 – Koshi Rikdo, Japanese mangaka

1971 – Waqar Younis, Pakistani cricketer

1972 – Missi Pyle, American actress

1973 – Christian Horner, British Formula One team owner

1973 – Brendan Laney, Scottish rugby player

1974 – Eric Judy, American bassist (Modest Mouse)

1974 – Maurizio Margaglio, Italian ice dancer

1974 – Paul Scholes, British footballer

1975 – Julio Lugo, Dominican baseball player

1976 – Mario Barravecchia, Belgian singer

1976 – Juha Pasoja, Finnish footballer

1976 – Danny Wallace, British author

1976 – Martijn Zuijdweg, Dutch swimmer

1977 – Oksana Baiul, Ukrainian figure skater

1977 – Maggie Gyllenhaal, American actress

1977 – Mauricio Ochmann, Mexican actor

1978 – Kip Bouknight, American baseball player

1978 – Gary Naysmith, Scottish footballer

1978 – Carolina Parra, Brazilian guitarist and drummer (CSS)

1979 – Tony Frias, American footballer

1979 – Bruce Irons, American surfer

1980 – Kayte Christensen, American basketball player

1980 – Nicole Gius, Italian alpine skier

1980 – Carol Huynh, Canadian freestyle wrestler

1981 – Allison Crowe, Canadian singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist

1981 – Caitlin Glass, American voice actress

1981 – Osi Umenyiora, English-born American football player

1982 – Jannie du Plessis, South African rugby player

1982 – Ronald Pognon, French sprinter

1982 – Amar'e Stoudemire, American basketball player

1983 – Chris Gocong, American football player

1983 – K, South Korean-born Japanese singer

1983 – Kari Lehtonen, Finnish ice hockey goaltender

1983 – Britta Steffen, German swimmer

1984 – Kimberly J. Brown, American actress

1986 – Saeko, Japanese actress

1995 – Noah Gray-Cabey, American actor

Deaths

1093 – Saint Margaret of Scotland, Hungarian-born queen-consort of King Malcolm III of Scotland (b. c. 1045)

1240 – Saint Edmund Rich, English Archbishop of Canterbury (b. c. 1175)

1272 – King Henry III of England (b. 1207)

1328 – Prince Hisaaki, Japanese shogun (b. 1276)

1613 – Trajano Boccalini, Italian satirist (b. 1556)

1628 – Paolo Quagliati, Italian composer (b. c. 1555)

1632 – King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (b. 1594)

1695 – Pierre Nicole, French philosopher (b. 1625)

1724 – Jack Sheppard, English burglar (b. 1702)

1745 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish statesman and soldier (b. 1665)

1773 – John Hawkesworth, English writer

1779 – Pehr Kalm, Finnish explorer and naturalist (b. 1716)

1790 – Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)

1797 – King Frederick William II of Prussia (b. 1744)

1802 – André Michaux, French botanist (b. 1746)

1806 – Moses Cleaveland, American lawyer and surveyor; namesake of Cleveland, Ohio (b. 1754)

1836 – Christian Hendrik Persoon, Dutch mycologist (b. 1761)

1878 – Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (b. 1874)

1884 – František Chvostek, Moravian physician (b. 1835)

1885 – Louis Riel, Canadian politician (b. 1844)

1907 – Robert I, Duke of Parma (b. 1848)

1908 – Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, French-born Canadian politician (b. 1829)

1911 – A. A. Ames, American politician (b. 1842)

1922 – Max Abraham, German physicist (b. 1875)

1939 – Pierce Butler, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1866)

1950 – Bob Smith, American physician and temperance activist (b. 1879)

1956 – Ōtori Tanigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 24^th Yokozuna (b. 1887)

1960 – Clark Gable, American actor (b. 1901)

1961 – Sam Rayburn, American politician (b. 1882)

1971 – Edie Sedgwick, American socialite and heiress (b. 1940)

1972 – Vera Karalli, Russian ballerina and actress (b. 1889)

1973 – Alan Watts, English writer and philosopher (b. 1915)

1974 – Walther Meissner, German technical physicist (b. 1882)

1980 – Jayan, Indian actor (b.1938)

1982 – Arthur Askey, British comedian (b. 1900)

1982 – Lenny Murphy, Northern Irish loyalist figure (b. 1952)

1984 – Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (b. 1906)

1986 – Siobhán McKenna, Irish stage and screen actress (b. 1923)

1987 – Jim Brewer, American baseball player (b. 1937)

1987 – Zubir Said, Singaporean composer (b. 1907)

1989 – Jean-Claude Malépart, Quebec politician (b. 1938)

1993 – Lucia Popp, Slovakian soprano (b. 1939)

1993 – Achille Zavatta, Tunisia-born French clown (b. 1915)

1994 – Doris Speed, British actress (b. 1899)

1994 – Chet Powers, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (b. 1943)

1995 – Jack Finney, American writer (b. 1911)

1999 – Daniel Nathans, American microbiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)

2000 – Ahmet Kaya, Turkish singer and composer (b. 1957)

2000 – DJ Screw, American hiphop DJ (b. 1971)

2000 – Joe C., American rapper (b. 1974)

2001 – Tommy Flanagan, American jazz pianist (b. 1930)

2003 – Bettina Goislard, French relief worker (b. 1974)

2004 – Margaret Hassan, Irish aid worker (b. 1945)

2005 – Henry Taube, Canadian-born American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1915)

2005 – Robert Tisch, American football team owner (b. 1926)

2005 – Donald Watson, English vegan advocate (b. 1910)

2006 – Milton Friedman, American economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)

2006 – Yuri Levada, Russian sociologist (b. 1930)

2007 – Harold Alfond, American businessman (b. 1914)

2007 – Grethe Kausland, Norwegian actress and singer (b. 1947)

2007 – Trond Kirkvaag, Norwegian comedian and author (b. 1946)

2008 – Reg Varney, British actor (b. 1916)

2009 – Edward Woodward, British actor (b. 1930)

2009 – Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (b. 1978)

2010 – Wyngard Tracy, Filipino talent manager (b. 1952)

2010 – Donald Nyrop, American airline executive (b. 1912)

2010 – Ronni Chasen, American film publicist (b. 1946)

2010 – Britton Chance, American molecular biologist and yachtsman (b. 1913)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*Edmund of Abingdon

*Eucherius of Lyon

*Gertrude the Great (Roman Catholic church)

*Lebuinus

*Margaret of Scotland

*Matthew the Evangelist (Eastern Christianity)

*Saint Othmar

*November 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Day of Declaration of Sovereignty (Estonia)

Day of Repentance and Prayer or Buß- und Bettag (the Protestant church bodies of Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United. A school holiday in Saxony and Bavaria)

Icelandic Language Day or Dagur íslenskrar tungu (Iceland)

International Day for Tolerance (International)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:November

Name	Rihanna
Capt size	100px
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Alias
Born	February 20, 1988Saint Michael, Barbados
Genre	R&B;, pop, dancehall, dance, hip hop, urban pop
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, executive producer, dancer, video director, philanthropist, cultural ambassador, author, actress
Instruments	Vocals, drums
Years active	2005–present
Label	Def Jam, SRP, Roc Nation
Description	"Pon de Replay" is Rihanna's debut single. The song encompasses the reggae genre using a mixture of dance-pop and R&B.;}}

Her music was marketed within the reggae genres because of her Caribbean descent. The album received mixed reviews by music critics. Rolling Stone magazine rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars and described as lacking the replay value, ingenuity and rhythm of the single with "generic vocal hiccups and frills" of US R&B; inflecting upon her "Caribbean charm". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album as a "glut of teen R&B; chanteuses " and described her lead single "Pon de Replay" as "a dancehall-pop mixture that owes plenty of its sweat and shimmy to Beyoncé's "Baby Boy". The albums second single, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" was less successful than "Pon de Replay", having managed a peak position of number thirty-six in the US, and number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. The album contained production from record producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who produced most of her debut album, Stargate, J. R. Rotem and label-mate singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. While recording the album, Rihanna served as an opening act for Gwen Stefani to promote her debut album. The lead single, "SOS", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number-one in the United States. less than eight months after her debut. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200 Internationally, the album peaked at number one on the Top Canadian Albums, five on the UK Albums Chart and number five on the Irish Album Chart. The critical response to the album was mixed; Rolling Stone magazine commented "Like her filler-packed debut album, this similar but superior follow-up doesn't deliver anything else as ingenious as its lead single." Critics described the album as a record that almost identically alternates between the sunny dancehall/dub-pop, hip-hop-infused club bangers and gushy, adult-oriented ballads. The second single, "Unfaithful", became a major worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in dozen countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Canada, France and Switzerland. The albums third single, "We Ride" failed to reprise the success of the lead single but the fourth single, "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul, jumped from number fifty-two to number ten eventually peaking at number nine. After the release of the album, Rihanna embarked on her first headlining tour, the . She then embarked on the Rock The Block Tour and then toured with Pussycat Dolls from November 2006 to February 2007 in the United Kingdom. Rihanna also made her acting debut in a cameo role in the straight-to-DVD film , which was released on August 8, 2006.

2007–08: Good Girl Gone Bad

With her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rihanna wanted to head in a new direction with the help of music producers Timbaland, will.i.am and Sean Garrett, and re-imagine her album compositions with fresh, uptempo dance tracks. The album yielded eight hit singles — all singles reaching the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 — including the worldwide number-one hit "Umbrella," featuring Jay-Z. In addition to reaching number one in various countries, "Umbrella" was the number-one single in the United Kingdom for ten consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single since Wet Wet Wet's single "Love Is All Around" spent fifteen weeks at the top in 1994. The song is listed number three on the 100 Best Songs of 2007 published by Rolling Stone magazine. Her other singles, "Shut Up and Drive", "Don't Stop The Music" and "Hate That I Love You" were able to mirror the success of "Umbrella," with "Don't Stop the Music" reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number one in various countries. With the re-issue of her third album, titled , which was released in June 2008. Rihanna released the first singles from the re-release "Take a Bow" — which became a worldwide number-one hit — the duet with Maroon 5, "If I Never See Your Face Again," and the other US number-one hit "Disturbia." "Disturbia" reached to number four before reaching number one, as her previous single, "Take a Bow", was at number two, making Rihanna the seventh female singer to have two songs in the top five. Meanwhile, Rihanna was featured on rapper T.I.'s "Live Your Life," which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rihanna her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 thus far ("SOS," "Umbrella," "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia," as well as T.I.'s "Live Your Life"). This made Rihanna one of the two female solo artist with the most number-one singles this decade, with the other being Beyoncé Knowles. It has shipped over two million units in the United States, receiving a two-times-platinum certification from the RIAA; this gave Rihanna her best-selling album to date. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, Rihanna earned her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, in addition to receiving five other nominations, including Record of the Year, Best Dance Recording, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B; Song. In support of the album, she kicked off her second headlining tour The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour on September 12, 2007, with several shows across the United States, Canada and Europe and then embarked on the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and N.E.R.D on April 16, 2008. Rihanna won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B; Female Artist at the 2008 American Music Awards. In December 2008, Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly wrote an article entitled "Rihanna: Diva of the year" which he referred to her breakout success of 2008.

2009: Domestic violence case and Rated R

On February 8, 2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards was cancelled. Reports later surfaced regarding an alleged altercation with then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ.com—which revealed Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi has proposed a law called "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims." Gil Kaufman of VH1 reported "[t]he nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases" and the controversial distribution of the leaked photograph. Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in L.A. on June 22, 2009. "The DA told me Rihanna will be subpoenaed. I will accept on her behalf," Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra told Us Weekly. On June 22, 2009, Brown pled guilty to the felony assault. In exchange for his plea Brown received five years probation and was ordered to stay fifty yards away from Rihanna, unless at public events, which then will be reduced to ten yards.

red carpet in 2009]] Rihanna made an appearance as the central character in Kanye West's music video "Paranoid". She also collaborated with Jay-Z and West on "Run This Town" which peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching the top ten in ten other countries. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, bringing her total to three Grammys. Her fourth studio album, Rated R, was released in November 2009. Rolling Stone was favorable of the album commenting that "Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year". The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of one million copies. In January 2010, Rihanna won two Barbados Music Awards for "Song of the Decade" with "Umbrella" and "Entertainer of the Decade". She was named "International Female Artist of the Year" at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards. Two other singles were released from Rated R, which included "Rockstar 101" and the final single from the album, "Te Amo". To further promote the album, she embarked on her worldwide tour, the Last Girl on Earth Tour.

2010–present: Loud

During the summer, Rihanna collaborated with rapper Eminem on "Love the Way You Lie", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. The song became Rihanna's seventh number one hit single on the Hot 100 of her career, making her the female artist with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. Rihanna was asked by Kanye West in or around August 2010 to contribute to "All of the Lights", the fifth track from West's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In an interview with MTV News, Rihanna stated that she "loved" the song, which also features several other artists, including but not limited to Alicia Keys, John Legend, Fergie and Elton John. On October 19, 2010, Rihanna released a self-titled book, and is currently working on Peter Berg's film, Battleship, scheduled for release in 2012. On October 20, 2010, Rihanna announced that she was parting ways with manager Marc Jordan and will henceforth be managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Management. She is also starting her own company, Rihanna Entertainment, in which she will "merge all of her businesses including music, film, fragrance, fashion and book ventures". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 207,000 copies in its first week, becoming the fifth top-ten album of Rihanna's career in the US, with her best week of sales. Its lead single, "Only Girl (In the World)", was digitally released in the United States in September 2010. After many weeks, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Only Girl" also reached number one in many other countries including Australia, Canada, and the UK. The album's second single, "What's My Name?", featuring rapper Drake, also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Although it was the second single from Loud, it reached the top spot before the first single, "Only Girl (In the World)" making it the first time in Hot 100 history that an album's debut single reached number one after the second single.

On December 5, 2010, Rihanna had three songs in the top ten on the UK singles chart with "Only Girl (In The World)" at number seven, "What's My Name?" at number eight, and the David Guetta single "Who's That Chick?" at number nine.. On January 9, 2011, the same three songs were in the top ten on the UK singles chart with "What's My Name?" at number one, "Only Girl (In The World)" at number nine, and the David Guetta single "Who's That Chick?" at number ten.

On January 9, 2011, "What's My Name?" hit the top spot on the official UK singles chart, giving Rihanna the record of being the first female solo artist to have 5 number one singles in the UK in consecutive years. In 2007, "Umbrella" gave Rihanna her first UK number one single; in 2008, "Take A Bow" gave her her second; in 2009, "Run This Town" was the third; in 2010, "Only Girl (In the World)" gave her her fourth UK number one single.

Artistry

Music and voice

Volume 65 of the Contemporary Black Biography book series notes that "Rihanna is the rare rhythm and blues (R&B;) diva to emerge from the Caribbean world." Becoming an international sensation, Rihanna is known for blending R&B; with Caribbean music, such as reggae and dancehall. Peter Coulter of the Antrim Times commented that "[Rihanna] has an amazing voice which showed during her acoustic set, she just needs to work on her audience engagement during live shows." At the time of her debut, reviewers referred to her as a "bubblegum queen" While performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest, Denis Armstrong of Canadian Online Explorer commented on her performance saying "her show was a Disney-esque choreographed fantasy of non-stop hip-swivelling, sassy attitude and personal endearments and a string of funky, sugar-free hits." After revealing a new image while headlining her first tour, she was likely to be criticized for her tight leather outfit during each show. A review in The Times compared Rihanna's stage wardrobe styling to that of Janet Jackson. He described her outfit as "a vision of Ann Summers couture in thigh-high boots and a few scraps of black PVC." Stuart Derdeyn of The Province commented that "even with the whole haute couture B&D; clearly firing on all points, she's still got a ways to go to become the new Janet Jackson."

Rihanna's musical style has changed during the release of her last three albums. She was originally marketed as a reggae singer since she burst into the music scene in 2005, with a styles of pop, R&B; and dancehall. Her music include various styles of musical genres, including contemporary R&B;, dance-pop and the Caribbean music styles of reggae and dancehall. With the release of Music of the Sun and its lead single "Pon de Replay", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B; jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets." Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described her hit "Umbrella" as a lightweight pop confection with a heavy hip-hop backbeat, a breezy love song enriched by those unexpectedly goth-sounding keyboards and by the incongruous hint of anguish in Rihanna’s girlish voice.

Her debut album featured production from pop veterans Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who first discovered her. Sturken and Rogers have collaborated with Rihanna many times, including with her debut single "Pon de Replay", which helped launch her career with the tradition of reggae and dance pop and collaborated on her sophomore album. Rihanna then enlisted into the pop and contemporary R&B; working with music producer Stargate and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo on "Unfaithful" and sampling the key section, bass line, and drum beat from Soft Cell's 1981 single "Tainted Love" on "SOS". With songs like "Kisses Don't Lie" and "Shut Up and Drive", her music style became more rock-oriented. and less of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles of her previous albums. She has included various styles of music from uptempo pop-reggae with "Pon De Replay", to an 80's new wave fueled club banger "SOS" to the whiff of gothic horror in a love song "Unfaithful". Most of her love subject ballads contain a mid-tempo pop sound, with an R&B; influences that uses of a gently strummed acoustic guitar with the production of Stargate and the songs written by Ne-Yo. She has taken to sampling songs from other artist like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" on "SOS", Of Janet Jackson, Rihanna has commented that "[s]he was one of the first female pop icons that I could relate to ... She was so vibrant, she had so much energy. She still has power. I’ve seen her on stage, and she can stand there for 20 minutes and have the whole arena scream at her. You have to love Janet." Beyoncé Knowles has been named as a major influence, citing that she was inspired to start her career after watching Knowles on television as part of a Destiny's Child performance. Her other musical influences include Bob Marley, Alicia Keys Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion, Brandy and Gwen Stefani. Her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson was someone that she admired and looked up to, having a fellow artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.

Rihanna's music contains strong influences of caribbean music which include reggae and dancehall. The video for "Rude Boy" was inspired by her Caribbean roots. In an interview, she stated that while growing up in Barbados she grew up listening to reggae music and when she came to the United States she was exposed to many different types of music. During The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, she did a cover to "Is This Love" which paid tribute to Marley; she would later do a cover song to Bob Marley & The Wailers' "Redemption Song". Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe and vintage clothing served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You" and "Rehab"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller. The music video ranked number five on the "Top Five Most Paranoid Music Videos" published by MTV Buzzworthy. Jon Bream of the Star Tribune commented "[i]n the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."

Image

New York magazine described Rihanna's early look as a cookie-cutter teen queen while stating that she has the ability to shift looks so dramatically and with such ease. During the release of her sophomore album, many critics felt that Rihanna's sound and substance was too heavily similar to that of Beyoncé. The media even made negative reviews comparing her music, music videos, performances and even her image to Beyoncé, which garnered Rihanna much criticism. Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Beyoncé. Since the release of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna's image has become a sex symbol and set herself apart from other R&B; starlets, opting for designer couture over belly-baring crop tops. Sonya Magett of Black Voices reported that Rihanna's style has become quite risqué since she burst onto the scene four years ago. Rihanna's fashion and style landed her on the list of People's 10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008. In 2009, she ranked seventeenth on Glamour magazine's list of the 50 Most Glamorous Women. Tracey Lomrantz of Glamour commented, "If style risks could be measured in miles, Rihanna would have criss-crossed the globe a thousand times over already." She has appeared on Maxim's Hot 100 list for three consecutive years, from 2007 to 2009, listed in positions eight, fifteen, and eight, respectively. In June 2007, Rihanna was named 2007 Venus Breeze's "Celebrity Legs Of A Goddess" by Gillette.

Rihanna's tattoos have drawn much media attention. Her tattoos include a music note tattoo on her ankle, a Pisces sign behind her right ear, a Sanskrit prayer going down her hip, a star in her left ear, the word love on her left middle finger, an Arabic phrase meaning "Freedom in Christ" on her ribcage area, a trail of stars going down the back of her neck, a skull with a pink hair bow, the phrase "shhh..." on her right index finger, the date 11.4.86 in Roman numerals on top of her left shoulder, a henna-style dragon claw including hibiscus flowers, a handgun under her right armpit, a six-word phrase on her chest, and the phrase "rebelle fleur" on her neck, said to mean "rebel/rebellious flower" in French. Her gun tattoo was planned to be just below her shoulders but was ultimately located on her ribcage. In answer to criticism for her violence-themed tattoo, Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, her tattoo artist, was quick to explain his opinion that the image simply "represents strength and power". Her thirteenth tattoo which she had was on her chest and reads, "Never a failure, always a lesson". She had it tattoed backwards, McCurdy says, because she wanted to be able to read it in the mirror. When he asked why she wanted it, she said that it was her "motto in life for everything".

Other ventures

In October 2005, Rihanna struck her first endorsement deal with Secret Body Spray for them to sponsor her first tour, Rihanna's Secret Body Spray Tour In 2006, Rihanna participated in several endorsement deals, including Nike sportswear for the launch of her "SOS" She recorded a song written by Ne-Yo entitled "Just Be Happy" as part of the deal to promote their Happy fragrance. Rihanna also recorded a song called "Winning Women" with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger for Procter & Gamble's female deodorant Secret. In 2007, Rihanna signed with CoverGirl and became a celebrity spokesperson which included appearances on TV commercials and in the Barbados Tourism Authority's tourism commercials.

In December 2008, Rihanna contracted with Gucci to appear in their ads for the Tattoo Heart Collection, a special-edition line. In the Gucci handbag ad, Rihanna is seen hanging from a giant hoop, scantily clad in a barely-there white bodysuit and wearing an oversized white Gucci purse. The success of her single, "Umbrella" earned her an endorsement deal with Totes. Her handlers pitched her hit "Umbrella" to Totes and the song became the soundtrack for commercials in which she starred. On April 8, 2009, it was announced that Rihanna inked a fragrance deal with Jay-Z’s licensing company Iconic Fragrances. The fragrance is set to be named Reb'l Fleur and released in 2011. Rihanna was working with her artistic director for Rated R, Simon Henwood, on the book Rihanna. It was released on September 14, 2010. In August 2010 Rihanna began appearing in an Australian television advert for Optus, a position previously held by Pink.

Philanthropy

Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. Rihanna explained her reasons for starting the Foundation saying, "When I was young and I would watch television and I would see all the children suffering, I always said: when I grow up, I want to help." Rihanna is also heavily involved in the marketing of her native country of Barbados. She began by including the flag and broken trident in many of her videos, shooting her album packaging for A Girl Like Me there. She additionally was honored by the Prime Minister David Thompson, who presented her with several gifts at a national concert on February 20, 2008, in Barbados, called "Rihanna Day". In February 2008, Rihanna thanked and honoured her country during the acceptance speech for her win of "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" at the Grammy Awards. Although Rihanna is heavily involved in the promotion of her country and works with the government in Barbados to do so, she is often criticized by other Barbadians for everything from her music to her successes and for wearing "skimpy clothes". Rihanna, speaking on one incident, said, "I went to the beach and I had on a one-piece swimsuit with jeans [...] They took the picture and they made it look like a top that was really revealing... There were [...] radio programmes about it. It was a big deal for, like, three weeks straight – talking about I'm not setting a good example." Rihanna states she was bullied at school. "Having lighter skin wasn’t a problem in my household, but it was when I went to school — which really confused me at first. The harassment continued to my very last day of elementary school."

Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation and is a 2008 Cartier Love Charity Bracelet Ambassador. She performed at Madonna’s Raising Malawi fundraiser on February 6, 2008, in New York City. After becoming an honorary cultural ambassador for Barbados, Rihanna became involved with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tübingen, Germany, to try to find a donor for Lisa Gershowitz Flynn. The Manhattan attorney had been diagnosed in November with acute myelogenous leukemia. In January 2008, Rihanna contributed in the fight against AIDS when she visited the H&M; in New York to support Fashion Against AIDS by presenting her t-shirt design and signing autographs for a limited time with slogans like "Believe" and "Stop and Think." The collection features t-shirts and hoodies designed by Rihanna, Timbaland and other well-known designers, musicians and artists. The line, called Fashion Against AIDS, was launched in February 2008 to raise awareness of the disease among teens and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. In August 2008, Rihanna and other pop, rock, R&B; and country singers such as Carrie Underwood, Ciara, Beyoncé Knowles, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Fergie recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and its theme song. The singers performed the song live on September 5, 2008. Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first United Nations Children's Fund ad campaign. She appeared in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, which premiered in December 2008. Rihanna was photographed in series of special edition print ads with United Nations Children's Fund items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.

On November 19, 2008, Rihanna was enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the United Nations Children's Fund Christmas snowflake in New York City at the Grand Army Plaza. In 2008, she became the global representative and the face of the 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit United Nations Children's Fund. The campaign aimed to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags, which launched worldwide on November 19, 2008. Rihanna has been a part of many benefit concerts to help raise money for various illnesses, such as cancer for Hope Rocks. Rihanna performed on January 20, 2009, at the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball to raise money for the world largest anti-hunger organization. On April 2, 2009, Rihanna visited the NYU Medical Center to help look for another bone marrow donor for a young girl named Jasmina Anema. Rihanna first learned about Anema's plight in February 2009, when she saw the moving video Anema's best friend, Isabelle Huurman, and her mother, Karen Detrick, made appealing for donors to save Anema. Rihanna honored Anema's best friend, Isabella, for her efforts for trying to save her best friend at a DKMS Gala on May 7, 2009. Jasmina Anema eventually received her transplant on June 11, 2009, but died on January 27, 2010. In September 2009, Rihanna performed at Jay-Z's "Answer to Call" concert, which paid tribute to the police officers and firefighters who died on the September 11 attacks.

Discography

Music of the Sun (2005)

A Girl Like Me (2006)

Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)

Rated R (2009)

Loud (2010)

Tours

Main Tours

, 2006

The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, 2007/8/9

Last Girl on Earth Tour, 2010/11

Loud Tour, 2011

Promotional Tours

Rihanna's Secret Body Spray Tour, 2005

A Girl's Night Out, 2007

Featured Tours

PCD World Tour, 2006

Rock Tha Block Tour, 2006

Glow in the Dark Tour, 2008

See also

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna

List of number-one hits (United States)

List of Rihanna concert tours

List of Rihanna songs

References

External links

Rihanna at Island Def Jam Music Group

Rihanna's Believe Foundation

Category:1988 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Barbadian expatriates in the United States Category:Barbadian pop singers Category:Barbadian reggae musicians Category:Beauty pageant contestants Category:Dancehall musicians Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:Juno Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Saint Michael, Barbados Category:People of Guyanese descent Category:People of Irish descent Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:Rhythm and blues singers Category:World Music Awards winners