Rihanna is Now the Richest Female Musician in the World
Photo credit: Debby Wong | Shutterstock.com
written by Caribbean Collective Magazine
Artists like Madonna, Beyonce, and Mariah Carey come to mind when we think of global pop mega stars. All three artists have consistently been ranked as the top 5 wealthiest female musicians in the world. While Rihanna is no stranger as a popular household name, the idea of a West Indian woman being one of the richest women in the world is a rare and beautiful gem for us.
Many of us are children of immigrants. We’ve witnessed our parents and even single parents working to raise us, teach us values, and put us through school to do better than our previous generations. In many geographic destinations such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom many West Indian womxn grow up learning that education, financial stability and marriage are all part of an idealized lifestyle. Achieving such goals is deemed as “successful” within our community. We know a range of people in the community, from professionals like nurses and doctors to low-income families doing everything in their power to make an honest living. There is a range in our community; but a female billionaire in the making? It’s unheard of.
[Additional Read: World Mourns Passing of Two Female Caribbean Icons]
In an article by Forbes Magazine, Rihanna’s wealth and business acumen is highlighted. Beautiful, popular, wildly rich, and talented, who wouldn’t boast about our girl RiRi? Yet this success rings different for us as West Indian womxn. While it’s sentimental and energetic, it marks an earth-shattering, ground-breaking moment reflected within the conversations of those of us who recognize its true cultural value.
One of us has made it. A black-Caribbean woman, a West Indian woman, a Bajan woman, a woman has made it —not just to a popular Forbes list, but to the very top as the richest female musician in the world! It’s unheard of and yet lights a path of hope for us as West Indian womxn. We needed to know that we can be successful too. We needed to know that we can build wealth. We needed to know that wealth and recognition for our successes aren’t reserved for just those who are descended from it. Some of us do know. For those of us that don’t know, we can start to believe. Why? Simply put, because one of us is made it to the very top.
