Here's How Rihanna Made Her Billion Dollars

It's official: After putting in years of work, work, work, work, work, Rihanna has joined the billionaire's club. In August 2021, Forbes announced that the hitmaker's net worth was estimated at $1.7 billion, making her the "wealthiest female musician in the world." The only female entertainer valued higher than Rihanna at the time was Oprah Winfrey, which is not bad company. That's definitely a couch we would jump on.

In addition to making money, Rihanna also has no problem giving it away. The philanthropic celeb is known for her generosity, including her $5 million donation in 2020 to help those affected by COVID-19. Since 2012, she has donated and helped raised millions under her Clara Lionel Foundation. Named after her grandparents, Rihanna's foundation continues to support efforts around the world in education and emergency relief.

But while the majority of Rihanna's wealth comes from her incredibly successful and inclusive Fenty Beauty line, it's not the only factor at play in her billion-dollar empire. The Barbados-born singer has been diversifying her portfolio and honing her efforts as a businesswoman for more than a decade, all of which has helped her reach a place in her career where launching Fenty Beauty was possible. Ultimately, Rihanna's global appeal, her ability to anticipate future cultural shifts, and her savvy business mind have all contributed to the multihyphenate's incredible wealth and success. 

So, how did Rihanna make her billions? Let's break it down.

Following the successful launch of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna kept the affordable and inclusive mandate that made the makeup brand one of the biggest in the world and applied the same ethos to her lingerie line. The "Umbrella" singer partnered with TechStyle Fashion Group and brought in several big-name investors, including Jay-Z's Marcy Ventures Partners, ahead of the 2018 launch of Savage x Fenty. Keeping "a 30% ownership stake" for herself, per Forbes, this Rihanna venture has included a wide range of sizes, several nude color palettes, and styles for all genders.

Working with the exclusive fashion house, LVMH, and featuring models of various sizes and races in ads for the line, Savage x Fenty was an instant success and saw a 200% growth in 2020 alone. The high-profile Savage x Fenty fashion events, which have been turned into documentary specials and look more like a musical concert than a traditional runway show, have been praised for featuring a wide cross section of models, including pregnant and disabled models. The relatively new line has also already marked its territory in the lingerie and athleisure world, putting the pressure on well-known brand leaders like Victoria's Secret, who have seen their sales drop considerably in more recent years. 

In February 2021, Forbes valued the lingerie company at $1 billion, with Rihanna's stake in the business coming out to a cool $375 million.

In 2015, Jay-Z was joined by some of the biggest names in music to help announce his new streaming service, Tidal. In addition to wife Beyoncé and longtime friend and collaborator Kanye West, Jay-Z's protégé, Rihanna, was also part of the initial Tidal announcement, which included the singer as one of the many A-list music stakeholders. The service was designed to put artists first and give them a bigger cut of streaming revenue, while also providing the highest quality listening experience for subscribers.

Although Tidal hasn't been the rival to Spotify and Apple Music that founder Jay-Z hoped it would be, the streaming service has continued to pull in some profit. As part-owner, Rihanna is privy to some pretty pennies from the company, which in 2017 was valued at $600 million. As noted by Quartz, that's "10 times its original value," making for an impressive return on investment. 

As one of the 16 original artist stakeholders in Tidal, Rihanna was given 3% equity in the company, which Variety estimated in 2021 would give her a cool $8.91 million payday.

From animated films to all-female heist remakes, Rihanna has been popping up on the big screen for years. In some projects, like 2013's "This Is the End" and 2006's "Bring It On: All Or Nothing," the pop star has played herself. Other roles, like in the 2019 Donald Glover-written "Guava Island" and 2012's "Battleship," have stretched the entertainer's talents as an actor. Rihanna's smooth and silky vocals have appeared in animated form, as well, with the actor taking a starring role opposite "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons in the sweet 2015 kids film, "Home." And in 2017, Rihanna shocked TV audiences when she took a break from her typical film and music video appearances to play Marion Crane in Season 5 of "Bates Motel."

It's unclear how much Rihanna has made for each role, including her scene-stealing turn as an alien named Bubble in Luc Besson's 2017 sci-fi film, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." But considering the name recognition RiRi brings to a film — including her involvement in high-profile projects like 2018's "Ocean's 8," which starred Oscar winners Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett — we wouldn't be surprised if Rihanna was now pulling in north of seven figures for her acting gigs.

At this point, it should come as no surprise that Rihanna is also successful author, because let's be real, there doesn't seem to be much RiRi can't do. In 2019, the multi-talent announced the release of a coffee table book with Phaidon Publishers. Described as a "visual autobiography," the succinctly-titled "Rihanna" is 504 pages long and includes more than 1,000 photos of the global superstar. Featuring never-before-seen pics of Rihanna from her childhood, as well as her years in the international spotlight, the book tips the scales at an impressive 15 pounds. (Lightweight coffee tables and bookcases need not apply.)

"I am so excited to share this collection of incredible images. I'm very grateful to the talented photographers and artists who contributed," said Rihanna (via Rolling Stone) prior to the book's release. "We've been working on the book for over five years and I'm really happy to be able to finally share it with everybody."

The limited-edition "Rihanna" book is still for sale through Phaidon for $150, but that's not the only option for members of the Rihanna Navy. "Love, Rihanna: Luxury Supreme" is also available for purchase for $1,995 (yes, you read that number right) and "The Rihanna Book: Queen Size" is also up for $1,495. While Rihanna's cut of the book sales have not been published, the singer's involvement in the creation of the "Rihanna" book means she likely received an advance and a percentage of each book sold.

Rihanna's style has made the singer one of the most exciting artists to watch since the release of her debut single, "Pon de Replay," in 2005 — and her impeccable pairing of streetwear with high fashion has not gone unnoticed by big-name brands. In 2014, Rihanna was named the new creative director of athleisure brand Puma. The deal was rumored to bring in around $1 million for RiRi and focused mainly on shoe design, with some special edition tops and bottoms to go along with each new line. The partnership ended up creating several sold-out lines for the athletic retailer, with her third line of Fenty x Puma creeper sneakers priced at $140 per pair and selling out in only 35 minutes.

The hitmaker's creations for Puma marked one of her first professional forays into the world of fashion design, which — as we now know with Fenty — has made a considerable impact on her bank account. Her deal with Puma also helped pave the way for a future collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, which included shoes that sold for more than $2,325 per pair. Rihanna created three lines with the luxury shoe designer, per Vogue, including Savage, Denim Desserts, and So Stoned. The limited edition shoes, for which some pairs took inspiration from Rihanna's famous tattoos, were a hit with buyers. Rihanna did her part to promote the line, including wearing a pair of gladiator sandals from the So Stoned collection in the 2017 music video for DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts."

Real estate is all about location, location, location — and when it comes to Rihanna's many homes, the address is always impressive. The singer, actor, and businesswoman owns several homes around the world, all of which are valued into the high millions. Whether she's recording music in Los Angeles, visiting family in Barbados, or enjoying the nightlife in London, RiRi has several places to call home.

In 2014, Rihanna reportedly bought an apartment in Los Angeles for $5.45 million and purchased a condo on Millionaire Mile two years later for just under $1 million, per the Evening Standard. The singer's third L.A. home, a 7,130-square-foot mansion in the Hollywood Hills, which featured a movie theatre and pool guest house, was unfortunately broken into by a stalker in 2018. Rihanna moved out after the home invasion and rented the house for $35,000 per month. She later listed the home for $10.43 million only a year-and-a-half after buying it for $9.47 million (via Vogue). Meanwhile, when Rihanna is home in her native Barbados, she stays in her 10,000-square-foot condo that she purchased in 2013 for $21.8 million.

In 2021, House Beautiful reported that Rihanna made her biggest real estate investment yet, when she purchased a 5,909-square-foot home in the same Beverly Hills neighborhood that has counted Madonna, Tyler Perry, and Paul McCartney as residents. RiRi paid $13.8 million for the home, then bought the house next door a few months later for $10 million. That's one way to ensure you like your neighbors. 

Boasting an incredible 104 million and 102.7 million followers on Instagram and Twitter, respectively, Rihanna remains one of the most-followed celebs on social media. This massive global reach has made the "Stay" singer and her famous face heavily sought after by brands around the world. As a result, Rihanna has enjoyed some of the most lucrative endorsement deals of the 21st century, including her $25 million deal with Samsung in 2016, through which the tech giant sponsored Rihanna's "Anti World Tour," which totaled $110 million in profit.

Rihanna has also enjoyed sponsorship deals with Armani, Stance, Chopard, Nivea, MAC, River Island, and Vita Coco, to name just a few (via Page Six). In 2015, she made history when she became the first Black woman to be the face of Dior. "It is such a big deal for me, for my culture, for a lot of young girls of any color," Rihanna told MTV News about her deal with the major fashion house. "I think to be acknowledged by Dior is just — it means a lot, as a woman, to feel beautiful, to feel elegant and timeless." 

While the money exchanged for most of the sponsorship deals have been kept private, we don't doubt that these endorsements have helped Rihanna amass her incredible fortune — not that she plans to slow down anytime soon. "I never thought I'd make this much money," she told The New York Times Style Magazine in 2019, "so a number is not going to stop me from working."