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Rihanna Going Broke

August 18, 2008

During a recent visit to her now ex-business manager Patricia Williams, Rihanna was shocked to learn that almost all her money was missing.

So where did all that mullah go? According to Williams, it was never there to begin with. Williams claims that Def Jam never really paid Rihanna, so she would use earnings from her concerts (about $30k a show) to fund her lifestyle and finance her other albums.

"I showed her all the paperwork and tried to explain to her the circumstances but she wouldn't listen. She called me all sorts of horrible names and stormed off."

Williams added that Rihanna has only made "a little bit above a million" and "all of it was spent on making her as big as she is now. It's not my fault that she only has 20,000 to her name."

Hmm...that sounds a little sketchy. How can someone as big as Rihanna only have $20k to her name? We're not pointing fingers or anything, but it sounds like firing Williams was the smartest thing Rihanna has done in years.
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Reader Comments
2:29PM 09/13/08 })i({ LC
I don't know, but this sounds believable to me. Anybody is silly to think these stars have money anyways. It's designed to be a never ending cycle of debt. You always owe someone and to do these intricate videos can get a little pricey. I'm sure she was using top of the line directors. She shouldn't have much to worry about except the people closest to her screwing her over, but Rihanna is here to stay. As long as she keeps stepping it up and re-inventing herself... I predict longevity for her in the music industry.
11:34AM 09/13/08 Kay
That sucks I hope she can get her money back or find out a way to make some more...Def Jam never really paid her...that's not right...are they allowed to do that? Instead of cussing the lady out as the first thing to do she should have sat and listened then cussed her out so she would at least get the jest of the problem.
11:14AM 09/11/08 Kelly-Ann Payne
Rihanna is not broke, trust me yall. So what if she makes money with her singles, if her concerts are $30k per show, times that by 20 shows in a year. She's a model, she just got land from Barbados, she says that she's dicussing acting with her producers now. Even though she's a novice in this industry, in our Barbadian culture families have your back 100%. Trust me her mother made sure that she'll be taken care of. Rihanna can blink her eyes now and make money. How about her clothing line and her name on totes umbrellas. Celebs like Paris Hilton, Beyonce and many more make money by making apprearances, trust me and so is Rihanna. These people pay them tuns just to show up somewhere, $100,000 or more. Broke? Please hater, you would like her to be broke. That girl shops like she owns everystore she walks in. You need money to look so put together like that all the time. Even though singers mainly walk with credit cards and not cash, which isn't wise, doesn't mean that they're broke. She did said on Punk'd that she doesn't due cash, just credit cards. She can run them up, because she can easily pay them off. $20,000? Get the hell outta here. Rihanna, do your thing, let them continue to hate, that's what they are there for girl. And they WILL continue to hate to their graves. They just mad it ain't them. You are my #1 fan!
6:12PM 09/07/08 the truth
the prime minister of a barbados gave her a piece of land that worth over 50K dollars. i don't believe she only got 20K , thats some bull...
6:10PM 09/07/08 the truth
u don't fool anyone with this story. the prime minister of barbados gave her a land here in barbados that worth way over 50K. she has way more than 20K.
2:07PM 09/03/08 tHe TrUth
WeLl.....iF sHe WaSn'T aLl Up ON mIi beAu...ChRiS bRoWN....sHe CoULdA gOt HeR bUsSiNeSs TaKeN CarE oF....i MEaN cOme On----...lol BuT i dOn't THhiNk ThE gAl Is BrOkE...sHe JuSt NeEdS tO CuT dOwN oON tHE shOPPinG...!!.. bUt HeY! thAtZ whAt HaPpEnZ wHeN gOoD gIrLs DecIdE to gO bAD!!!........LOL
7:44AM 09/01/08 why u want to know
riannah u r smart try to get in a movie are something just use ur brain don,t make ur self look stupid
1:21PM 08/30/08 alex
It's not imposible. The USA are a crazy finacial world very diferent than here in Europe. Artists such as Rihanna live on credit cards. They never really own money and everithing they buy is actualy on credit. They get everithing but when they stop having succes theyr broke because they dont actualy OWN money. I'm really sorry for her and i hope this is not true. Anyway we as fans should (and i include myself in the folowing) not interfere in theyr personal life. They are people not gods and i dont think anyone would like having retarded paparazzi folowing you everywere and publishing your PERSONAL life. I respect her as an artist and whatever goes on in her PRIVATE life isnt and should be the subject of conversation for anyone else than those related to Rihanna. Best of luck to her and i hope she doesnt stop making fans happy with her music and God grant her a nice happy long and filled with love life.
6:55PM 08/28/08 lyn
DAMNNN! dats some salt right there.i thought she was a millionaire..but guess not.i guess firing her manger might have been a good idea and get someone way more professional. but there is no need for name calling.
2:35PM 08/26/08 Unknown
Aww Dats Sad Man..She Iss Sik! Hw Can She Loose All Dat Moneyy! Bless Her Lil Soul I Hope She getzz Mre Money 2 Make Up 4 Her loss! She Mayb 1 of da hottest chicks, bt lyk economically wise she iz a bit of a flop :(..dnt gt me wrong i luv da girl! But Cum On Rih rihh!! xx
2:43PM 08/24/08 LAKLA
$600,000 FOR A MUSIC VIDEO... OTHER PEOPLE GETTING PAID FOR THE SONGS SHE PUTS OUT... ALBUM SALES ARE GOOD BUT LABEL GETS ALL THE MONEY PAYS FOR HER OWN STUDIO TIME AND TRACKS.... HAS TO PAY MANAGERS, ACCOUNTANTS, PRODUCERS ECT... SHE IS A YOUNG NAIVE CARIBBEAN GIRL WHO DOESN'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY AND THEY KNEW IT AND RAN WITH IT... SRP AND DEF JAM MAKING ALL THE MONEY... SHE DOESN'T HAVE PEOPLE SHE KNEW ON HER SIDE ITS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SHE MET THRU MUSIC... I AM SAD TO HEAR THAT DID YOU NOTICE SHE DIDN'T MAKE PEOPLE FOR FORBES LIST OF PAID YOUNG ENTERTAINERS/// DAMN RIHRIH!!!!!!!!!!1
0:17PM 08/24/08 NELLY
DON'T YOU GUY'S KNOW THAT ARTIST DON'T GET PAID FOR REAL. THATS WHY YOU SEE A LOT OF ARTIST ACTING, DOING CLOTHING LINES,ECT. ON THE SIDE TO MAKE LOTS OF MONEY... IT'S NOT THE COMPANY FAULT... RIHANNA NEEDS TO BE DOING MORE STUFF ON THE SIDE. YOU DON'T GET PAID AT ALL IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. THATS WHY YOU SEE CHRIS BROWN ACTING AND ALL THAT STUFF, THATS HOW HE'S MAKIN HIS REAL MONEY.... LOOK AT 50 CENT HE HAS A BUNCH OF INDORSEMENTS, HE HAS G-UNIT CLOTHING LINE, FORMULA 50, RECORD LABEL... THATS WHERE ALL HIS MONEY IS COMING FROM. IF HE WAS ONLY RAPPING HE WOULDN'T BE MAKING MONEY AT ALL. SO FOR YOU PEPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO BE BIG SINGERS/RAPPERS AND DOING IT FOR THE MONEY, YOU WON'T BE GETTING PAID AT ALL YOU WILL HAVE TO BE VERSITILE AND HAVE A HUSTLE ON THE SIDE.... LIKE OTHER ARTIST DO... RIHANNA JUST NEED TO BE DOING MORE HUSTLE AND GET HER MORE VERSITILENESS. LIKE BEYONCE, AND JUS BREAK AWAY FROM CHRIS TILL SHE GETS HER MONEY RIGHT....(LOVE U RIHANNA) COME OUT WITH A CLOTHING LINE... OR COSMETIC LINE....
9:16PM 08/23/08 Tia
Haha! Omg it is true! She should stop worrying about all the glamor and worry about business. But her songs aren't that super. Only her singles get popular. And thats not much. If she [and she might] go broke she better face up the people in Barbados. Alot of them hate her guts for bad talking them. This is some juicy stuff. Bad Karma!
2:39PM 08/23/08 Samia
SHE DESERVE IT DONT COME BACK HOME WIHOUT SAYING BAJANS I AM SORRY.
0:39PM 08/23/08 Brian W Nelson
It's not like these kids are The Bee Gees!!!!
10:36PM 08/22/08 foxy lady
shame gal it'll be alright but u know u gost to take care of business first
9:17PM 08/22/08 KesH
It's already starting to happen.......has been!
8:07PM 08/21/08 Bahkita
Maybe Ms Rihanna needs to stop working and get on with her lifestyle and start taking care of her business OK.......?????
0:55PM 08/21/08 Kate
Maybe Ms. Rihanna needs to stop working at living the lifestyle and start working at taking care of her business.
0:48PM 08/20/08 meera
i think tha rihanna needs to fire all the people she works with and get new people. And she needs to leave def jam and find a new record label that will pay her.
9:33AM 08/20/08 Ms. Jordan
Agreeing with one of the comments regarding the validity of this article. Please allow this iconic superstar to continune to do what she does. Big ups to Rihanna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11:44AM 08/19/08 Lisa
It's possible for artists to be broke, Rihanna should of took care of her money properly. Record companies pay you a certain amount of money for an album, and with that money you have to pay to promote it, plus pay lawyer, manager, accountant fees etc. and they only make a couple of cents per cd. It comes down to money management. At lease she has $20,000, TLC and Toni Braxton were left bankrupt.
11:08AM 08/19/08 Casey
And she's not a huge headliner. She doesn't play the big gigs like Britney ( in the past) or Beyonce. Concerts are how singers make their money.
9:46AM 08/19/08 Sam
Makes sense. Nobody buys her ALBUMS it's only her singles that get the money. And that won't give her much. I believe it. She's a newcomer.
6:22PM 08/18/08 Casey
It depends on what kind of jackleg record deal she signed. It's quite possible that she's broke if she didn't read the fine print.
1:55PM 08/18/08 Sarah
Do you guys remember there was an information that the Shut Up & Drive video costed more than 500.000 $? And they say 250.000 $ for SU&D and DSTM together? Then she sold 150k in the first week but they forgot about Europe and the rest of the world. Her sales are at 5 million wolrdwide right now and she's broke? And her GGGB Reloaded is in the Top 10 of the BB 200 chart again. It's so FAKE. + Who would write so much information. They have mentioned every single, every album, every tour, just everything. It's like a fan or a hater wrote that. and don't you think she would switch to a different label if this happened.. Thats impossible. She made Million of money out of her top 4 hits and diturbia is number 1 on the charts right now. This is some bullshit that a very smart hater wrote. Remover this shit. Its not true. I would think if someone in this position was making a statement like this, she'd be on top of her spelling/grammar. Where did she leave this statement, on a bathroom wall somewhere?
10:40AM 08/18/08 Alex
Same old broke song.
10:13AM 08/18/08 Tasha
Damn!!! Only $20K?? If you don't take care of business, folks will rob you blind. Reports are that Brit's fortune went from $100 mil to $40 mil. A couple of more months with Sam she would be broke too.
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