5 Nov 2026 05:00
RIHANNA: PART 4 (with The New Yorker's Doreen St. Félix)
In the fourth and final installment of our Rihanna series, The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix joins DJ Louie to discuss the superstar’s final two albums, her transformation from hitmaking machine to critically acclaimed auteur, and her near-total retreat from music over the last decade. First, they unpack 2012’s Unapologetic, Rihanna’s first number one album, its blockbuster singles “Diamonds” and “Stay,” and the controversies surrounding her renewed relationship with Chris Brown. Then, they explore the long, messy road to 2016’s Anti, a daring, genre-defying left turn that traded Rihanna’s signature radio-ready bangers for something stranger, moodier, and more personal, ultimately becoming the most acclaimed album of her career. Finally, they consider Rihanna’s reinvention as a billionaire beauty mogul, her enduring stranglehold on pop culture despite a decade away from the album cycle, and the question that continues to haunt her fans: Will we ever get another Rihanna album? And do we even need one?
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