Girl Gone Wild: The 10 Craziest Moments of Rihanna's Year So Far
When Rihanna released her sixth album, Talk That Talk, last November, we got the feeling that she was turning a corner both as a person and as an artist. While she'd certainly dabbled in some things from the dark side on her previous album, Loud, in 2010—there were songs on it called "S&M" and "Man Down"—Talk That Talk took things to a whole new level as far as risqué content and pushing-the-boundaries go. Rih-Rih was no longer the bubblegum pop star we'd grown to know and love. She was a full-fledged woman making her own decisions (for better and worse) and living life by the seat of her pants. The release of Talk That Talk was a moment—her moment.
And yet, she's somehow managed to up the ante in 2012. Although we're only one-third of the way through the year now, Rihanna has kept her names in the headlines thanks to a series of crazy moments that have helped cement her new public persona. Judging by the things that she's said and done so far this year, it's clear that she wasn't just putting on an act when she did press for Talk That Talk late last year; she was giving us all a sign of things to come.
Don't just take our word for it, though. To prove just how nuts things have gotten for Rih-Rih, we put together a list of The 10 Craziest Moments of Rihanna's Year So Far. From her collaboration with an old flame to her fling with one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, it's already been a busy year from Rihanna in 2012. And, if we've learned anything from her behavior so far, it's that she definitely subscribes to the notion that you only live once (YOLO!). These crazy moments prove it.—Chris Yuscavage
The Moment: Rihanna admitted that she would like to play Whitney Houston in her biopic
The Date: April 3
How Crazy Was It? Crazy enough to force Whitney's mother Cissy to respond and say that there was absolutely no way that Rih-Rih would get the opportunity to portray Whitney in a movie. Actually, her exact words were allegedly, "Over my dead body!"
The Moment: Rihanna stepped out in Sydney, Australia to promote her movie, Battleship, with half of her head shaved
The Date: April 8
How Crazy Was It? Nothing ever surprises us about Rih-Rih's hair. One day it's this way, the next day it's that way. But, shaving the whole side of her head? That was certainly a new look for her.
The Moment: Rihanna flipped the bird at the paparazzi after leaving a club in Beverly Hills and yelled, "Are you about that life?" before screaming "Thug life!"
The Date: April 12
How Crazy Was It? It was just Rih-Rih being Rih-Rih. Er, or at least the Rih-Rih that she's been all this year.
The Moment: Rihanna let loose at Coachella—smoking weed, drinking a lot, losing her mind during a performance, and reportedly spending some QT with A$AP Rocky
The Date: April 15
How Crazy Was It? So crazy that Rih-Rih provided us with this tweet after the night was over. "This turned out to be one of the best nights of my life," she said. "@CalvinHarris I had so much fun with your fucking fanz tonight! Diz hoodrat $kabii @katyperry also crowd surft n ATE my A$$ during my show." So, it was one of those nights, huh?
The Moment: Rihanna posted topless photos of herself on Facebook
The Date: April 17
How Crazy Was It? Wow. That was all we could say when we saw that Rih-Rih had uploaded a ton of photos from her Hawaiian vacation in January to her Facebook page. Especially because so many of them featured her holding her top in her hand.
