Rihanna has never been one to bite her tongue and the “B***h Better Have My Money” singer continued to speak her mind in a recent interview with The New York Times Style Magazine. The pop star, who covered the publication’s “Greats” issue, talked to the magazine about race, what she likes in a man and why she’s still single, something she said is due to having little time to date – despite recent links to Travis Scott.
“Guys need attention. They need that nourishment, that little stroke of the ego that gets them by every now and then,” she said. “I’ll give it to my family, I’ll give it to my work, but I will not give it to a man right now.”
Rihanna, who was headed to the studio to continue work on her eighth studio album immediately after the interview, discussed the qualities a man must possess in order to win her heart.
“I’m turned on by guys who are cultured,” she said of what she finds appealing in a man. “That’ll keep me intrigued. They don’t have to have a single degree, but they should speak other languages or know things about other parts of the world or history or certain artists or musicians. I like to be taught. I like to sit on that side of the table.”
The singer and five other media figures, including director Quentin Tarantino, filmmaker Steve McQueen and author Jonathan Franzen, were chosen to grace the publication’s first “Greats” issue. Ri-Ri was the only black woman to make the list, which sought to celebrate powerful people in entertainment. She said that despite her decade-long successful career which includes over 41 million albums sold, racial barriers still exist but they only drive her.
“You know, when I started to experience the difference, or even have my race be highlighted, it was mostly when I would do business deals. And, you know, that never ends, by the way. It’s still a thing. And it’s the thing that makes me want to prove people wrong. It almost excites me; I know what they’re expecting and I can’t wait to show them that I’m here to exceed those expectations.”
Read Rihanna’s full New York Times Style Magazine interview here.