Hours before Rihanna’s 5th annual Diamond Ball took off at NYC’s Cipriani Wall Street, the award-winning entertainer ignited hype when she tweeted about Pharrell’s performance. Little did spectators know that the entrepreneur would surprise the gala’s attendees by joining the famed producer on stage.
On Thursday evening (Sept. 12), Rih performed her 2017 hit with N.E.R.D., “Lemon,” smiling from ear to ear. Onlookers also began to speculate if Rihanna is pregnant but another video of her taking a sip of a presumably alcoholic drink quieted those rumors.
me and @jennnrosales tonight when @Pharrell hits the stage… and @djkhaled gon turn the function up sumn serious….@claralionelfdn #DIAMONDBALL pic.twitter.com/7dDYYVCTMH
— Rihanna (@rihanna) September 12, 2019
MY GIRLL pic.twitter.com/AuxqZNgEWJ
— ni (@thickannawhore) September 13, 2019
Riri can’t hide it anymore🤰 #Riri #Rihanna pic.twitter.com/NbTCatUZkX
— Feliz Karen News (@felizkrennews) September 13, 2019
Y’all: “RIHANNA IS PREGNANT!!!!!”
Rihanna with her champagne: pic.twitter.com/xxKWukM3rx
— Def Pen (@defpen) September 13, 2019
The Diamond Ball seeks to raise awareness and funds for global humanitarian issues through Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation. In an interview with Billboard, Justine Lucas, the company’s executive director, highlighted the progress the foundation has made and its central focus on supporting Caribbean countries in the face of climate change.
“In 2019, we’ve given out over 13 millions in grants and helped with 60-plus projects around the world. So the impact has been significant and our forward-facing strategy is massive: how do we turn the Caribbean into a climate-resilient zone?” she said. “We’re actually thinking big picture about a lot of these issues, so it’s really exciting.”
The foundation recently announced its monetary support of the Bahamas that was ravaged by a Category 5 hurricane on Sept. 1. Two “emergency response grants” were given to the country to help rebuild through medical kits, food, and more resources.
