Rihanna's career-defining opus ANTI turns 10

It has been ten years since Rihanna’s record breaking career defining album ANTI dropped. Rihanna's Work was number one for nine weeks, This Is What You Came For hit number three and Needed Me stayed on the Hot 100 for 45 long weeks.

Ten years on, Rihanna’s ANTI still feels ahead of its time

2016 was Rihanna's year. She wasn’t just the face of the music but was clearly steering it. The album rollout was erratic and chaotic, but the music was on her terms. A decade later, ANTI still hasn’t aged into nostalgia, it’s still relevant.

Rihanna took to Instagram to share a video consisting BTS moments, speeches, her albums and captioned it “my 2016 post wins happy ANTIversary 🙏🏿🎈⏳.” It is a reminder of the musician’s evolution as an artiste.

The record also closed one chapter of Rihanna’s career and quietly opened another. Rihanna went on to launch her beauty brand Fenty Beauty in 2017 after her maiden name. The beauty brand is loved by many and pushed the beauty industry towards more inclusive shade ranges and marketing. Hence competitors were forced to follow.

She then expanded her business more with Savage X Fenty, a lingerie label with runway shows that emphasise diversity in casting and representation. And in 2020, Rihanna became the first female musician to become a billionaire.

Ten years down the line, Rihanna’s relevance hasn't declined. If anything, her absence from music strengthened it. By not flooding the market, Rihanna avoided the burnout cycle that chews up most pop stars by their mid-30s. Appearances were infrequent — from headline-making Met Gala moments to her Super Bowl halftime performance in 2023, which became one of the most-watched in the event’s history.

Her relevance now isn’t about chasing youth or virality. Rihanna represents a version of fame that doesn’t require constant explanation or reinvention. Rihanna is still relevant because she understands that longevity isn’t about staying visible, it's about being undeniable.

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