Rihanna knows exactly what she’s doing.
As you’ve no doubt seen all over your timeline this morning, the Fenty Beauty founder was recently spotted out in New York City with ASAP Rocky, notably rocking a t-shirt reading, in part, "I’m retired."
Naturally, a slew of publications, not to mention chronically online fans, were quick to connect this tongue-in-cheek choice of attire to the fact that it’s been eight years since Rihanna last released a full-length studio album.
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The full slogan emblazoned on the t-shirt reads, "I’m retired. This is as dressed up as I get." Per Vogue, the tee, expectedly impassioned reactions to which can be sampled below, is an enviably vintage piece originally stemming from Peacock Papers.
Rihanna isn’t only tracking down key vintage finds for herself, however. As she revealed in an interview with Mike DeStefano for Complex back in April, she’s also been on the hunt for vintage grails for her and Rocky’s two children, RZA and Riot. As Rihanna pointed out at the time, vintage can be "a hard find for kids," though she remains "obsessed" with trying.
"It’s shocking to see all the good stuff they made back in the day," she told Complex.
As for when fans can expect new music, that remains to be seen. There have been numerous updates on the artistic process behind Rihanna’s next chapter in the eight years since she rolled out Anti, which recently landed at No. 55 on Apple Music’s ranking of the best albums of all time. Patience is a virtue, especially in the 2020s.
Keep the faith.
