Prep yourselves, this is a long un.
A member of the Billboard.com'sstaff took it upon himself to pen an open letter to Rihanna regarding her rumoured duet with Chris Brown and the message it sends to the world. Below are some excerpts. Indeed, he wrote a lot more than the below.
"Dearest Rih Rih:
A few months ago - before Talk That Talk gave you another Top 10 album on the Billboard 200, before you performed We Found Love and Princess of China at the Grammy Awards, before new rumors swirled that you were engaged in a secret romance with past flame Chris Brown, and certainly before yesterday's reported news that Breezy was the guest star on your forthcoming Birthday Cake remix - you appeared on Ellen to discuss being named the sexiest woman alive by Esquire, among other things. During your interview, you shared your feelings on the concept of being a role model, and why, recently, you have not adhered to this expected albatross of musical stardom...
I don't care about the status of your current relationship with Breezy, or the reports about his attendance at your birthday party (happy 24th, by the way!), or how many seconds his voice will appear on the Birthday Cake remix. Those could be facts, or fabrications. What I do know, however, is that, in the three years and nine days since that infamous, brutal, incredibly disturbing Grammy night attack in 2009, there has never been a point where you've publicly proclaimed, "Go f*ck yourself, Chris Brown; you will never speak to me again...
But the news about CB dropping by your Birthday Cake remix... damn. Three years and nine days later, it is officially implied that, no matter if you two are "single" or "in a relationship" or "it's complicated," a token of forgiveness has been earned by Brown. And that's not cool, to a whole lot of people... millions of people are paying attention to you, trying to be as cool as you, attempting to find love in a hopeless place and wondering if it's okay to walk down the same dark alleyway twice. Young girls look up to people like you to guide them through circumstances too complex for them to tackle on their own, and by granting Chris Brown an iota of tolerance, you implicitly encourage others to consider doing the same. 'With great power comes great responsibility' is a schmaltzy sentiment, but it's fitting here...
If you continue letting Chris Brown slither into your work or personal life, nothing tremendous will happen - bloggers will blog and a backlash will form, but you'll no doubt continue ruling the Hot 100 and the world will keep spinning. Yet if you grit your teeth, sacrifice instinct and decide to inspire... even three years removed from that horrific incident, that "fuck yourself" moment, that public banishment of the man who physically attacked you, will still resonate with so many people looking for their own morsel of strength..."
A concerned member of the Navy,
Jason Lipshutz, Billboard.com Staff
Now. Here's Rihanna's response via Twitter:
"Go head talk shit...its all in da paper!!! Lemme grab my dick while ya sit on top!!! Chiefin’ while ppl spend hrs on letters... *kanye shrug* #phuckit. Who Jah bless I say NO MAN CURSE! Ting’s gettin better when they thought it would be worse... I'm so solid as a rock, they just can't stop me now!... F*ck a blog dawg, cus one day we gon' meet."
Time well spent, Jason. Time clearly well spent.
In saying that; even if she doesn't appreciate you spelling it out, I do.
> Rihanna Enjoys Birthday 'Carnage'
