Rihanna speaking directly about her relationship with Chris Brown has been somewhat of a rare occurrence since she appeared on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” and confessed that she was still in love with him and believed that he was the love of her life. Since then, we’ve mostly had the privilege of gawking upon candid photos, dissecting ambiguous tweets and drawing our own conclusions. Rih Rih, who is the cover girl for the most recent issue of Rolling Stone, is said to have “opened up like never before” to the legendary publication regarding her relationship with Chris Brown and the toll it has taken on her image.

“I decided it was more important for me to be happy,” the Bajan beauty expressed to Rolling Stone contributing editor Josh Eells.

She went on to reveal that masking her true feelings about Brown made her angry and tormented her for years.

“I wasn’t going to let anybody’s opinion get in the way of that. Even if it’s a mistake, it’s my mistake. After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I’d rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it.”

The “Unapologetic” singer also implied that people could never know the true extent and beauty of the love she shares with Chris from simply gazing in from the outside.

“When you add up the pieces from the outside, it’s not the cutest puzzle in the world. You see us walking somewhere, driving somewhere, in the studio, in the club, and you think you know. But it’s different now. We don’t have those types of arguments anymore. We talk about sh**. We value each other. We know exactly what we have now, and we don’t want to lose that.”

Not to worry though, she made it very clear that she will not tolerate abuse and if Chris even displays a hint of violent behavior towards her, she’s hitting the road.

“He doesn’t have the luxury of f***ing up again. That’s just not an option. I can’t say that nothing else will ever go wrong. But I’m pretty solid in the knowing that he’s disgusted by that. And I wouldn’t have gone this far if I ever thought that was a possibility,” she boldly stated.

“He made a mistake, and he’s paid his dues. He’s paid so much. And I know that’s not a place he would ever want to go back to. And sometimes people need support and encouragement, instead of ridicule and criticism and bashing.”

Despite the wide disapproval of Chris and Rihanna’s reconciliation, she does appear to have really thought this thing through before jumping into it. Perhaps we all need to take a step back and allow these two to lead their own lives and make their own mistakes.

On another note, doesn’t Rih Rih look absolutely stunning on that cover? You can check out the full interview when the new issue hits the stands on January 31st.

What do you think of her explanation?

Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Source: RollingOut.com

I’ve been sitting back looking at this whole Chriannarueche love triangle come together and fall apart, and what I see are a bunch of immature adults playing kid games. They follow and unfollow each other on Twitter, Matt Kemp and Drake get pulled into the mix via Instagram likes whenever it seems Rihanna has something to prove to the torn Brown, and in the process reputations are built and hearts (and egos) get broken.  The problem with playing head games is that they can escalate into situations that can do a lot of damage over what is usually in the end something very trivial. For example, I’m sure during that whole bar brawl that involved Chris Brown and Drake that Riri’s name was thrown around as ammo to hit some nerves.  It happens everyday; if this were an episode of “The First 48,” Matt Kemp could easily be a gunshot victim, Chris Brown would be in a jail cell with nothing but his defeated ego to keep him company and Rihanna would be crying in an interrogation room with in front of some overweight detective about how “it wasn’t supposed to go this far.”

Maybe I’m being extreme, but women don’t realize how these shallow moments of insecurity and need for validation quickly grow into intense altercations. Although all the parties involved are technically adults, I’m reminded of my late teens when I’d call up my ex every time my boyfriend and I argued, knowing damn well I wasn’t interested, but just wanted to feel well…wanted.  I get it.  It’s harder to be the bigger person when you feel betrayed, belittled and embarrassed.  It’s hard to not let your emotions dictate your actions and think logically when so many of your feelings are invested.

But think about it:  What you are really accomplishing in the long run?  When you make it difficult for the father of his kids to see his children and run back and forth to court knowing damn well he is doing the best he can financially and emotionally, but you feel some of way because he is dating someone new, who are you really hurting?  When you try to make a violently dramatic relationship work and keep the cops on speed dial for “domestic” disputes knowing full well you will drop the charges, how seriously do you expect the law to take women whose lives are really at risk from abusive spouses? When you have no respect for a man’s feelings and simply call him up to keep you company whenever the man you really want leaves you high and dry after he uses you, how can you expect anyone to truly love and respect you?

It’s all about learning to live with and love yourself.  When I see women play games like the ones it seems Rihanna plays with men, all I see is a woman who constantly needs company and validation.  We have to find the courage and the honesty to say, “I’m hurt. I feel like an idiot,”  instead of trying to cover the pain with subliminal Facebook status updates and profound Instagram quotes like, “Examine what you tolerate.”  In the process of loving hard, but putting up a front of keeping your cool when it all falls apart the only one who ends up looking silly is you, because through all of those subliminal tweets and pictures of you partying and supposedly loving your life we all can see someone desperately trying to cover pain and rejection.  There’s a certain class and sophistication that comes with being real or just not responding to drama at all.  When rumors fly about Jay cheating, do you see Beyonce sub-tweeting other women?  No, because she refuses to make her relationship entertainment for the viewing public trying to get through the boring hours of the workday.  In return, hate her and her relationship all you want, but you any rumors about her relationship end up falling apart because she’s not giving you anything to speculate about.   In fact, the times I respect Rihanna the most is when she’s vulnerable and honest, like during her Oprah interview.  Because the truth is love and relationships are all about breaking down your ego, being hurt and played like a fool.  You have to be vulnerable in order to ever feel joy, and that means feeling some pain.  People can relate to that and understand that, but when you’re so busy trying to be the baddest b**ch that can easily move on and save face, you only end up looking like a loser at your own game.

So the next time you feel compelled to start an unnecessary argument with your man just to see how far he’ll go to prove his love, or Facebook beef with the new girlfriend who’s pretty talented and only guilty of loving the same deadbeat who is leading the both of you on, take a minute to think about what you’re really feeling.  Is that anger really jealousy?  Is that confidence as fleeting as the man who gives it you?   Only then, when you’re able to identify and express what you’re truly going through, will you realize that there are no winners when it comes to playing love games.  And that the only way to get what you want is to grow up, be honest and play fair.

Have you ever played “head games” to save face in a relationship?

Toya Sharee is a community health   educator   and   parenting education coordinator whelping  young women build  their self-esteem and make  well-informed choices about their sexual  health.  She also advocates for women’s  reproductive rights and blogs about everything from beauty to love and relationships.  Follow her on Twitter @TheTrueTSharee or visit her blog Bullets and Blessings .

Source: WENN

The über public love triangle between Chris Brown, Rihanna and Karrueche Tran has been playing out for some time now, with each new revelation being more emotional than the next. While many were happy to see Chris and Rih Rih united, you can’t help but feel for the odd girl out, who could be either Karrueche or Rihanna, depending on what day it is, as Chris seems to be doing a lot of back and forth. While we don’t really have to wonder how Rihanna feels about it all because she makes it quite obvious; the other woman in this triangle, with the exception of a few sub tweets has been fairly quiet about all of this, until now, that is. Karrueche recently discussed the drama in a very candid interview with Vibe. Check out some of what she had to say.

On whether or not it feels awkward to still work with Chris:

At the end of the day, he will always be a friend. We’ll always care about each other. We won’t allow that to interfere. Our business is business.

On if Chris is the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with:

I do care about him and I do love him. Family is very important to me, and I’ve always put it in my mind to remember that. For me, I’d love to meet somebody and grow and build a foundation, but I don’t want to even think about marriage right now. I can’t even get a clothing line out.

On if she feels it will ever become too hard to maintain their friendship:

I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’ve been on a rollercoaster for the past year so who knows?

On being open to sitting down with both Chris and Rihanna:

For everybody, emotionally, that would just be way too much. I’m a very mature person so if the time ever did come where we would need to sit down and talk, I’d do it. I’m a mature person. I can work it out but that would be a lot. (Pause) Yeah, it would be a lot.

On if she’s currently happy with her love life:

I mean at the time, but right now of course not. It’s a lot going on but it could be a lot worse. And that’s how I look at life. I take it for what it is. I move forward, grow from it and at this point, that’s what I’m doing. I’m not gonna sit and dwell and become consumed in that negativity because I could very much be that person, especially when things are so public and so thrown in my face. But like I said, things can be much worse. So I’m good.

Karrueche seems to have a fairly decent head on her shoulders and we certainly can’t fault her for continuing to make her money with Chris. We’re sure  there’s a lot to the story that the public is unaware of, but, we hope she recognizes that she deserves a whole man, not part of one and finds a way to move on with her life.

What do you think of how Karrueche has been handling the drama thus far?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Source: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

There has been much speculation regarding the current status of Rihanna and Chris Brown’s relationship. Especially considering the seemingly never-ending love triangle that he’s dragged his ex-girlfriend and stylist Karrueche Tran and Rih Rih into ever since he released a video where he expressed that he was in love with two women.  Since then, media outlets have been burning up with news that Chris has been spending substantial amounts of time with both women; something neither of them are reported to be happy about. Many have waited and Twitter-stalked with anticipation to see which lady would walk away with Breezy’s heart once and for all and while we may not have the answer to that burning question just yet, we have been provided with a bit more insight into the nature of Chris and Rihanna’s relationship as the two were seen cuddled up courtside on Christmas Day at the Lakers game.

Source: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

This is the second major holiday the two have spent together since the two reunited this year and according to Necole Bitchie, the couple’s first official “public date” since 2009.

It is being reported by TMZ that Chris and Rihanna, who wore matching black ensembles, arrived to The Staples Center together, but exited their vehicle separately and later reunited inside of the arena at their courtside seats.

Cameras spotted the couple all cozied up and thoroughly enjoying one another’s company at several points during the game. But catch this, the happy couple didn’t even bother sticking around to see who won the game. It is being reported that they dipped out  a mere three minutes before the game ended.

While Team Rihanna seems to have won this particular battle in the war for Chris Brown’s heart, one can’t say for sure if she’ll be the last woman standing as Chris has been doing a lot of back and forth between her and Karrueche lately.

All of the nosy folks can check out more pics of these two getting courtside cuddly on the next page. What do you think of Chris and Rihanna spending Christmas together? Are both ladies fighting a battle they’ll never win?

Source: WENN

There’s something about seeing a woman ride for her homegirl that makes me smile deep down inside because loyalty is certainly difficult to find these days. If you frequent blogs or listen to any Hip Hop radio stations, you’re probably somewhat familiar with the Chris Brown-Rihanna-Karrueche Tran love triangle. Back in October Chris released a video expressing how much of a dilemma he was in because he loved two women. The video was preceded by a statement released by Brown which confirmed he was ending his relationship with Tran because he didn’t want his “friendship” with Rihanna to hurt her. Since then, Brown has been spotted with and rumored to still be seeing both women.

As you may know, singer and actress Christina Milian is good friends with Karrueche. During her recent visit to The Wendy Show, she was hit with a barrage of questions regarding Chris and Karrueche’s breakup and was even asked if Chris and Rih Rih will be having a secret wedding in Barbados on Christmas and whether or not Karrueche was Chris’s sidepiece. Here is what she had to say about it.

“From what I’ve always known, she’s his girlfriend and that is where it lies for me. I know, I see everything in the media and everything. I really don’t get into the details of it. But, I think everyone has their own life and how they deal with things. They have the right to handle it how they want. So, yeah she’s a sweetheart. I will tell you that. She’s a sweetheart and I think they make a great couple.”

Loving how it seems like regardless of how Christina personally feels about Chris and Karrueche’s relationship, she is going to cover her friend and not speak negatively to media outlets. Hopefully my girl Jen from “Basketball Wives” caught that lesson. I also hope that as a real friend Christina is being honest with Karrueche behind closed doors and telling her that she deserves better than what Chris is dishing out right now.

Check out the video on the next page. What do you think of how Christina handled Wendy’s questions? 

Source: Instagram

It seems that Rihanna has been feeling a little sentimental lately and wants the world to know just how she’s feeling. The Bajan beauty recently gave her Twitter page a rest and decided to express herself in a manner that Beyonce seems to do quite frequently. She broke out the old pen and legal pad and composed a very emotional letter to her “Navy”, which is a pet name she affectionately uses to describe her fans and then shared it on her Instagram page. In the letter, she expresses her love and gratitude for the 7 years of support that they have afforded her.

“Dear Navy, We continue down this road together, strong, united, uncensored and fearless. There’s no question that life throws us curve balls, we do our best to deal with them, take the lessons and keep it moving without regrets. Throughout 7 years and 7 albums, there has been so much to be happy about, many fun filled moments.”

“As we continue this journey together, we’ll write new stories, share more laughs, meet new people tell more stories, in faith in hope and take not one moment for granted, she continued.”

“I look forward to embarking on this ride with you, unwilling to sacrifice what we believe in, taking our lessons and growing from them. Don’t let one thing shake your core. Let our inspirations drive us, never steering from who we truly are. We are all Unapologetic, Love Rihanna,” she stated finishing off the letter.

While the letter is beautiful and is a pretty cool way to demonstrate gratitude for fans, many speculate that her emotions are running pretty high as headlines have been reading for days that her on-again-off-again lover, Chris Brown has been spending a lot of time with the ex whom he was rumored to have left for Rihanna. It has even been said that Rihanna and Chris have split and that he’s back with Karrueche. Whatever the case, it is great that Rihanna isn’t too “Hollywood” to show her appreciation for the people who have assisted in making her the mega-star she is today.

What do you think of Rih Rih’s letter? Do you think people are trying to make more out of it that what it is?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for madamenoire.com. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Source: Instagram

Get ready for the most emo self-expression from Breezy since he released, “The Real Chris Brown,” that horrifically embarrassing video (for Karrueche at least) where Chris declared his love for Rihanna and Karrueche and subsequently broke off his relationship with K to get closer to Rih Rih.

Power 106 FM’s Big Boy recently got in touch with Breezy for a little post break-up chat and the singer was very candid about the status of his love live and what it’s like to love two women at the same damn time. Here’s what he said:

Whether he and Rihanna are back together
No, [but] I’m not uncomfortable talking about this. […] With the video I did, I put a webisode out explaining my situation [and how I am] dealing with it.

Why he put out that web video explaining his feelings for Karrueche and Rihanna 
It’s just me being honest with myself. Me and [Rihanna] have history. Me and her will always be the best of friends and we are working on our friendship now as far as everything goes.

I know God does not give us too much to handle, that we can’t handle. […] when I feel a certain urge – whether its music or an emotion, I feel it’s good to share it with people because it’s an experience. It’s a life lesson and there’s probably thousands of young teenagers who are going through this. [I'm] not saying they’ve got money or they’re flashy or whatever the case, but there could be young play boys, they’re young, whatever the case, and they don’t know how to deal with a situation. They’re hurting people in the process or they’re [saying] ‘Oh I’m a player, I got all these girls’ doing all this stuff and that’s not what I’m trying to promote. It’s just that I really have feelings.

Whether Karrueche was angry about the clip
Yes, of course. But when you do that, you have to do it for yourself. You can’t do it for everybody else’s feelings, and you know I love them to death, but at that time I needed it to be out there because I can’t just be like ‘Hey this is how I feel…’ because then it will be like ‘What?’ You know you have to at least let it be known and they can only accept you for being honest.

Whether he’s actually in love with Rihanna and Karrueche
Yeah! I think when people say ‘Chris How do you say that? You can’t’…I guess when you feel it you will know it. It’s not something I can sit there and say I’m an expert on […] its nothing like that. It’s a touchy situation. It’s difficult. At the end of the day, I’m comfortable with talking about it [with] you guys because you are family but as far as the world goes, I’m not asking them to accept that. You know, like, buy an album damn it! Like you want to hear some love fenago or whatever, buy Carpe Diem! Buy whatever it is that you want to hear me say because I’m saying it on this album.

If it’s hard to work on his friendship with Rihanna so publicly
Absolutely! Because it doesn’t become your situation anymore. I think everybody feels so attached to this old situation. I mean it is still a detrimental situation because of the stuff that we deal with today and that’s why I’m doing like the Jenesse Center and all these other stuff that shows that domestic violence is not okay. But as far as like our personal lives, I think people just have to like give it a chance, not even give it a chance–shut the hell up! That’s basically what it is! Because at the end of the day, whatever opinion they have is not going to change what I’m doing and it hasn’t and it’s not going to change what they are doing.

Whether he and Rihanna have to sneak around to get some privacy
No, it’s just that I don’t focus on it as much. I mean back in the day when I was 16, 17, I would be like ‘Oh we’re going to be here, there is going to be paparazzi’ [or] ‘Oh look they’re going to get a camera.’ It was cool because it wasn’t an exploitation of life or of a really personal situation, it was just us hanging out […] [but] now as I’m getting more older and mature, it’s not as relevant because that’s not what makes me an artist or sustains my longevity. I think my talent speaks for itself. I think as far as the personal life, its just whatever pans out. I’m just living life however it falls into place..its going to fall into place. I’m not trying to rush anything [or] put any rings on anybody’s fingers or lie to anybody. I just rather be completely honest and express my feeling.

Check out more in the video here. Do you believe Chris genuinely loves both of these women to death?