Barbadian recording artist and actress, Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty has an estimated net worth of $230 million in 2017. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for a vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be big and for more than just one song. She was 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Her first album, Music of the Sun in 2005, mixed reggae-tinged pop with slick R&B grooves and sold over a million copies. Her second album, A Girl Like Me, included the upbeat single "S.O.S." and was released in 2006. Rihanna also jumped into the acting world in 2006, with a small part as herself in the direct-to-DVD cheerleader flick Bring It On: All or Nothing.

With over 25 million albums sold and 60 million singles worldwide in 2012, Billboard named Rihanna, Digital Song Artist of the last decade. She has also endorsed well-known brands like Clinique, Reebok, Vita Coco, Nivea and Secret deodorant. Her fragrance, Reb'l Fleur, adds millions more to her coffers, as does her heavy touring schedule that included over 85 shows in 2011-1012. The Barbados-born diva made it to Forbes' 2012 most powerful celebrities. She ranked the fourth with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. With over 53 million Facebook fans, she's second only to Eminem. To date, the artist has sold more than 150 million records worldwide which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time.

She dated R&B singer Chris Brown until February of 2009, when she called the police and accused him of beating her in their car after a pre-Grammy Awards party. Brown later pleaded guilty to a charge of felony assault in exchange for a sentence of five years of probation.