Rihanna

Adele wins at the Brit Awards 2012
Photo: Dave M. Benett/ Getty Images

On Tuesday (February 21), some of the biggest names in the music business headed to London’s O2 Arena for the 2012 Brit Awards, where Adele, Rihanna and Bruno Mars were among the stars who took home prizes.

Grammy winner Adele added to her award collection by nabbing two Brits, including British Female Solo Artist and the night’s big prize, Mastercard British Album of the Year, for 21. And on Wednesday, the U.K. singer will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her chart-topping 21. “It’s been an amazing year,” she told the room as she accepted the Female Solo Artist prize. She then joked to presenter Kylie Minogue, “I feel like a drag queen next to you,” before thanking her record label for “for letting me be the kind of artist I want to be.” There were also live performances from Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and, of course, Adele, who sang “Rolling in the Deep” just a little over a week since her Grammy performance. Meanwhile, just as One Direction seems poised for a U.S. takeover the U.K. boy band nabbed a British Single award for their track “What Makes You Beautiful,” which was released in the States last week.

Rihanna and Bruno Mars won International Female Solo Artist and International Male Solo Artist, respectively. “[Thanks to] all my fans who continue to support me no matter what,” said Rihanna, who made headlines on Tuesday (February 21) by adding Chris Brown to her “Birthday Cake” remix. Coldplay took home the British Group prize for the third time. On the other end of the spectrum, Grammy winners the Foo Fighters beat out folks like Jay-Z and Kanye West (a.k.a. the Throne), Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5 to win International Group. Lana Del Rey won the International Breakthrough Act award, just weeks after she dropped her debut, Born to Die. Other awards included Outstanding Contribution Award for Blur, a Critics Choice Award for Emeli Sande and British Male Solo Artist for singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, who also took British Breakthrough Act.

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Chris Brown and Rihanna in 2009
Photo: Getty Images

When Rihanna and Chris Brown dropped not one, but two tracks together Monday night, the songs were met with mixed reactions. Some fans thought it was time for everyone to move on and embrace the former couple’s next chapter, while others argued that given Brown‘s 2009 assault on Rihanna, it was inappropriate for them to record together. In the years since that assault, Rihanna has been open about her abusive relationship with the R&B singer, saying, “I don’t want to be the big domestic-violence spokesperson, because that doesn’t define who I am. But if I can help young women in any way, and that being one of the things they need help with, then I’ll do that.”

Since that late 2009 interview with MTV News, Rihanna certainly hasn’t backed down in her career, releasing chart-topping singles, winning awards, going on tour and using videos and Twitter to show the world just how fierce she can be. After the release of the “Birthday Cake” and “Turn Up the Music” remixes, Rita Smith, the executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, talked to MTV News about what the collaborations mean. “I guess I’m not particularly surprised given the rumors that had gone on around this, and it’s also not surprising because many victims get back with their abusers, even after an assault. They love them, they think they change, and abusers are particularly good at convincing you they’ve changed,” she said. “I don’t know what their relationship is at this point, but I’m not surprised that she’s staying connected. “I’m still concerned because his reaction to people’s criticism of him being on the Grammys was fairly belligerent, and that didn’t give me much of a message or sense of hope that he had made changes since that assault,” she said, referring to the barrage of tweets Brown sent out after negative feedback about his Grammy appearance. “I hope he’s changed. I hope that he will never choose to use violence again no matter what kind of relationship he has with her or anybody else,” she continued. “I think, for me, it would be much more powerful if they could publicly state what’s different for them so that it doesn’t just leave us wondering if anything has changed and if they have learned anything in the process, because it was so public. We’re all wondering, because they’re not saying anything. That would leave us with a different message that it all doesn’t matter and they’re just going to do what they do.” Smith said that, given their history, “I think the message she’s sending is that the feelings of being in love are more important than your personal safety.” “The thing that matters most is whether you’re safe and whether you feel respected — that’s what matters most in a relationship and that’s what we should all be focusing on,” Smith added. “That has to be the primary goal of any relationship.” In the end, Smith hopes the two pop stars have grown since the very public assault. “I don’t know what the message is. I would like the message to be: People can change, and I will never be treated that way again and I will never treat anyone that way again. If they had released a song saying this is what this represents for us, that would be such a much more fabulous, powerful story than not saying a word,” she said. “The content of the songs seems to be more in-your-face than something about, ‘We’re collaborating on something because we care about the way people treat each other.’ That would have been the message that would have been nice to come out of this very public and tragic incident.” What do you think of Chris Brown and Rihanna working together in light of their history? Sound off in the comments.

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Rihanna performs at “Grammy Nominations Concert Live!”
Photo: FilmMagic

On Monday night, Chris Brown and Rihanna dropped the long-prognosticated remix to Ri’s “Birthday Cake,” from her Talk That Talk album. The duo also dropped a remix of Brown’s Fortune track “Turn Up the Music,” all on Rihanna’s 24th birthday.

The producers behind the “Cake” track, Da Internz, promised that the remix would “shock,” and they didn’t lie. Considering that it was just three years ago that Brown assaulted Rihanna over Grammy weekend, the two coming together for the sexy duet marks a new chapter for the singers, one that has been met with varied reactions from fans. On one side of the argument are fans who appreciate the song regardless of the singers’ past. Speedy12 wrote, “First of all Rihanna has to live her life … people have to get past that ‘incident’ in ’09. You guys are forgetting he has never hit Rihanna b4 that time … THEY HAD A FIGHT!! Like most of us do … they have grown up and moved past that time. Role model or not … RIHANNA CAN’T LIVE FOR HER FANS … SHE LIVES FOR HER!! And the sooner you delusional ignorant idiots realize that, the quicker they, along with everyone else who’s quick to judge, can move on. LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!” Watch: A Look Back At Chris Brown & Rihanna: Love In Trouble Sandra D. had a similar reaction, writing, “I realllyyyyy loved BOTH Cake and the Turn Up The Music remix. They took a bold decision, but I believe it will show the world that it is finally time to move on and get back to making great music! LOVE Chris’ music video to Turn Up The Music too!” KringleChick wrote, “Loving both of these songs. Glad they were able to put the music first and let everything else stay behind. Both are great artists and these songs rock. Their voices are amazing together!” For other fans, however, their past is hard to ignore, and many readers met the release with disbelief and anger, citing the 2009 assault. “Why, Rihanna? Why?” LP54 wrote. “I know for lots of people it’s just a song, but for others it’s their role model saying it’s okay. Whether Rihanna likes it or not she is a role model. Her making this song is telling those girls that you can go back to him even if he has abused you. Chris has nothing to lose from this but she has sponsors, fans, and support from the media. With two songs, Riri could lose a lot.” What do you think of Chris Brown and Rihanna working together in light of their history? Sound off in the comments.

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Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

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Rihanna
Photo: Valerie Macon/Getty Images

It all began earlier this week, when the production duo known as Da Internz told MTV News that their upcoming remix of Rihanna‘s “Birthday Cake” featured a super-secret cameo that would “shock the world.”

Almost immediately after they made that comment, speculation began to run rampant that it was Rihanna’s ex, Chris Brown, who features on the track, and though there was no confirmation from any of the artists’ reps, the rumors not only persisted but seemingly gained momentum — especially given reports that Brown attended Rihanna’s birthday party earlier in the week. On Thursday, Hot 97′s Miss Info took things to the next level, writing on her blog that Brown does indeed feature on the “Cake” remix, citing a pair of “independent sources” who confirmed the news. She added that Brown contributed both a singing verse and a rap verse to the track, though it wasn’t clear if both would end up on the remix.

Of course, that probably comes as news to Da Internz, who have denied that Brown features on the remix. In a subsequently deleted tweet, they responded to a Rihanna fan’s question about whether the song would feature Brown with a succinct — and all-caps — “NOPE.” Wrapped up in all this are newly circulating photos that seem to show Brown and Rihanna embracing at her birthday party in Beverly Hills, perhaps confirming that they’ve reunited. There had been no comment from either artist’s camp on the pictures as of press time, though in the days following the party, TMZ reported that all guests were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, supposedly at Brown’s insistence. There’s still been no official word on when the “Birthday Cake” remix will be released (some reports suggest it’ll be out next week), and reps for Da Internz, Brown and Rihanna did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment on the track — meaning that, like the rest of the world, we’re just going to have to wait to learn the identity of RiRi’s mystery collaborator.

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