Was Rihanna's Halftime Show a Kanye Tribute?
There needs to be an addendum to Godwin's law, which states that Nazi comparisons are inevitable in any online discussion: Call it the Kanye Injunction, perhaps. That is, anyone who performs live and does anything even remotely similar to Kanye "Ye" West will inevitably not only be compared to the anti-Semitic rapper but ranked lower than him in terms of genius, innovation, skill, etc.
So it goes for Rihanna's landmark Super Bowl 2023 halftime show, a much-anticipated spectacle so all-encompassing that got a reaction from even Truth Social's very own Donald Trump.
Everything about Rihanna's performance was headline-worthy: her song selection, her outfits, her pregnancy, all packed into just under 15 minutes.
Perhaps it was Rihanna's inclusion of "All of the Lights" and "Run This Town," two Ye-heavy songs, that Rihanna featured on, that really invited Ye comparisons.
But they certainly didn't stop there, of course. No, everything from Rihanna's outfits to the stage direction was all inspired by Ye, if not an out-and-out tribute.
Ye stans began stumping for their favorite billionaire almost instantly, using Rihanna's past performances and even her costumes — custom red pieces designed by LOEWE and Alaïa worn with a Jacob & Co watch and Maison Margiela x Salomon sneakers — as evidence that Rihanna wouldn't be the star that she is without Ye.
Sentiments ranged from "Ye influenced everyone" to "Rihanna's discography sucks so she had to play a Ye song to make up for it" (hilariously untrue, by the way).
These are the people paying for that precious blue check on Twitter these days.
The clothes are entirely different, asides from being made of shiny red fabrics — Ye wore a YEEZY GAP jacket, Rihanna a puffer coat with attached gloves, and neither is the first to wear all-red on stage by any means — and reports indicate that Rihanna's look was intended as a tribute to the late André Leon Talley.
Plus, the rest of the production is totally different from Ye's DONDA listening party in Atlanta, Georgia, where he wore the all-red outfit.
It is odd, though, that Rihanna chose to perform that song at all. With so many singles and deep cuts to choose from, Rihanna could've easily skirted Ye references entirely.
According to The Sun, Rihanna is actually a "supporter" of Ye so maybe that explains some things.
Rihanna has made some questionable co-signs recently, what with Johnny Depp appearing in her latest runway show.
Hopefully that doesn't mean Ye appearing in the next Savage x Fenty show.
Ye had nothing to say on the matter, publicly. He's still banned from social media after his latest round of hate speech.
That means we haven't heard from Ye about, oh, marrying a YEEZY employee, business partners continuing to distance themselves from him, and even his lingering effect on the sneaker industry.
Some people really want Ye back in the public eye, though, which is troubling. Let's hope that Rihanna isn't one of them.
