Bad Gal Rihanna’s contributions to the industry were recognized at the 2016 Black Girls Rock!, which aired on BET. The annual event celebrates the achievements of women of color in the entertainment industry. This year, Rihanna was presented with the Rock Star Award. During her acceptance speech, she talked about self-love and understanding your purpose. “I believe God put us all here for a reason and we all have our purpose and we are here to fulfill our purpose individually,” Rihanna said. “I think the thing that’s kept me sane, the thing that’s kept me humble, the thing that’s kept me successful is being myself. I only know how to do that. This world is so big and it can be so confusing at times that you tend to forget and you tend to be so indented or tainted by society and the only thing that’s kept me going is being myself. And the minute you learn to love yourself you would not want to be anybody else.” “Tonight is so important to me because I think I can inspire a lot of young women to be themselves and that is half the battle,” she said. “That is it. Just be yourself, it’s the easiest thing to be. All girls rock. Black girls, we just on another level.” Rihanna continues to rock in music and in business. She is currently on her ANTI World Tour and recently debuted her athletic collection with PUMA. Photo credit: Paras Griffin/WIREIMAGE
