The cover is an actual self-portrait, where she is taking complete control and giving us the real her. Fader says she took her own pics along with a photographer. Note how her name is nowhere in sight on that cover. Well, it's not needed when everyone and their Grandmothers know who she is already! People are also going to say she is copying Beyoncé for opting out of an interview to accompany a photoshoot but she's just as big and relevant enough to request it.
The editors own words claim that the reason for no interview was because "she wouldn’t grant us any facetime, or phone time, but agreed to answer five questions over email." Those five answers have yet to be disclosed. Perhaps she's sick and tired of being asked about when her album R8 will be released because I don't think even she knows. Not really. And it's been almost three years since her last one. A shock to Navy considering she often releases her albums annually. Rihanna has certainly been promoting the hell out of those Pink PUMA slippers from her line. You see her wearing them in the streets and now she's rocking them in glossy magazine pages. Anyway, the shoot looks nice and the pic with her blowing smoke is so album cover worthy! It's deliciously classic.
