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Rihanna Mixes Harlem Renaissance With Cutting-Edge Modern At The Grammy Awards

Three words: wild, wild, wild.

Rihanna may have skipped out on the Grammy Awards red carpet Sunday night, but we definitely got our wigs snatched later on during the show.

The Barbados-born singer teamed up with DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller for a performance of their hit "Wild Thoughts" that was a nod to the Harlem Renaissance and other eras. It was an intense affair soaked with pinks and reds, featuring vintage clothing in vibrant colours, berets and picked-out afros. Much of it looked inspired by the 1910s to 1930s, when African-Americans pioneered social, cultural and political movements in the New York neighourhood that gave the era its name.

Rihanna slaying onstage. as she does.
Theo Wargo via Getty Images
Rihanna slaying onstage. as she does.

The Harlem Renaissance was often expressed through art, literature and music. Rihanna, with flowers in her long, wavy hair and a flowy, fuchsia dress, looked like she could have stepped out of that moment in time. We stan a history queen.

Queen.
Getty Images for NARAS
Queen.

But, as we all know, Rih defies any single description.

Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar accept the award for Best Rap/Sung Performance onstage.
FilmMagic
Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar accept the award for Best Rap/Sung Performance onstage.

The singer also shared the Grammy stage to accept the award for Best Rap/Sung Performance for her collaboration on "Loyalty" with multiple Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar. Her Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture chocolate dress/trench coat was almost a polar opposite to her summery dress.

She paired it with matching leather Causse Gantier for Alexandre Vauthier gloves and boots. The outfit was completed with Le Vian cognac quartz earrings and an ombre chocolate diamond necklace. Let's just say the 29-year-old superstar absolutely owned the look.

And earlier in the day, she posted an entirely different look and a message on Instagram:

stay pressed.

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on

Rihanna has had some knockout hits recently, from the undisputed success of her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, to the hype surrounding her upcoming film, "Oceans 8," set to be released this summer.

The Grammys are simply more proof that it's never a night to remember without Rihanna. We're not even mad.

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