Does Rihanna really need skin-tight black leather pants, Travis Barker and a frizzy Slash wig to prove she’s a rock star? Of course not … but it certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
“Rock Star 101,” the latest video from the Barbados pop queen, finds Riri acting out one rock-video cliché after the next — from the leopard-print pants, to the spike-and-chains-adorned costumes, to a backing band featuring a bare-chested Barker on drums. Yeah, we’ve seen it all before, but the dark-and-devious black & white video (her fourth from her ‘Rated R’ album) is still worth a view or two. Even if sultry images of a half-naked Rihanna writhing on the floor and pouting at the camera doesn’t do it for you anymore (check your pulse, if that’s the case), the images of the singer wielding a guitar while wearing a Slash costume — complete with mop-top wig and top hat — makes “Rockstar 101” worth the ride, and proves that despite all of the rude-girl attitude she’s throwing around these days, Riri hasn’t quite lost her sense of humor.
