Rihanna led a movement, just like Britney did in the early 2000s. The industry is CRAWLING with wannabees, just like the blonde bombshells of the boy band pop era.
I have to step away from the computer. When I get back, this thread better be at least thirty pages long and I expect someone to be banned by the time it gets closed.
I feel like to be an important pop star, you have to at least have a #1 album. Seriously.
Rihanna is wildly popular, yes, but she's hardly massed the success or popularity of some of her peers, like Beyoncé . Even Gaga has managed to overcome Rihanna in popularity, though admit Gaga is a rare and special case,... but the fact of the matter is that Rihanna is just another pop star like Katy or Ke$ha. She's not really leading any movements. She's not really doing anything controversial that hasn't been done already.
You want to talk about important pop stars, let's talk about Britney bringing something new to US mainstream with every album. Let's talk about how Beyoncé made YouTube one of the most important tools in promotion. Let's look at how Gaga has been the voice of the LGBT movement. Let's talk about Shakira's humanitarian efforts. Let's talk about how Adele is breaking records.
What's Rihanna done? Made a few interesting hair choices? I don't think so. There are plenty of pop stars who have done more for the industry than rack up #1s and be on everyone's single.
I love Rihanna, but her fans are some diluted folks. Sorry.