Though I pride myself on being a “glass half full” type of person, there are instances where a little bit of doubt and a smidgen of skepticism has served me well. One of those instances just so happens to be the recent news of global icon and singer Rihanna and her reported involvement in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Per Vulture, the ANTI singer has been tapped to produce music for the soundtrack with Marvel, Disney and Def Jam/Westbury Road set as producing partners. Now, I don’t know about you, but given the fact that 1) Rih’s been promising us new music for years now and has yet to produce 2) She’s a new mother with plenty of other important tasks at hand and 3) The news hasn’t been confirmed by her or her camp yet—unlike when the news of her Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance dropped—I’d be hard pressed to fully believe the online chatter.
Sure, if there was any project that may entice Rih to get back in the studio after all this time, it’s probably the Black Panther sequel. After all, the original film is one of the best-performing films of all time. And if there’s any director who could convincingly explain his vision and the need for musical talent like Rihanna, it’s Ryan Coogler. But let’s be real. In fact, let’s be ALL THE WAY real. The internet loves a good rumor, so unless and until Rih posts herself doing the Wakandan salute on her Instagram, I won’t put all my eggs in this basket.