While she was away from the music scene, it looks like Rihanna was busy minting billions off her fashion and beauty empire.

According to a new report by forbes, Rihanna has now joined the exclusive club of billionaire musicians which has long been dominated by male artists such as Jay Z and Kanye West.

With an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion (£1.2b) she is now the wealthiest female musician in the world; second only to Oprah Winfrey as the richest female entertainer.

A bulk of her fortune comes from her Fenty Beauty brand in which she has a 50% stake worth $1.4 billion. The rest (approximately $270 million) is in her lingerie company Savage X Fenty and her earnings from music.

With over 200 million followers on Instagram and Twitter alone, the Barbados born star has been able to capitalise on her fame to build a wildly recognisable inclusive brand in just 4 years.

This was done in a 50/50 partnership with Bernard Arnault's luxury goods conglomerate LVMH.

Just riding on the wave of fame?

Make no mistake to think that her brands are only successful because of her fame. Other than just being associated with Rihanna, Fenty Beauty has made a name for itself for stretching social bounds and tackling relevant issues in the beauty and fashion industry.

In 2017, it became one of the first major brands to popularise foundation that included harder-to-find darker shades for women of colour. This further enhanced its image as a forward thinking brand and not just another celebrity "cash cow", paving a way for wider recognition and relevance in the industry.

In its first full calendar year, 2018, the line was racking in more than $550 million in annual revenues, which eclipsed other celebrity-founded brands like Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics and Kim Kardashian's KKW Beauty.

Nonetheless, the 33-year old's success in fashion and beauty has not come without bumps along the way. Just in February of this year, she confirmed the closure of Fenty, her other high-end fashion and accessories brand. This came as a result of a bad pandemic year earlier in 2020.

As said by Rihanna herself, bitch better have my money, indeed.