Voices

Rihanna Puts Accountants on Notice: #BBHMM

Singer-songwriter Robyn Rihanna Fenty may be sending a chilling message to her former accountant in her new music video B*tch Better Have My Money. In the video Rih-Rih kidnaps, tortures, and has a marijuana love fest with a high net worth woman, who turns out to be the wife of Rihanna’s former accountant, aka “The B*tch.”

After riding around with the wife locked up “in the backseat of [Rihanna’s] brand new foreign car" (per the lyrics of the song), for what seems to be a couple of days, the vengeful singer returns to the accountant's home and that’s when things gets gruesome. Rihanna makes it clear that she didn’t return to negotiate. [IMGCAP(1)]

Back Story
It's never explicitly said but all of this anti-accountant sentiment put us in mind of Rihanna's 2012 lawsuit, in which she sued the Top 100 Firm Berdon LLP for a reported $35 million, claiming she had been made “effectively bankrupt” at the end of 2009 due to financial mismanagement. The Barbadian native claimed Peter Gounis and Michael Mitnick, two former employees of Berdon, mismanaged her money and gave her bad real estate advice. In 2014, the firm settled out of court with the pop princess for a reported $10 million.

Even though Rihanna ended up getting her money, you’ll see notes alongside each weapon she plans to use on her perpetrator symbolizing the singer’s financial frustrations. "[Messed] up my credit," "Put me in Debt" and "BBHMM" – the acronym for the title of the song, were just some of the quotes you’ll see on the wall of weapons, which also included a rusted chainsaw with the word "Cheater" on it.

Now that I think of it, BBHMM could actually stand for - Berdon Better Have My Money!

The video shows a fictional accountant spending Rihanna’s money on prostitutes and a lavish lifestyle. In the suit Rihanna claimed that Gounis and Mitnick gave her bad real estate advice, but how interesting would the video be if it took place in a realtor’s office or a court room?

When Rihanna sees a zero balance in her bank account in the video, she demands that her accountant pay up. Hence that one line in the chorus, “Pay me what you owe me!” 

[IMGCAP(2)]

Spoiler Alert
Things didn’t turn out well for the cheating accountant in the video. Rihanna ended up slicing him up and she then retreated to a green mountaintop drenched in blood as she rested on her chest of money.

Accountants, you’ve been warned. Don’t mess with Rihanna’s money.

The highly anticipated short film music video was released on Vevo at midnight on July 2, 2015, which generated nearly 2.3 million views within the first 11 hours of its release. Another warning, the film is intended for mature audiences. You will have to verify your age to even watch the video due to language, nudity, violence and a ton of blood. Watch at your own discretion.

By the time this post went out Berdon did not return our calls seeking comment on what they thought of Rihanna’s message.

But a day after this article made its way around the digital world, a spokesperson for Berdon circled back with a "no comment."

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Audit Financial planning Career moves Wealth management
MORE FROM ACCOUNTING TODAY