The 54 year-old Monica Braithwaite had a thriving career as an accountant yet her fame is linked to her popular daughter, Rihanna Fenty. The mother of the nine-time Grammy award singer whose top songs include Umbrella, Diamonds, and Only Girl among many others raised Rihanna and her two brothers after the collapse of her marriage.
Though she lived on another continent and away from the media lights, her daughter’s music success has surged her forward. Probably taking a cue from their mother, her three children have established themselves in careers and business.
There are many fascinating details to know about the Guyanese celebrity mother.
Who Is Monica Braithwaite?
She is the mother of the famous American singer and businesswoman, Rihanna. Monica was born on April 5, 1969, to Clara and Lionel Braithwaite who are of Afro-Guyanese stock.
Details about her early life are still kept hush-hush yet her connection to Rihanna has shed light on her. In fact, together with Ronald Fenty, Rihanna’s father, they lived with their family in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgerton their home.
Rihanna Is Not Her Only Child
Monica rose to prominence as the mother of the Work crooner yet Rihanna is not her only child. Rihanna who was born on February 20 1988 is the oldest of Monica’s three children with her ex-husband.
Her two youngest children are Rorrey Fenty and Rajad Fenty who were born on November 13 1989 and April 15, 1996, respectively. Rajad took a career path similar to that of his older sister to become a musician.
- Rorrey Fenty: Like his older sister, the 33 year-old was also born in Barbados and has a musical career dating back to 2012 when he released his first mixtape. Rorrey is also a serial entrepreneur with multiple businesses ranging from luxury goods to food and lifestyle. He owns two boutiques named Legado and origin and many other businesses.
- Rajad Fenty: He is the youngest child among her three children. He keeps his career private despite the immense success of his two older siblings
Other Shocking Facts About Monica Braithwaite
1. Monica Braithwaite Is An Accountant
Long before she accessed fame as the mother of one of the most iconic movie stars, Monica was a career accountant. Other details about her work are scanty.
2. She Had A Volatile Marriage
The Guyanese-born native now turned celebrity mother was married to Ronald Fenty. Though it is generally believed that they got married in the 80s, the exact date is not well known.
Nonetheless, the marriage was not filled with roses as Ronald treated his wife badly. According to sources, Ronald was an alcohol and cocaine addict who often beat up his wife. In fact, their daughter Rihanna had to often come in between to separate the two.
The troubled marriage was only managed till they finally divorced in 2002, some years before Rihanna would have a career breakthrough.
3. Monica is Instrumental To Her Daughters Successful Career
After her marriage to Ronald Fenty ended, she dedicated her life to training her three children. While it was not easy, she pulled it off. It was the period after her divorce that Rihanna was first discovered by the record producer Evan Rogers who introduced her to a bigger stage.
Afterward, Monica would accompany her daughter for demo sessions till she found her footing. After she signed with Def Jam Records in 2005, Rihanna’s sun brighter. As of this writing, Rihanna has 8 studio albums that spawned many successful singles. The Barbados-born singer cum actress and business has many records to her name, some of which include;
- Won 9 Grammy Awards
- 13 American Music Awards
- 12 Billboard Music Awards
- 6 Guinness World Records
- NAACP Presidential Award
4. The Barbados-born Singer Gifted a Five-Bedroom Mansion to her Mother
Rihanna despite having reconciled with her father over the years, still remains close to her mother. She gifted her mother a five-bedroom mansion in her native home of Barbados.
As per other gifts that are not said of the celebrity daughter, Rihanna and her mom often go on shopping sprees together. These shoppings are likely on the tab of the singer who adores her mom.
5. Her Oldest Child Rihanna Sued Her father for Name Infringement
Over the years, Monica’s daughter has grown a business empire that made her the richest female singer. This came with its many complications. While she uses the mononym ‘Rihanna’ for her music career, she uses her surname Fenty for her business and to avoid any confusion.
It was not surprising that the entrepreneurial Rihanna sued her father, Ronald Fenty over the use of the name for his Fenty entertainment. Reportedly, he implied that Rihanna had a connection to his business while in real terms, he was only trying to gain from her.
Though it was more a business infringement, Rihanna later dropped the suit against her father.
6. She Is A Grandmother
Looking at the close relationship that Monica and Rihanna it is likely going to extend to her grandchild. The Umbrella crooner gave birth to her first child with her boyfriend, Asap Rocky on May 13, 2022. Prior to the arrival of her son whose name is still under wraps, she showcased one of the greatest pregnancy wardrobes to the admiration of many fans.
Rihanna’s child makes Monica the grandmother of two following the birth of Rajad’s child with his girlfriend, Aron.
As it is, Monica is now a proud grandmother despite the many controversies surrounding the life of her grandson’s father, Asap Rocky who was involved in a shootout.
See Also: Nicole Covone Is Lil Durk’s Ex-Wife: What Really Happened?
7. How Rich Is Rihanna’s Mother?
The Guyanese-born accountant has not revealed her net worth after all the years she spent working. This is not a setback since her daughter has an impressive net worth from which her mother has benefitted in the past.
Rihanna is worth $1.7 billion as reported by Forbes. as per the same source, she made the fortune through her music and business as the founder and co-owner of the cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty. She started the brand in 2017 and within the next few years, it pushed her to the billionaire list and the headliner for the richest female musician.
Moreso, in 2019 the documentary about her life was bought by Amazon for the sum of $25 million. While this is still in the works, she has not released an album since 2016, yet, her business is spinning most of her wealth.
Monica’s daughter is doing quite well for herself as she is known to spend her wealth on humanitarian needs and other charities. She is also rumored to spend as much as $38.000 on weekly beauty routines.
