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Info about gods, goddesses, and characters

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Info about gods, goddesses, and characters

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This website is an easy-to-follow overview of the many Greek gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. From the Olympian gods and goddesses right down to the many minor gods and goddesses found in Greek literature, you'll find quick and fun information on many gods and goddesses.

From Aphrodite to Zeus, if you need concise facts on a Greek god or goddess for a school project or if you're just interested in learning something new about the gods and goddesses in general, you've come to the right place.

You can also learn about a number of famous greek mythical stories and famous Greek heroes who interacted with the Greek Gods.

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Greek Gods and Goddesses * Facts and Information

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Facts and information on the many Greek gods and goddesses of ancient mythology. From the Olympian gods and goddesses down to the minor gods and goddesses.

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Gallery of the Gods (mythologyteacher.com)

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Gallery of the Gods (mythologyteacher.com)

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Info about gods and goddesses

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Mount Olympus is both an actual mountain in Greece and the mythical home of the Greek gods. In Zeus' palace on its peak resided the Twelve Olympians, which consisted of the major gods and goddesses. Depending on whom you asked, the exact names of those twelve changed.

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Info about gods, goddesses, and characters

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Greek Mythology offers educational information on all Greek Gods, Greek Goddesses and Myths of Ancient Greece. Study and Learn Greek Mythology with our free online lessons and e-courses.

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ALPHONSE PIERRE: You have a fascinating background, your dad was a musician from Mali and you used to tour with him. What can you tell us about that?

SMOOKY MARGIELAA: I wasn't really touring with him, but I was doing a lot of shows with him. My dad was on tour in France and Europe and places like that. I just had a lot of shows with him across the country and all that. I used to have a djembe and this wooden xylophone called a balafon, which I used to play for my dad. I was like 8 years old at that time, so the crowd would be happy and it used to make my dad's performances better, you feel me? You know he got a little kid playing balafon.

PIERRE: What other music did your dad expose you to?

MARGIELAA: I mean my dad is the one who showed me Michael Jackson. It was a whole story to that too, because in the African tribe I used to dance like Michael Jackson. I used to do his dance moves, moonwalk on the stage, and they used to pay for me it. And then I used to sing, so ever since then I've been singing.

PIERRE: Do you think you can still feel the West African music you used to play with your dad in your current music?

MARGIELAA: Yeah I can definitely hear tunes in it. Some of the keys I can even touch are in it.

PIERRE: How do you feel about American artists taking from West African, such as the Afrobeats trend?

MARGIELAA: I feel like that's a smart idea. French Montana did it, and you see where he's at.

PIERRE: Do you still listen to any artists from Mali?

MARGIELAA: I used to. My cousin is real popular in Africa - Sidiki Diabaté - he's real famous in Africa so that's the only person I really listen to, him and his crew.

PIERRE: How did you transition from playing West African music with your dad into rap music?

MARGIELAA: I had a lot of friends that wasn't African. I lived in New York, I lived in the hood where it was gritty. If you see me, you wouldn't really know me as an African kid that speaks my language. I was just a kid in the hood who was bad, and all that stuff. I didn't really rap in my language, cause that wasn't cool. I would probably have to be in Africa to really do African music, and get the attention that I want to get.

PIERRE: When did you start to take rap seriously?

MARGIELAA: People just started realizing that I could. I met my tutor, he was a tutor in my school, right. He's now my manager, and he wanted to put me in the studio because he used to see the songs I would put out on my phone. So then he just said, "I got a studio," and we went and I recorded two songs and we put it out. One of them got real popular in my school, and I just kept going. I was getting love in my school a lot, and there was a lot of kids in my school. So once they shared it, another person shared it, and it was the popular kids in the school. Once one popular kid shares it then all the popular kids gonna be on that shit. You go viral.

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15-year-old Smooky Margielaa is a teen rap phenomenon who's actually cool - Interview Magazine

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ALPHONSE PIERRE: You have a fascinating background, your dad was a musician from Mali and you used to tour with him. What can you tell us about that? SMOOKY MARGIELAA: I wasn't really touring with him, but I was doing a lot of shows with him.

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Having met so many 80-plus-year-olds in possession of a bottomless well of stories and life advice, we present the series "Interview With an Old Person"-which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. To nominate yourself or an elderly person in your life, email humaninterest@slate.com.

Christina Cauterucci is Louise Gili's great-niece.

Christina Cauterucci: What is your very first memory?

Louise Gili: My very first memory is very clear in my mind. I was a short little girl and I was reaching for a doorknob. I wanted to turn it so I could open the door and go into the next room. I remember that, so clearly.

Do you remember what the room was and why you wanted to go in?

I was trying to get from the kitchen into the dining room.

How many times have you been in love, so far?

I think twice. Once was unsuccessful. The other was successful, but he died.

Tell me about the first time you were in love.

It was a friend of the family. They decided that this Bill would make a good match, blah, blah, blah. So we went together and Bill came home from the war. Handsome man, had everything everybody could want. We were engaged for a very short time. But he didn't have any kind of a sense of humor. I would be hysterical, and Bill would look at me like, "What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" And finally, I thought, I couldn't live with anybody who didn't see the funny part of life. So I broke the engagement. Everybody thought I was really out of my mind. But I thought, Maybe I am, but it's my life and this is what I want to do.

What about the second time you were in love?

Well, the second time it was a great guy. Had everything anybody would ever want. Good sense of humor, good position. Thoughtful, kind, gentle. Loved to go out to dinner, loved to go dancing. He wasn't particularly the brightest star intellectually, but he had so many other great characteristics. Not too much of a sportsman, but that didn't matter in my life. And it was very nice. But then he developed a cardiac-smoked a lot-a cardiac condition and other health problems, and I, being a nurse, I thought, This is going to be sad, but it'll be a sadness that I'm happy to go through. But he died suddenly and that was it. And I thought, well, I had my fun, I had my life, and I don't think anybody ever had a better love life than I did.

How old were you?

I was about 32.

"I don't think anybody ever had a better love life than Idid." - Louise Gili

If you don't mind talking about it, what was it like for you when he died?

It was shattering, shattering. I thought, Oh, this is something I don't know how I'm going to get through. But you get through it after a while because you have such great memories, you know? And the worst thing, after he died, was somebody holding my hand. No matter what, like, if we went to a restaurant, he'd reach for my hand. If we were crossing the street, he'd reach for my hand. Driving, he'd reach for my hand ... so I knew he was there. But it can't last forever, and I was glad that it had happened the way that it did. Because I could have married somebody that I hated or disliked.

You never fell in love again?

No. I went out with people-they weren't as attentive. They weren't as kind. They weren't as interested. So it's sad in one way and it was good in another way, because I never would have experienced all that in my life with anybody else. That's the way I have to think about it anyway.

How did you decide to become a nurse?

Because [when my mother had tuberculosis], the nurses were in the house all the time and you know, you see the white uniforms and you idolize these people who think they're next to God. And they were very nice to me.

Who was the first person you voted for?

Roosevelt. Oh, he was great. People don't realize what he had done for us with Social Security. It really was a revelation.

Have there been any other politicians who you felt particularly passionate about?

Not really. I used to like Romney ... but then, he's a little too goody-goody. I couldn't take too much of him after a while. I felt, morally, he's good. But Roosevelt was the one that really, really had my best, best vote, even though he had that lady friend on the side. That was his business. That didn't affect the country in any way. Maybe made him happier, so that was good for all of us.

What was your favorite age?

I think when I was about 30, 35. When I was, you know, kind of old.

That's old?! I'm 30. I don't think that's old. What do you miss about being that age?

I think you come to realize what might have been or what will be and how you might change. That would be a good turning point in your life. You know what you've been through. You know what you'd like to do.

What kind of a turning point did you have?

Before that I thought, Well, maybe I might get married, or maybe I won't. But then I thought, Eh, I don't think I want to get married now. And I'd see these gals getting married, and marrying these guys, all broken down and miserable, miserable.

And [their kids] didn't have any respect for their elders ... I couldn't put up with that nonsense. ... I worked with some high school kids. [Gasps] Liars. Oh God, they were such liars. Devils, really.

Do you have a favorite place you've visited?

I'm partial to Italy. I like their lifestyle. They don't get too excited about anything. You know, it pleases them all well and good, and if it doesn't they'll have another plate of spaghetti.

What advice would you give your younger self now?

Find a good love life.

Any tips?

Don't become so absorbed in what you want. Share it with somebody else. That's my feeling. You can't do it alone. Not that I think I've missed a lot. But then, by the same token, I think-my cousin is going with a woman. He's 93, and he has a love life. They're both so pathetic. He doesn't feel well. He's helping her. She's helping him. And I'm thinking, Fred, you didn't need this! And I have a friend, she could not wait until her husband died. She would say, "I can't wait until he dies." So he died. She is so overcome with grief now.

What do you like to do for fun?

Oh, I like to be with people. I like to go out to lunch. I like to go out for dinner. I like to keep my weight down.

What has it been like to lose your vision while living on your own?

Fortunately I can order clothes from special catalogs. I don't know whether you've ever heard of Apple Seeds catalog, Talbots. And I know my size. I know what fits me. I know my style.

I love the, uh, Nordstrom. That's my favorite store. I might die in it-

You might die in Nordstrom?

[laughs] No, I might die with one of their outfits on.

What was the happiest day of your life?

Oh, jeepers. I had so many happy days. When the doctor told me that I would never become completely blind from this eye [that has macular degeneration].

I felt very secure after he told me that. That was the best thing I ever heard.

How do you use the internet, if you use the internet at all?

No, no, no. And see, another thing, I never did typing at school, so I don't know what the letters are on the keyboard, and now when I try to look at something, I don't know what I'm looking at. And then I get so annoyed with myself and think, Didn't you see this coming?

What's something that you do every single day?

I get up late now.

What's late?

Eight o'clock.

That's late?!

Usually I wake up about 7 o'clock. I have to know the night before what I'm gonna do the next day. So it depends if I'm going out to a meeting or a luncheon or if I'm going to stay home. But I have to know that I'm not going to get bored sitting around, thinking, Oh, I'm feeling sorry for myself today.

What are you most looking forward to right now?

A nice, happy life that I can manage. That I can keep my friends. That I have contact with people that I've always had contact with. That's it. I do wish I could have a pet, but I can't handle a pet.

Why not?

Oh, who'd walk a pet? I can hardly walk myself without walking a pet!

How can I live to be 100?

Always have a little protein with every meal.

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Interview With an Old Person: Louise Gili, Age 100, From Millburn, New Jersey

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Having met so many 80-plus-year-olds in possession of a bottomless well of stories and life advice, we present the series "Interview With an Old Person "-which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. To nominate yourself or an elderly person in your life, email humaninterest@slate.com . Christina Cauterucci is Louise Gili's great-niece.

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Boi-1da has been a crucial part of Drake's braintrust ever since he helped craft the rapper's first hit, 2009's "Best I Ever Had." In 2014, Boi-1da co-produced "0 to 100," the first SoundCloud loosie to garner a Grammy nomination; in 2015, he oversaw Drake's turn towards belligerent and brawling as executive producer on If You're Reading This It's too Late; in 2016, he soothed Drake's transition into dancehall, producing the Number One Rihanna collaboration "Work" as well as Views' "Controlla."

Boi-1da managed to one-up himself in January, when another song he co-produced, "God's Plan," debuted at Number One on the Hot 100. It's Drake's second Number One hit, but the first to debut at the top of the chart, where it has sat comfortably for four consecutive weeks, shattering several streaming records.

And Drake is just one artist Boi-1da works with. He's also produced showstoppers for Kanye West ("Real Friends") and Kendrick Lamar ("The Blacker the Berry"); last year he appeared on releases as disparate as Lana Del Rey's Lust for Life, G-Eazy's The Beautiful & Damned and Romeo Santos' Golden. Rolling Stone caught up with Boi-1da to talk about his path into production, meeting Drake, his longtime love of dancehall and the success of "God's Plan."

When did you first start making music?
When I was 15 years old. I was told by a friend about the program that I use to this day, FruityLoops. One summer I was really bored, and I ended up taking my mom's credit card and downloading it. I started to work on it from there and it kind of became an addiction. I just kept playing around with it until I got really, really good at it. I entered a beat-maker's competition and ended up winning it a few years in a row.

You hadn't done any music-making before FruityLoops?
Yeah, I didn't do music at all. My mom had bought me a Casio keyboard when I was younger, but I wasn't really into it. I didn't go to piano lessons; I didn't know anything formal.

Did you listen to a lot of music?
My parents were big listeners as well as my sister. So I was always in a house with music playing 24/7. My dad used to play a lot of dancehall music, so that's what I was into really early.

When you took up Fruity Loops, were your friends into it as well, or was it just your thing?
I really started off myself just toying around with the program. Turning knobs and seeing what they do on my own. At the time there was no YouTube to look up tutorials. It was really about figuring it out.

A lot of producers start on one program but then move to others - why did you stick to FruityLoops?
I thought it was the easiest and most comfortable for me to use. It's easy to get your ideas out, your ideas across. The concept is basic. I'm the kind of guy, I don't like to sit there and waste hours trying to make a song. If it doesn't come out when it comes out, you're forcing it.

When did you decide you were ready to enter Battle of the Beatmakers?
I had really honest friends around me. I would play music for some of my friends in high school and they would be like, This is trash. They'd tell me straight up if it was garbage. Eventually it got to a point where they were like, this is starting to sound good. But I still didn't think I was ready for the competition - I entered it and I was terrified; I was the youngest person in the competition. I didn't go in there with an expectation of winning. The competition was like, you come in with your best beats, and it's your best beat against the other person's best beat. There's three judges and a crowd, so the crowd reaction on top of the judges' scorecards determine if you move on to the next round. Once you use a beat, it's over, you can't use that beat again. So you have to plan it out.

You were making dancehall at this point or hip-hop focused?
I was really hip-hop focused. After my whole dancehall era, I fell in love with hip-hop. That was my thing.

And how many years in a row did you win the competition?
Three years in a row. Almost four - I made it to the finals for the fourth one. It was going to be my fourth and my last one, but I think they got tired of seeing me one.

Did that event raise your profile locally?
I started meeting a lot of people when I first went to that event. I ended up meeting guys like Saukrates, one of the first rappers out of Toronto to represent where we're from, and I ended up meeting a producer by the name of D10 that I ended up working with a lot. He was actually the one who introduced me to Drake. I met a lot of key people that I'm very close with today through those competitions.

What was your first official placement?
Kardinal Offishall's album Not 4 Sale. I ended up doing four songs on that album. I was 18, 19 - I was really excited to be a part of anything.

How did you eventually meet Drake?
I was working with D10, an amazing keyboard player and producer. He would always talk about his friend Drake and how good he was. I never really paid attention to it until he was like I'm gonna hook you and Drake up; I think you should guys make music. We ended up meeting up and the chemistry was there from the jump. I understand the vision, where he wanted to go. From the jump, I was like, this guy is going to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.

So his talent was already apparent?
Um-hmm. Everything was pretty local back then. Locally, he was exceptional, better than everybody.

What was the Toronto scene like at that time?
When I was coming up it was very gangsta hip-hop dominated. We have Glenn Lewis, we had Kardinal, but at the time 50 Cent was like the biggest artist. Hearing Drake's music and seeing that it could stand up next to someone like 50 Cent and he's not even being gangster was pretty dope. It was really relatable, especially to somebody like me - I'm not a gangster.

Was production your full-time gig then?
No. At the time I was working at Winners, a retail clothing store. I was working factory jobs. I would go to work then spend all night doing music, go to the studio, go to work in the morning. At a point I was like, I need to quit because this job is draining my creative energy. I would get all these ideas for beats and songs in my head at work, but by the time I got home, I was too tired to do anything. So I got tired of that. I took a chance on myself.

"Best I Ever Had" was your first big hit; did you feel like that was going to be a big record?
I liked that beat a lot. But I didn't think it was going to be part of a hit record. It wasn't the best thing I've ever done. But after hearing what Drake did it, I knew that a lot of people would like it. But becoming a worldwide hit, we could have never called that.

Did you start getting more calls overnight?
The phones started ringing off the hook. Publishers start calling. I was on MySpace at that time, a lot of artists hit me up to get tracks that sound like "Best I Ever Had." I hate that - I already made "Best I Ever Had."

A lot of producers, once they have a hit, try to work with as many different people as possible. But for most of your career, you've kept your circle pretty small.
I enjoy working with Drake. He's my favorite artist to work with. We have crazy chemistry when we work. My motto is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I've always stuck with the game plan. I've worked with other artists as well, but Drake has always been my main focus. He's the greatest to me.

It's been almost a decade now that you've been making hits, and mainstream hip-hop has changed so much during that period - how do you adjust?
Keeping my mind open, not sheltering myself musically. I want to get in with a lot of people, and I listen a lot - to what's new, to what people gravitate towards. Even if I don't agree with it, I keep listening until I figure out why people like it.

Was there anything recently that puzzled you at first but you eventually figured it out?
I'm not gonna call anybody out. But when you're introduced to something brand new, sometimes you just don't know what's going on. For instance, the first time I heard 808s & Heartbreak by Kanye, I didn't get it. I listened to it a year after, and I was like, this is completely genius. Sometimes things don't register immediately. Now it's one of my favorite albums - to this day I listen to songs from it every single day. Still. But I was a year late on it.

It's interesting you mention that album: A lot of people talk about Drake's early sound relative to that record, but around If You're Reading This It's Too Late, he shifted towards something fiercer, and you're often credited with helping that transition.
Drake gave me the opportunity to executive produce that album with him. I love hearing Drake spaz out and just rap - I feel like he's the best when he does that. Just the best. It was a time when we wanted to make a lot of energetic music, and that's what we did - we locked in, and it was all energy.

On the other end of the spectrum, you're also credited with boosting dancehall in the mainstream. How did you make it back towards that sound which you loved when you were younger?
That was such an early influence, my first love musically. I didn't know anything else outside of dancehall when I came to Canada. My dad would only listen to dancehall and reggae. That was the only thing I knew about. My family and I would huddle in front of the radio every Friday to listen to 88.1 'cause that was the only time in Toronto they played reggae and dancehall on the radio. I'm Jamaican; dancehall is basically in my blood.

At that time, there was a lot of trap music going on. I had a discussion with my friends - I really want to make something different. I missed how dancehall used to make people react. It would make girls want to dance. I tried to bring that whole feel back, and then people like it. It was another thing where it was like, this might work; it might not. But I just wanted to do something that made me feel a certain way when I was a kid. Maybe it will make someone else feel how I felt. I didn't know it would pop off like that. But when I heard [Rihanna's] "Work" and [Drake's] "Controlla," I was like, this is gonna work. And they did work.

In the last year, you got more into the pop radio lane - a Lana Del Rey credit, a G-Eazy credit. What's it like working in that space vs. rap?
That was dope. Working with Lana, I really got to step outside of my comfort zone. I learned a lot about different structures with songs. We're going to continue to work. We also have great chemistry and the songs just flow together. It was a great experience to work with somebody outside of hip-hop. Then I brought my world into her world and vice versa. It was a nice little blend. We made that record from scratch, started from nothing. We began with a piano and her signing and it turned into "Summer Bummer."

Sansho Scott/BFA/REX Shutterstock

Obviously "God's Plan" is your latest hit - how did that beat come together?
Drake had that halfway finished already. I just came in and added to it. The record started with him and [producer] Cardo. I came in and changed the whole bounce to it. I can't take credit for the whole record - it really started with Cardo. It came together pretty well.

You were credited on both "God's Plan" and "Diplomatic Immunity" - is it ever difficult when one of your records outshines the other?
They got attention on different levels. "God's Plan" is a massive, catchy, radio-friendly song that can easily be played in the club. "Diplomatic Immunity" was a record where Drake got a lot off his chest. That's a statement. People love "Diplomatic Immunity" - some people love it just as much or even more than "God's Plan." I'm never mad that one record does better than another because they're done for different purposes. The purpose of "Diplomatic Immunity" was to feed the hardcore rap audience. "God's Plan" was to feed everybody.

Has your relationship with Drake evolved over the decade plus you guys have been working together?
We've both grown musically. But we're always on the same page - we're always ready.

What is next for you in the coming year?
This year I'll be putting out a compilation album with a lot of the different artists I work with. And other than focusing on working with Drake, I've been working with Joyner Lucas, the first artist I ever signed. We're working on his debut project; he's another amazing talent - a spectacular rapper and visionary director. I believe that his project is going to be well-received.

What led you to start signing acts and putting out your own project?
It's time to start doing stuff for myself. I always felt like I wanted to. Now it's the right time.

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Producer Boi-1da on the Making of Drake's Hit 'God's Plan'

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Boi-1da has been a crucial part of Drake's braintrust ever since he helped craft the rapper's first hit, 2009's "Best I Ever Had."

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Oprah: Before you moved in, you said you wanted the girls to keep making their own beds and doing chores. Is the staff on board with that?

Michelle Obama: It took a second. At first they were like, "Are you sure?" But if these girls don't learn how to make a bed or clean a room, what are they going to do when they go to college? It can't be foreign to them to be part of a working household. So in the first few days, I gathered my East Wing team and the residence staff-the folks who clean the chandeliers, the people in the kitchen, everyone-and thanked them for helping us transition through the move. Then I talked about our vision for this house: that it would be filled with life, that we'd have people in and out, that the kids would roam around. I want the kids to be treated like children, not little princesses. I told everyone that they should make their beds, they should clean their plates, they should act respectfully-and that if anyone on the staff sees differently, they should come to me. So the girls help set the table, they help bring the food out, they work with the butler staff, and they're in the kitchen laughing and making their toast in the morning. And everyone has adjusted to the rules. Now I joke with the staff: "Don't spoil them-spoil Mom!"

Oprah: You can handle it!

Michelle Obama: I can handle it.
There's a solidness about the girls-a groundedness-that speaks to the great work you've done as a mother. What are you most proud of in terms of raising them?

Michelle Obama: It's that: that they're so steady. And that they're kind-to each other, and to other children. It's important to me that they have empathy. I want them to be able to think, "Well, I could see how that person feels and why that would hurt." And to make decisions not just based on their own needs but on what's going on around them.

Oprah: How are they with each other?

Michelle Obama: There's genuine love and affection. I'm big on the idea that their sister is all each of them has. Even when they argue, I want them to act with respect. I say, "Do you know how painful it is for a mother to watch her two children, who she loves equally, arguing?" I say, "You don't see it much, but the one or two times you've seen Dad and me disagree, you started falling apart." And they get it.

Oprah: Are there fewer arguments between you and the president now that you don't have to fix things around the house?

Michelle Obama: Absolutely. That was kind of a growth point in our marriage that I've talked about before-the stress of needing help, and then finally realizing that the help doesn't necessarily have to come from your husband. It can come from anywhere.

Oprah: You seemed to grow together over the course of the campaign. The connection between the two of you seemed to intensify.

Michelle Obama: When you work on something really hard together and enjoy the successes and challenges with each other, and then get through it not just whole but stronger-you realize how blessed you are, how much love you have together. So, yes, I think we've grown. But not just me and Barack. It's the girls, too. And our whole extended family.

Oprah: And how have you managed to stay in touch with family and friends?

Michelle Obama: That's the thing about being the First Lady: You try to catch your friends up on what's happening in your life, and they're like, "We know-we read it in the paper." "We saw it in the Tribune."

Michelle Obama: So we get to see friends-we've been back to Chicago-but I think people will wind up coming here to visit us because...

Oprah: It's hard to travel when you're First Lady.

Michelle Obama: It is. You know, you asked me when it hit me that all this was really happening. I'll tell you when it hit me. There was a moment before our first visit to the White House, when we came to meet the Bushes. I had flown in early to visit a school, and then I went back to the airport so Barack and I could ride to the White House together. As we drove up, my Secret Service agent said, "There's the president-elect's motorcade." And there were like 20 cars! There was everything in that motorcade except the caboose! Now I tease Barack: "You've got the horse and carriage, the dogsled, the airplane, the bike..."

Oprah: And the kids know he's home when they hear his helicopter landing.

Michelle Obama: Once someone on my staff e-mailed to tell me that the president was on his way. But you could already hear the helicopter, so it was like, well, no kidding.

Oprah: "Dad's home!"

Michelle Obama: The girls don't move. I'm like, "You want to see Daddy landing in the helicopter?" "No, that's okay. We already saw it."

Next: Redecorating-Obama style

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Oprah: Before you moved in, you said you wanted the girls to keep making their own beds and doing chores. Is the staff on board with that? Michelle Obama: It took a second. At first they were like, "Are you sure?"

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This interview, for Vogue's April cover story, took place on Super Bowl Sunday in the sprawling gothic home of Carlton Gebbia, whom fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will remember as the "Celtic pagan witch" from season four. Rihanna had just flown in to L.A. for her cover shoot from Toronto, where the night before she and Drake wrapped the video for " Work." Later in the week, she would present her Puma collection at New York Fashion Week. But on this sunny California afternoon, Rihanna arrived casually turned out, in a vintage Guess leather biker jacket, green Vetements sweatpants, and a Star Wars T-shirt.

For a Wiccan, Gebbia's taste favored a surprising dose of Catholic iconography. Ornate iron crosses hung above doorways, framed paintings of saints ascended a staircase wall, and, in a vamp-red bar room, there was a dark-wood confessional booth. Rihanna and I spoke in the home theater. It was after 9:00 p.m., the shoot had wrapped, and two men in suits had just stopped by from the Recording Industry Association of America. After they left, Rihanna wandered into the theater and plopped down in one of several red leather recliners. A member of her team poured Dixie cups of Pinot Grigio.
I wanted to talk about Anti first. The opening song, "Consideration," sets the tone for the album. Was the process of recording it different in any way?
I just felt really connected to that recording. I felt like, if any recording could represent this album, whether it's sonically, whether it's the sound of my voice, whether it's the attitude, whether it's lyrically. The beat. Everything is so demanding, and it grabs your attention right away. And I felt like that was important, especially after such a long time between albums.
On "Higher," we hear a completely different dimension to your voice. Can you tell me about recording that one?
We recorded that song at 4:00 in the morning. 4:00 to 5:00. We had finished recording a bunch of stuff, and it was the end of the night. It was pretty short. We just said, "You know what? Let's just drink some whiskey and record this song." And when I heard the song, I envisioned a drunk voicemail. You know he's wrong, and then you get drunk and you're like, "I could forgive him. I could call him. I could make up with him." Just, desperate. [ laughs]
You dropped "Work" first, obviously. There's sort of a vocal variation in that song. I think one writer called it "post-language"-that flourish on the chorus. Did that just unfold in the studio?
Yeah. Because I felt like if I enunciated the words too perfectly, it would just not be the same attitude or the same sass. Because that's how we speak in the Caribbean. It's very broken and it's, like, you can understand everything someone means without even finishing the words. This song is definitely a song that represents my culture, and so I had to put a little twist on my delivery.
And you're coming from shooting the video for "Work," right? What were you going for?
It was just supposed to be a dancehall party. Just like a party that we would go to in the Caribbean and just dance and drink and smoke and flirt and really just enjoy the music. It's like when your favorite song comes on. And that was the moment that was captured in the video.
How is working with Drake different from working with anyone else?
Um, Drake. I mean, Drake has a lot to offer. He's very intelligent, and so I trust him a lot with his direction. Doing a collaboration with him, you know it's going to be great. Everything he does is so amazing. He's so talented that you kind of just trust that it'll be right. And plus, we know each other, so I know that whatever he writes is going to be honest, and it's going to make sense to where I'm at in my life. That's the difference. We know each other.
Overall, it seems like the songs are slower and slightly more introspective and personal. Did you know that that's what you wanted to do?
I didn't really know what the sound of the album would be in the beginning. I knew what I wanted to feel. I didn't quite know how I wanted to hear it, but I knew that I would know it when I felt it. And so I went through a host of songs-songs that I thought were big and songs that I thought were up-tempo and would make sense. In the end, I just gravitated toward the songs that were honest to where I'm at right now, and how I think. The things that I want to listen to. The things that I want to smoke to.
Were you getting bored of the formula?
Very much. Every time we've done an album, we've always stepped out a little bit. But this time, again, we spent so much time in between albums that I needed the music to match my growth. I didn't want to get caught up with anything the world liked, anything the radio liked, anything that I liked, that I've already heard. I just wanted it to be me.
It seems bold considering the state of the industry, to double down on the risk-taking.
I always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose, because settling is the worst feeling in the world.

Settling makes you feel like a sellout. It makes you feel like a liar. It doesn't make you feel like you believe anything you're saying or singing or performing. If you're performing music that is not who you are or where you're at, it is painful. It's painful for the performer and for the audience. And I didn't want to be caught doing what I felt like would sell or do what I've done before. I needed to do what I believed in.
The press has been all over the place with the theory that it was leaked. Can you set the record straight about the rollout?
It did get leaked. Don't think that's up for question anymore. Everybody knows it got leaked. But luckily that did not hurt us.
You also announced the tour before dropping the album. You're touring with Travis Scott. Creatively, why were you attracted to working with him?
Well, when I go on tour, I like to bring people who can get the crowd excited. That's why we got Big Sean in Europe. We also have The Weeknd. And Travis Scott. They are all really great performers. They know how to own the stage. And that's really important before I come on. Because I want to come to a crowd that's like [ snaps fingers] in a great mood. They're excited. They feel like they're ready to party.
I want to ask you about signing on to release your music through Tidal. Why did you decide to release your music that way?
Well, a part of our plan was to stream or download the album exclusively for the first 24 hours, which was going to be done through a Samsung link that fans had to enter and redeem. And Samsung felt like the best machine for that was Tidal.
Artists seem to be going the streaming route more and more, right?
It's true. Streaming is a really big market for me. We've been doing great in the streaming market, so it's not something I want to alienate at all. Streaming counts now. They're treating artists the way we deserve to be treated. So it's not blindly-it's not invisible sales or invisible streams or invisible listens or downloads.

Before it was just-it was robbing us. Before streaming, it was robbing artists. Robbing us of our sales. It's free music. So now the free music counts. It is definitely going to make a big difference in the music industry. For a fact.
I wanted to ask you about "Bitch Better Have My Money."
"Bitch Better Have My Money" just felt like something everybody can relate to, whether it's in regards to money or not. There's something about that attitude or that confidence, that level of discarding something. Because it's also just very final. It's a very final statement. That song can be taken in so many ways. You know? And hardly ever is it actually money. I mean, money's pretty much the obvious thing. The nonobvious thing is somebody who's just jocking you. You're not paying them any attention. You're minding your own business. And everything that comes out of them is targeted toward you. And so you just feel like-
You mean like feeling preyed upon by people or-
You feel like at the end of the day, you might as well get paid for this shit. You know what I'm saying? It's just a way to describe a situation. It's a way to be in charge, to let people know that you're all about your business.
I wanted to ask you if you get tired of people kind of pitting you against other women in this space. Like yesterday, with Beyoncé's "Formation" coming out and everybody talking about the timing with Anti.
[B_ig_ laugh] Here's the deal. You know what, it's more relevant to the world. They somehow are so enthused by that. They just get so excited to feast on something that's negative. Something that's competitive. Something that's, you know, a rivalry. And that's just not what I wake up to. Because I can only do me. And nobody else is going to be able to do that.
So you just try to tune it out.
Especially with Anti. I went through so many emotions and roller coasters of feeling good, loving it, hating it, doubting myself, hating myself. "This is awful." "I lost it." "Wait, but I do love it still." "But then-" And it's like, no. Eventually you just need to know who you are. You know when something is you. You know when you love it and that's the only thing that matters. When it comes to everybody else's thing and their lane and their timing, I'm never doing anything intentional to, like, come after somebody. That will always be my biggest mistake or anybody's biggest mistake if that's their intention. So I just focus on my little project. That's all I can handle. That's a lot to handle. I can barely handle all of that.
Since you last spoke to Vogue, you've gotten even more experimental with fashion.
That's funny. I'm like, really? I feel like I got more bummy.
Well, the CFDA dress! Was the CFDA dress a response to the "Free the Nipple" campaign and that Instagram situation?
I have always freed the nipple. It was never to get attention. Never sexual. Never in desperation. The bra just fucked up my sheer shirt. I just wanted to be perfect and that's what I went with and I felt okay with that. And after a while, it became such a scandal and a "horrible role model" thing. It was a topic of discussion, and eventually other girls started defending me. And now there's this whole "Free the Nipple" movement.

But CFDAs was the last time that I did that. I remember saying that day to my stylist and everybody in the room, hair and makeup, everyone-I was just like, "Now you see it. Tomorrow you won't." Because this is the last time. I can't go any further than this. I'm barely there. So I said, "From here on, we'll be back to clothes. Let's just put clothes on. Even if I don't want to. Make sure I put clothes on." Because I don't want people to think that I'm doing this on purpose.

Okay, last bit. I want to run through the names of designers, and you tell me really quickly what you love about their clothes. Stella McCartney.

I love Stella. I loved her clothing and I thought they were flirty. She has a way of making women sexy without looking like they're trying to be sexy, which is my favorite thing in life.

Alex Wang.

Alexander Wang is edgy. He's ahead of the curve. He is always setting trends. Never following. And that makes me excited about his designs.
Olivier Rousteing.
Olivier-he's such a beautiful person inside. And I'm really proud of him for being such a young black man in this huge fashion industry and still being able to sell clothes and change a brand and put his thing on entertainment in the way that he has, where people die to get one of his dresses.

Raf is just a freak of nature. He's like my soul mate when it comes to design. How can someone understand your mind like that? He's so great at being twisted. He pushes the envelope. He's past the envelope now. Past pushing the envelope. He's making his own envelope.
What about Vetements?
Love Vetements. It's one of those brands that just blows your mind. It's never going to be all the same thing in my closet. But with a brand like Vetements, you can have a leather skirt, a shirt and jacket to the ground, a T-shirt, a sweatsuit, a tailored skirtsuit. You literally can have every occasion of an outfit in one collection.
And then the last one is Victoria Beckham.
Oh! Love Victoria. I've only worn her a few times. Her sunglasses are really good. She knows how to snatch waists. Her dresses fit really well. Zac Posen, though, he's the best at snatching waists. He's legit. He knows how to make a woman's body look great. Tom Ford knows how to make a woman a bad bitch.

Jean Paul Gaultier is king to me. And the other one-obviously, Dior. Dior is just-they're timeless, they're classic. But I also love that they're never afraid to change. Never afraid to evolve and stay ahead of the times. I mean, the fact that Dior has done a Rasta collection. You think about that. It blows your mind that Dior would take a risk like that.
This interview has been edited and condensed. Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, and more of Rihanna's Navy pay tribute to "Work":

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More From Rihanna's Interview With Vogue

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This interview, for Vogue's April cover story, took place on Super Bowl Sunday in the sprawling gothic home of Carlton Gebbia, whom fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will remember as the "Celtic pagan witch" from season four. Rihanna had just flown in to L.A.