Rihanna Is the Youngest Self-Made Female Billionaire in U.S.

Danilo Lauria, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Just under a year after she first attained billionaire status Rihanna has reached another major career milestone, and unlike some on the list she joined — she did it her way.

The 34-year-old singer and entrepreneur, who recently welcomed her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky, is now the youngest self-made female billionaire in the country.

The news comes courtesy of Forbes. Rihanna's $1.4 billion fortune earned her the No. 21 spot on the magazine's recently released list of America’s richest self-made women.

It's how she made her money, however, that is perhaps most notable about the Barbados-born businesswoman.

On a list littered with those who acquired their wealth through inheritance, family companies, corporate malfeasance, and perhaps worse in some cases, Rihanna's self-made score from the publication was a lofty 10.

According to Forbes scores of six and above on their 10-point scale are indicative of someone who has built a company or established a fortune on his or her own. Rihanna's perfect score is for the self-made who not only grew up poor but also overcame significant obstacles.

While she has sold more than 60 million albums, Fenty Beauty (makeup) and Savage x Fenty (lingerie) are largely responsible for her wealth. Her 50% stake in Fenty Beauty accounts for the bulk of her fortune. Savage x Fenty, of which she owns 30% is worth about $270 million, and the rest of her earnings come from her heralded music career and stints as an actress.