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Rihanna faced harsh criticism from some of her fans as they trolled her for giving a 'lazy' performance during her long-awaited return to the stage.
She made a surprise appearance onstage at Jay-Z's Sunday night concert at Yankee Stadium in New York City and performed their 2009 hit song Run This Town.
After they performed their Grammy-winning collaboration, Rihanna, 38, also spoiled her fans with her 2015 solo smash hit, B**** Better Have My Money. The performance marked her first public performance since she headlined the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in 2023.
Over the weekend, Jay-Z did a three-night run at Yankee Stadium to celebrate some of his greatest albums, including the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt, and the 56-year-old rapper turned the show into an all-star event by bringing out his wife Beyonce, 44, for his final show as part of the one-weekend residency.
In spite of the music icon assembly onstage, many fans took to social media to express their disappointment with Rihanna's performance or to raise a furor over the three-hour wait for the concert to begin on Sunday.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Rihanna's representative for comment but has not yet received a response.
Rihanna was trolled by some of her fans via social media for giving a performance some deemed to be lackluster at Jay-Z's Sunday night concert
Over the weekend, Jay-Z did a three-night run at Yankee Stadium to celebrate some of his greatest albums, including the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt; pictured in May
It was later reported that Jay-Z's concert was delayed until after midnight due to a massive security breach.
After Rihanna's guest appearance, she was seen cozying up to her boyfriend A$AP Rocky in the crowd as they celebrated her return to the stage and enjoyed the remainder of the concert together.
The 37-year-old rapper also brought along their daughter Rocki Irish for the late-night concert.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their baby girl Rocki, their youngest child, in September 2025.
The couple also shares sons RZA Athelston, four, and Riot Rose, nearly three.
She was still wearing her head-to-toe Saint Laurent look when Rihanna got off the stage and joined her beau and her 10-month-old baby girl.
The superstar — who released her last studio album Anti in 2016 — has been keeping busy in the last decade with their family as well as her multiple businesses that have nabbed her billionaire status.
On Sunday night, Jay-Z not only brought out Beyoncé and Rihanna, but he also performed with Pharrell Williams, Usher, Teyana Taylor, Jermaine Dupri, The-Dream, Clipse, Jeezy, Fat Joe and Jadakiss.
Rihanna joined him onstage to perform their 2009 award-winning collaborative song ,Run This Town, as well as her 2015 solo smash hit, B**** Better Have My Money; pictured in November 2025
In addition to Rihanna, the 56-year-old rapper also brought out his wife Beyonce, 44, for his final show as part of the one-weekend residency; pictured in July 2018
While some fans praised Rihanna and Jay-Z's energy and their stage presence, others were less enthusiastic about the performance; pictured in January 2010
Many social media users expressed disappointment with Rihanna's performance or to raise a furor over the three-hour wait for Jay-Z's concert to begin; pictured in September 2018
Rihanna didn't even take the stage until two hours after midnight because a large crowd of fans without tickets breached the entrance and security had to lock down the stadium.
'I appreciate your patience. We gonna have a good time,' Jay-Z said while apologizing when he took the stage after midnight.
'I got some s*** for you, I promise you,' the rap legend explained.
'There was like 10,000 people outside and they closed all the doors because they rushed the door and I didn't want to start music and have people get trampled. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience.'
While some fans praised Rihanna and Jay-Z's energy and their stage presence, others were less enthusiastic about the performance.
Several concertgoers or fans on social media criticized the display, and one person even called the show a 'hot a** mess.'
One social media user said she 'literally gives up singing' in the middle of the song.
Some fans claimed she seemed 'so tired' and even called her a 'lazy performer' for 'not even [singing] all the words.'
The show ended up taking place after midnight due to a massive security breach, much to many fans' dismay, per a flurry of tweets on X
After Rihanna's performance, she enjoyed the rest of the concert with her longtime partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, and their daughter Rocki Irish, whom they welcomed in September 2025; pictured in May
'The whole performance was a hot a** mess,' one fan tweeted as many took to social media to criticize the performance
One social media user said she 'literally gives up singing' in the middle of the song
Some fans claimed she seemed 'so tired' and even called her a 'lazy performer' for 'not even [singing] all the words'
There were also some fans who shared and reacted to concertgoer-taken footage of Rihanna telling the audience at the show that she is 'rusty'
Another one of Rihanna's fans also spliced videos of Rihanna performing the same song over 10 years apart, which sparked a slew of replies about how much she changed in a decade
'Yup she's rusty being an entertainer,' one social media user tweeted. 'She's mastered being a CEO we need badgyalriri back'
'Time to stop performing and focus on her businesses,' one X user savagely tweeted alongside a GIF of Oprah Winfrey smiling and shrugging
There were also fans voicing their critiques with 'understanding.' One person on X tweeted that Rihanna 'needs to lock-in with a dance studio ... [and] a vocal coach ... and she'll be ready to go'
Another person added: 'She had no energy but it's understandable'
There were some fans who shared and reacted to concertgoer-taken footage of Rihanna telling the audience at the show that she is 'rusty.'
Between the two songs, she said to the crowd at the sold-out stadium show: 'Y'all know I'm rusty, right? It's been a while. Y'all with me right now?'
Another one of Rihanna's fans also spliced videos of Rihanna performing the same song over 10 years apart, which sparked a slew of replies about how much she changed in a decade.
'Yup she's rusty being an entertainer,' one social media user tweeted. 'She's mastered being a CEO we need badgyalriri back.'
'Time to stop performing and focus on her businesses,' one X user savagely tweeted alongside a GIF of Oprah Winfrey smiling and shrugging.
There were also fans voicing their critiques with 'understanding.' One person on X tweeted that Rihanna 'needs to lock-in with a dance studio ... [and] a vocal coach ... and she'll be ready to go.'
Another person added: 'She had no energy but it's understandable.'
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