Rihanna’s third annual Diamond Ball event was Thursday night in New York City, and it was one of the most star-studded events in recent memory. It's been an incredible couple of weeks for RiRi, who just recently released her already wildly successful makeup line, Fenty Beauty, and debuted her new Puma spring collection at NYFW with a thrilling show.
The guest list was truly a who's who of everyone’s favorite celebrities, including Kendrick Lamar as well as Calvin Harris, Dave Chappelle, Future, Young Thug, Cardi B, Lil Kim, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay Z and Beyoncé.
#Rihanna and #CardiB flick it up with #DaveChappelle at the Diamond Ball pic.twitter.com/uHNu5ofXeJ
— TellMeMo Media (@TellMeMoMedia) September 15, 2017
Young Thug & Future attend @Rihanna's annual Diamond Ball pic.twitter.com/Dg4IbqAdyX
— ECR (@ECRenaissance) September 15, 2017
Me & @iamcardib 💎we made our table so fun tonight. Thanks Connie for having us at ur table 🙏🏽amazing night supporting an amazing cause #dia… pic.twitter.com/O3aUhfaSr1
— LA LA (@lala) September 15, 2017
Beyoncé & Jay Z at Rihanna 3rd Annual Diamond Ball 💎 pic.twitter.com/ojBKzP28oD
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) September 15, 2017
“The more you drink, the more inspired you’ll be to donate money,” Rihanna told her guests during the event. “And help kids around the world.” The ball revolves around an auction that includes personalized items from Rihanna and other guests. Rih’s strategy certainly seems to have worked: according to the Washington Post, the event raised an impressive $840,000. Dave Chappelle, who bought a Retna art piece, is responsible for $180,000 of that total.
The event is held every year to raise money for the Rihanna-founded Clara Lionel Foundation, which supports education, health, and emergency initiatives, and helps bring students from Caribbean countries to the U.S. to attend college. A special edition Puma Creeper was also released ahead of the Diamond Ball, the proceeds of which will also benefit the foundation.
Kendrick hit the stage to perform “Loyalty” from DAMN. While Rihanna didn’t join him, she was certainly enjoying his performance and singing along.
![Rihanna's Dollar Campaign.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 203 115"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As if that wasn't enough to certify the night as an absolute banger, former President Barack Obama made an appearance via a video message. The sorely missed leader praised and thanked Rihanna for her philanthropic work.
“You’ve become a powerful force,” Obama said. “Thank you Rihanna for your act in philanthropy, thank you all for your support.”
Barack Obama thanking Rihanna for her philanthropy at the 3rd Annual Diamond Ball 💎 pic.twitter.com/48MBLczeba
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) September 15, 2017
Of all the beloved stars in attendance Thursday night, there was one specific reunion that really put fans in a frenzy: Rihanna and Beyoncé, who were pictured together.
TWO QUEENS 👸🏽👸🏽 pic.twitter.com/uwXG6CBKyk
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) September 15, 2017
RIHunited 🐝⚓️#rihanna #Beyonce #DiamondBall pic.twitter.com/Cvv4zUrNZX
— DRESSDEALER (@DressDealerUK) September 15, 2017
— brendon skolat (@brendonSkolat) September 15, 2017
2 BEAUTIFUL POWERFUL BLACK WOMEN! WE LOVE LEGENDS 😍
— Malik (@MasjidRashad) September 15, 2017
— Sabrina 🌜♎🌛 (@paleroses98) September 15, 2017
I'm waiting for the collab pic.twitter.com/illqiE52BI
— Luz🇨🇴 (@LuzVcc1) September 15, 2017
— jasmine (@selsbabygirI) September 15, 2017