See Issa Rae, Childish Gambino Perform at Rihanna’s Diamond Ball
Rihanna held her fourth annual Diamond Ball Thursday night at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street, a fundraising gala that featured a performance by Childish Gambino and emcee duties from Insecure‘s Issa Rae. As is tradition, proceeds from the Diamond Ball – which also included an auction hosted by Seth Meyers – benefitted Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation. The singer raised $6 million for the foundation.
“Clara and Lionel are my grandparents who have instilled in me the importance of giving back,” Rihanna said at the event. “So to be able to raise funds for global education, health and emergency response programs around the world at this magnitude is an ode to them and our greatest achievement.”
Issa Rae noted of the evening’s host, “She is the Rihanna. She’s a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, fashion icon, philanthropist. Her Big Dick Energy, she can slap me in the face anytime with.”
Later in the evening, Rihanna introduced Childish Gambino to the stage, with the artist performing a short set that included “Sober,” “This Is America” and “Feels Like Summer.”
The foundation launched a “$25 million emergency response philanthropic fund” earlier this year to improve response to natural disasters. As the foundation noted in a press release, “The new fund is structured to provide emergency solutions and supplies including prearranged access to food and water, generators, temporary shelters and hygiene products as well as issue grants to relief organizations within 48 hours of a disaster.”
Watch highlights from the fourth annual Diamond Ball in the video above.