Rihanna Receives AMA’s Icon Award

Rihanna receives the American Music Award’s Icon Award.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Rihanna recently posed nude for the British GQ cover.

Rihanna was presented the Icon Award last night by her mother, Monica Fenty. She gave a small speech about her daughter’s accomplishment during the hand off:

“I’m so proud of you tonight. I know the journey and your career has not always been an easy one. But tonight I applaud and admire you for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused.”

While most wouldn’t automatically accuse Rihanna of being “humble,” part of her acceptance speech gave a nod to her mother and her determination as a small girl:

“Just about 20 years ago is when I really started making your life a living hell with my annoying little husky man voice, you would call it, and I mean just disrupting the entire neighborhood. Westbury Road, Barbados, they could tell you that’s the truth. I annoyed every one of my neighbors.”

Rihanna also performed a song from her 2012 album, Diamonds, and received the AMA’s favorite soul/R&B female artist award. Presenter Bill Maher, who one would not think is exactly the biggest Rihanna fan, touted Rihanna as:

“Providing the soundtrack to our 21st century years and lives.”

Justin Timberlake, while accepting his one of his three awards, (in Caribbean accent, of course) joked with the audience about Mom and award winning daughter:

“Can we talk about how cute Rihanna’s mom is? She’s so proud of the Icon. I am too, Rihanna, I love you.”

So what do you think, is Rihanna really an American Icon?