rihanna-rolling-stone-cover-460.jpg

Rihanna covers the new issue of Rolling Stone, and she opens up about her history with Chris Brown and how she is happy with her decision to stand by his side.

On the criticism she's received from fans and the media:

    "I decided it was more important for me to be happy. I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake. After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it. When you add up the pieces from the outside, it's not the cutest puzzle in the world. You see us walking somewhere, driving somewhere, in the studio, in the club, and you think you know."


Despite the fact that Brown beat her up in February of 2009, Rihanna insists that they have a better grip on things these days, and they've been on and off since late 2011:

    "It's different now. We don't have those types of arguments anymore. We talk about sh*t. We value each other. We know exactly what we have now, and we don't want to lose that."


While she's forgiven Brown for his past transgressions, she admits that he has to be careful this time around:

    "He doesn't have the luxury of f*cking up again. That's just not an option. I can't say that nothing else will ever go wrong. But I'm pretty solid in the knowing that he's disgusted by that. And I wouldn't have gone this far if I ever thought that was a possibility ... He made a mistake, and he's paid his dues. He's paid so much. And I know that's not a place he would ever want to go back to. And sometimes people need support and encouragement, instead of ridicule and criticism and bashing."